Readers' comments on any of these resources are alsways welcome! Do email us via feedback@netfamilynews.org.Nancy Willard is director of the Center for Safe & Responsible Internet Use in Eugene, Ore., and publisher of Cyberbully.org. [For excerpts and links to further information on "immersive advertising" on the Internet see the 2/11/05 issue of the SafeKids/NetFamilyNewsletter.]
Advergaming is the integration of advertising messages into online games. Advergaming is all the rage in the Internet advertising community, due to the recognition of the lack of effectiveness of banner advertising. Instead of using a banner or print ad, which most children (and adults) ignore, or a 30-second TV advertisement, advertisers can create conditions for children (and adults) to immerse themselves for extended periods of time interacting in a gaming environment that promotes brand identification and loyalty.
Targeting this type of advertising to children is especially concerning. Before the Internet emerged, researchers knew that children are not good at distinguishing between advertising and content. For this reason, the Federal Trade Commission has stringent regulations for children's television shows that require that a distinction be made between advertising and content. For example, ads for cartoon-based toys may not appear at the same time as the cartoon itself.
Playing games is a very popular online activity for children and teens. To create an exciting and attractive game requires significant development costs. Because the games are provided at no charge, consider where the money comes from and the intention of those providing such funds. The intention of these companies is to generate the "nag factor." "Mom, please buy me that sugar coated cereal." "Dad, I gotta have that toy."
Here is a description of the impact of advergaming from the highly popular children's site, Neopets. Neopets calls their advergaming approach "Immersive Advertising," as in "immersing children in advertising." The material in brackets has been added to assist your understanding.
"Research has shown that, in part due to the diversity and richness of Neopets' interactive and entertaining content [the site is very attractive to children], repeat exposure[the site is very "sticky," attracting children to stay for long periods of time and return often] to these branded Immersive Advertising activities creates a positive and long-lasting brand impression [that leads to brand loyalty, leading to purchases or nagging] with site members [children]. Neopets' creative professionals customize each Immersive Advertising campaign to showcase the product's unique attributes [advertising is the key objective of the site], to reach effectively the desired target audience. Neopets' Immersive Advertising programs are successful [lead to positive brand identification and increased sales] because members [children] interact [when you interact you tend to form a connection] directly with the advertiser's product, which is embedded [to children, "hidden" or not obvious] within the customized site content [advertising is not distinguished from content]."
Advergames are placed on Web sites that are clearly associated with the company, on game-aggregation or other third-party sites, or distributed via email. Advergaming seeks to accomplish three forms of communication:
- Company-to-child communication, in which the attributes of the product or service are communicated to the child to encourage positive brand identification.
- Child-to-company communication, in which the child is encouraged to provide contact information (an email address) and other personal details in order to play the game. Children may also be encouraged to provide contact information about other children to the company. This information is retained in a database and can be used for direct marketing.
- Child-to-child communication, in which children unknowingly become allies of the company by encouraging their friends to play the game. Advertisers call this "viral marketing."
Public advocacy groups concerned about children's well-being and the harmful impacts of advertisements are raising concerns about advergaming. But their efforts are unlikely to bear fruit. Without advergaming, significant portions of the Internet economy would be undermined. Unfortunately, promoting consumption to children appears to be an integral part of our economic system.
Tips for dealing with 'immersive advertising'
Parents and kids need to understand that there is no free lunch on the commercial side of the Internet. Any activity that is offered for free on commercial sites on the Internet has a hidden cost. That hidden cost is profiling and advertising.
- For children and tweens who like to play computer games, parents would be well-advised to avoid Internet gaming and purchase educational or entertainment software.
- If children or tweens want to play games on the Internet, parents should review the game or the site and discuss the advertising elements. "You can play that game. But understand that the game is really an ad for sugary breakfast cereal, which I am not going to purchase because it is not healthy."
- You can play on this site, but as you play I want you to keep track of how many hidden ads you see."
- Teens tend to be suspicious of attempts to manipulate them. Use this natural aversion to manipulation to encourage them to recognize the advertising and information soliciting techniques that have been incorporated into advergaming.
- Pay close attention to "nagging" to identify the connection between such nagging and online gaming activities. Encourage your child to be a responsible consumer, purchasing products and services that are healthy and beneficial.
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