As I read through Chapter 2 of the textbook and the discussion of search engines as the major player in digital marketing, I wondered about other new mediums that advertising can utilize. This reminded me of a recent article regarding a public uproar over the placement of in-game ads for UFC 4. Gamers that already paid $60 for the game were greeted with full screen, unskippable ads during gameplay. They were understandably upset, and EA ultimately backtracked to remove the ads.
While EA was unsuccessful with this attempt, I wonder how long it will be before such ads are accepted as a part of video games. The ads can pull similar levers that have made digital marketing successful in the search engine space. The appeal is certainly large as your audience is filled with coveted demographics, the cost to insert the ads is likely minimal, and the consumers are likely to spend several hours in-game, which creates many opportunities to display ads. Given these facts, I think in-game ads are inevitable, but developers must find ways less intrusive ways to introduce them.
The reading discussed the importance of optimizing content as a means to facilitate web traffic to the site. In the textbook's example, a site provides instructions on how to tie a bow tie. A retailer could capitalize on the webpage's traffic to generate sales on their own products. Perhaps video games can use a similar idea and make the ads "useful" to players. Their character could have the opportunity to gain endorsements for various real-life brands and appear in the ad, making it more palatable for gamers.
As an avid gamer myself, I hope that ads stay off of video games. I'm curious to hear everyone else's views on the topic.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/09/09/ufc-4-ads/
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