RE: advertising within games

From: Darrin Keene <darrinkeene_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Aug 1999 16:36:15 -0500 (CDT)

MATTHEW DA SILVA WROTE:
>Ever hear ads put into CDs or audio tapes? Why not? Think about it.

Actually, yes. Web-savvy hip-hop artists like Master P and
The Wu-Tang Clan not only engage in effective online viral
marketing campaigns, but they also use their CD sleeves and
recordings to push their private-brand merchandise. Witness
the recent "RZA Hits" compilation from the Wu-Tang Clan,
which has a song dedicated to their Wu-wear merchandise.

If you have a dedicated audience (and I believe you can
compare communities of Quake players to Wu-Tang fans), then
I believe there is strong case for ads to be put within
games. You just need to choose products that are
well-accepted within these communities. With the Quake
crowd, I would push merchandise from bands like Limp Bizkit
and kORN (as well as the Wu-Tang Clan), as well as
private-brand clothing related to the game.

Of course, it helps if you're familiar with these
communities, and hip-hop labels like No Limit and Loud are
well in tune with the kids who buy their product. They
often go to the streets and chat groups and "employ" these
kids as "promotional representatives". The gaming business
has many parallels with the music industry, and I think
there's tremendous potential to get feedback from gamers
and target them with products they like.

--
Darrin Keene, Freelance Music Columnist, Windsor Star
http://www.southam.com/windsorstar

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Received on Mon Aug 02 1999 - 17:17:22 CDT