Gaming and Marketing... How does that work?

So how does it work? Many people often do not sit and think about how video games can also be used and intertwined with marketing campaigns. There are thousands of people at any given time playing a video game, which makes it a GREAT place to advertise! This type of advertising is referred to as In-Game advertising. and according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-game_advertising In-Game advertising has been done since 1978! Gaming is now also becoming popular on mobile phones. Just about every gaming application you play has some type of advertisement pop up. The point is gaming is not only about kids and the average age of an online gamer is around 35 years old. Playing video games happens very often in my household and it is not just my son or fiance playing the games, it is me also. It is something that can appeal to any consumer which is a very big reason In-Game advertising is becoming so increasingly popular. It is expected that spending on In-Game advertising will grow to 1 billion dollars by 2014. Companies can either place their sine on a billboard or also use something called Static In-Game advertising which basically means once it is in there it cannot easily be changed. For example a piece of the game like a phone or computer system or that is brand specific in the game would be advertising to the brand and could not be changed out of the game. This is a very smart way to do advertising because no matter what happens your product will always be in the game and never changed. When using In-Game billboards as a way to advertise you have to think about screen time and angle within the game that the viewer will be allowed to see. This can change the effectiveness of the advertisement. It seems as though marketers find that companies have an increase in sales by using In-Game advertising however if you ask the daily gamer most of them find the advertisements to be invasive and will even pay to have the advertisements removed if possible. All in all a lot of research has to take place when thinking about using video games as a source of advertisement.
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Livecasting...Creating a Smaller World :)

As Social Media platforms enable people across the world to connect and communicate in new and innovative ways, and sharing in the process can be exciting and rewarding. By definition livecasting refers to any kind of audio or visual sharing that is done over the internet. Given the
popularity of putting video or audio out into the Internet (and the lure of
having a video go viral) there are many kinds of multimedia livecasting sites
available, You Tube and Skype are just a couple.

YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/) is of course the leader in livecasting sites featuring pre-recorded videos in a variety of categories and genres. YouTube has become so successful it is now
viewed in new media marketing as a crucial component in any social media mix. From starving artists, proud parents, creative minds and Fortune 500 Companies are all using You Tube to get their faces and products in front of as many people as possible with little or no cost.

Skype (http://www.skype.com/) probably the number one recognized platform for multimedia livecasting which enables users to have a life voice conversation utilizing voice over IP
technology (VOIP) or projecting live video and audio streams in real time. Skype moves beyond the conventional phone and allows real time video feed along with the audio feed to give users face-to-face conversations with friends, family and others around the world…and it is FREE for use between Skype account holders. The only requirements are an internet connection, a webcam, and an account with Skype.

Clara meets her Great-Grandparents for the first time....

The world is a smaller place because of this kind of technology being available to the general public. From meeting friends and family, to business communication the opportunities to go beyond the written word promotes better communication and understanding wherever and whenever it is used. The down side to this form of Social Media only comes from the evil in the world and the potential to spread that message also.

Karen Bellman