Measuring Effectiveness of Gaming

On his blog, Scott Goodson, founder of StrawberryFrog, looks at the opportunities that gaming is presenting the advertising industry and asks if the future of broadcast advertisign lies in gaming. He argues that gamers feel that brand names in gaming environments don’t feel like advertising, but rather add authenticity and realism to games. The problem, he argues, is measurement - and makes some handy alternatives:

1) Rich Media interactions Flash formats not only offer a more eye-catching creative, they also allow the measurement of user interactions from mouse-over, banner expanded, video played, dwell time and response. All of these show user engagement with the brand and campaign.

2) Clicks and landings Often a weakness in many campaigns, develop an engaging and compelling microsite. For a brand like P&G it could contain celebrity gossip, beauty tips, further product information or even a subscription to a newsletter. A microsite not only looks great, but every click is trackable and shows user response.

3) Coupon redemption McDonalds has proven the approach with a TXTmessage, to redeem in store could be an effective measure of success at point of purchase.

4) Social networking Many products fit naturally into the social networking space, whether it be developing a forum for comment or building an application for Facebook or Myspace. Engage users by asking for reviews of products they have bought and develop free word-of-mouth advertising by recommending to friends.

5) Post-purchase follow-up On the product itself, ask the user to visit your website for free goodies. This not only develops brand advocacy and cross sell opportunity, a cookie can be dropped on their PC allowing for highly targeted advertising to be delivered via your display placements.

scott goodson’s writings : THE FUTURE OF BROADCAST ADVERTISING