While playing Fifa recently, I noticed the presence of in game advertising, most notably product placement in games. The whole notion is really genius by marketers, but the model has been around for years. Back in the 80s, arcade games that required quarters were technically in-game ads that monetize playing. More recently, freemium games are every where, and have become a gold mine for companies. These models are designed to be addictive and potentially predatory.
What sits a lot better for me is product placement in games in places that make sense. Billboards in an open world or signs in a sports stadium are not distracting while getting their message across. The key is to not disrupt the user experience. What's interesting is that placement like this only works for a game with online capabilities, so only in recent years was this product placement possible. I encourage future marketers to think about the ethical concerns of predatory revenue models and to emphasize the user experience while leveraging new technology.
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