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In-game mobile marketing

- Link to original article Mobile marketing - "In-game mobile marketing section""

Methods of implementation

Banner advertisements which are viewed alongside the mobile gameplay, in-game product and brand placements as well as consumer product-based mobile games are methods of promotion within the smartphone game platform. Other revenue streams for mobile games are in-game purchases, which account for $21.4 billion in sales for 2014. Mobile game designers incorporate tactical in-game purchases to allow consumers to progress in the game to deepen the loyalty of users for free-to-play-games. Native advertisements are designed to fit the natural layout of any mobile experience, reducing the annoyance users have when viewing traditional banner advertisements that are prominently found in free-to-play games. This practice involves placing relevant content into the advertisement that shares characteristics to that of the mobile game, instead of unrelated ads for random products. Native video ads are the common method of implementation, with short videos placed within the game environment that inform the user of information contextually appropriate and similar to the mobile application. Freemium games use the tiers of available content to entice spending and promotional involvement of users to progress within the game. This method of mobile game offering creates a low barrier to entry with the initial free download but increases revenue as the user communicates with promotional content or pays in funds to progress through the game. Methods to progress through the game, besides in-game purchases include users adding and subscribing to social media feeds, viewing video commercials and providing personal information such as email for subscription services.

Merging markets

Promotional advertisements for mobile games have expanded outside the scope of smartphone devices, but can be viewed on television, print advertisements and online webpages. Large console-based game developers such as Electronic Arts and Activision have emerged in the mobile game market and use various media outputs to promote their mobile game and the advertised content within the game itself. Social media integration has also increased engagement with social peers, expanding the scope of the advertised content and ultimately the impressions of potential consumers to the game.

Limitations of mobile game marketing

Limited historical data on mobile game marketing, complexity of different carriers and handsets and budget risks associated with developing mobile games are some of the underlining factors in why mobile game marketing has not been fully explored for many companies. The method of communicating advertised content through mobile games relies on users to voluntarily download the application on their devices on their terms, ultimately giving the control to the user. The limiting factor of not being able to cross-market with outside revenue streams affects many mobile games from entering the application stores.

Works Cited

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