Advertising in mobile games - A summary

This post is kinda like a summary. Of everything I’ve talked about advertising on mobile games so far. A couple of my friends asked me to explain mobile games, the concept of advertising in mobile games, how they do it, why they do it, and of course some official facts and figures to back up my claims. Though I’ve talked about mobile games and advertising in mobile games quite often in this blog, I thought it would be nice to summarize it in just one post to make it easier for my readers. So, here it goes.

If you were to rate some of the most favorite pastimes of mobile users, mobile video games would certainly be one of them. From kids to teenagers to adults, everyone likes to spend a little time on mobile games every now and then. And downloading a game to your mobile phone has become ever so easy thanks to mobile advertisers. You have ad funded mobile video games that are free to download and they are very popular among people now. In fact, media analyst Screen Digest predicts that by 2012, over 60 million mobile games will be downloaded per year. That’s a monstrous number which just goes to show the popularity of mobile video games.

There are two ways in which advertisers place their ads in mobile video games. First, ads are placed before and after a game. This is by far the most common form of advertising in mobile video games. You download a game and when you’re about to start playing it, you’ll be shown some ad spots. Then when you finish playing the game, you’ll be shown some more ad spots. This method works well with users as they are not disturbed during the course of the game. Also, advertisers tend to gain from this as there is no way these ads can go unnoticed.

Second method is called product placement. Now, this method is even more refined and the ads are blended seamlessly into the gaming environment. In this method, you’ll not find ads popping up before or after the game. Instead, you’ll find them placed within your game. The soccer players might be wearing Nike jerseys, the boxers might be wearing Adidas shoes, and the signboards might have Microsoft logos. This way, the brands are shown to us in a subtle way and it doesn’t distract our attention on the game at all. So, this method is also pretty popular with advertisers these days.

The mobile advertising industry is growing fast and ad funded mobile games have never been so popular. There are plenty of companies that offer free mobile games for download which are completely ad funded. Going by the popularity of these games, the prediction made by Screen Digest very much looks like a possibility in the next few years.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Games.

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Yet another interesting report on mobile advertising

Media analyst Screen Digest recently released a report on mobile advertising which brings out some interesting points.

The report emphasizes that mobile advertising is still in its nascent stage and will grow rapidly in the next few years. However, this is something we’ve all been told about mobile advertising for quite some time now. So, my focus is on two points which I thought stood out from the rest.

Mobile TV will be the major revenue generator as far as mobile ads are concerned. However, it needs to have its own set of metrics in order to be considered an important advertising medium by advertisers. While mobile TV is touted as the next big thing in mobile advertising by many, people need solid data to assess how effective the ads have been and to calculate the ROI. This, I think, is a valid observation.

By 2012, ad-funded mobile games will become hugely popular and over 60 million of such games will be downloaded per year. That is a huge number and should give a lot of hope to mobile advertisers. In my opinion, ad funded mobile games are a great way to reach users without actually ramming ads down their throat. We’ve already seen some examples like product placement in mobile games which have been quite successful in sending a subtle message to viewers through strategically placed ads within the mobile game. However, the report also says that such mobile games will not be the major source of revenue. Even then, I think mobile based games and other such content are a great way to interact with customers which can popularize the brand well.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones.

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Mobile broadband - the next big thing

Some of you might be wondering why I come up with terms like mobile broadband and mobile internet as often as I can. Well; let me put it in a way that everyone can understand.

Let’s say. You go out of town. A town where broadband internet centers don’t exist. And you’re not exactly the Blackberry-carrying, laptop-flaunting executive type. You need to check your email or need to check out something darn important in some obscure website. What do you do?

The solution could be – a good mobile phone with mobile internet / mobile broadband facility. And don’t think I’m the only one who’s rooting for this. A recent survey by ComScore states that mobile broadband usage went up by a freaking 154% in the fourth quarter of 2007. Not surprisingly, Verizon and Sprint account for most of the mobile broadband market.

Now, the next time you see someone questioning you on mobile broadband/mobile internet/mobile email/mobile games/mobile entertainment/mobile advertising, or hell, anything mobile, teach him all this. Or better yet, direct him to this blog.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Web.

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Myxer and Greystripe join hands to provide high quality mobile games - absolutely free

Myxer Inc., market leader in ad-supported mobile content, recently joined hands with Greystripe, one of the largest distributors of ad-supported mobile applications and mobile games, to provide their users with free, high-quality mobile games.

Myxer Inc. offers free ringtones, pictures, videos, and more for its huge community which keeps growing by the day and now it has added ad-supported mobile games to the list. Greystripe has a huge catalog of over 800 high quality mobile games and thanks to its partnership with Myxer, you will be able to download and use these mobile games absolutely free of cost.

Greystripe’s ADWRAP Catalog Platform will help Myxer distribute the mobile games to its community of users. Myk Willis, Founder and CEO of Myxer, says this partnership will take both Myxer and Greystripe to the next level as far as mobile users community is concerned. He says that it is a natural progression for both the companies involved and it will benefit both of them in a significant manner.

In my opinion, Myxer and Greystripe are companies that have made use of mobile advertising to the maximum. Giving free mobile applications and free mobile games to millions of people is by no means a small task and mobile advertising has made it possible. This is a very healthy sign for the industry as we can soon see more companies taking a leaf out of Myxer’s book and follow suit.

Ironically, we still have carriers that charge their customers for downloading ringtones and videos. Hopefully, companies like Myxer will change all that. After all, why would anyone want to pay for mobile ringtones, images, videos, and games, when you can get ‘em all for free?

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising, All things mobile phones, Mobile Games.

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