Monkey Bulb

Tips to get your brand noticed in video game land:

1. Make sure your brand is appropriate for the virtual world. Volcom, Nixon, Vans, Spy, Tony Hawk’s clothing line are  all customizable pieces to make your skater exactly they way you want. If you’re in a band, more titles, especially sports titles, feature real bands doing real tracks. Yokohama tires can be bought in multiple racing titles, and I have Yokohama tires on my car, coincidence? Nope. When I had the tires put on my car I needed low profile tires, Yokohama was the only brand I knew. They got me at least. I have a Volcom beanie I really like, too.

2. Find, if possible, a functional purpose for your brand in the game. The brands above all have an appropriate presence in the games and have a functionality purpose with the game. You can wear the clothes in the skateboarding game and use the tires in racing title. Clothes might add style points to your character, or your brand of tire might provide that racer’s edge if your lucky, but I’m sure this doesn’t come without a hefty price tag.

3. Manage your expectations. Find a way to Measure. Not to hard to buy a specialized URL, and integrate a microsite, right? Do it. Let’s say your brake brand has a presence in a console game, like a racing game for xBox 360, buy a virtual billboard on the side of the road–you can do that–throw your URL on their and see what happens. Offer something once they get there codes, tips, money, but reference yourself back to the game–think search engine marketing, gamers are searching for codes for games, walk-throughs, and FAQs all the time, why not be a source? But realize that one of the biggest benefits–at least that you can truly hope for in a game is familiarity with a new audience because if you are only putting up a billboard in a high speed racing game and your presence isn’t known any where else in the game I wouldn’t expect a big result as you’re flying by at 205 mph. You gotta have functionality, or stretch the brand’s presence as far as the budget will allow.

4. Creating a game isn’t the always the answer. Consider the amount of games on the internet, and “win this win that games” are flooding the internet. Find some money in your budget to get into a console game that includes PC titles too. It’s hard to drive traffic with a game that is lost in a land of similar point and click games, with similar contests or sweepstakes attached, often arriving just to suffer through a registration process that immediately deters people from staying and playing. Sometimes just presence in another game might work just as well. View the strengths of the brand, and take a chance on a specialized URL, or once you create a partnership with a game you can cross promote. Here’s a story about cross marketing for Tony Hawks game and JEEP. Story here.

5. The business is about to boom, with that media buys in games will to. Take advantage now, before it’s too late. Advertising in video games as a non-traditional medium is on the rise. Total spending is expected to be above a billion in two years. That means plenty of options to find the perfect place for your brand, because games are being produced just as fast and will continue to evolve, and make sure your brand does evolves with it.