| Since AdWords was launched in 2001,
| |
| | affordable to larger businesses. Anyone
|
| Google has expanded to image ads, video
| |
| | familiar with internet advertising can
|
| ads, and print ads, and has frequently
| |
| | see the potential for history to repeat
|
| been rumored to be entering radio and
| |
| | itself.
|
| television. While many think that
| |
| | Way back in 1996, long before Overture
|
| television ads (ala Spot Runner) could be
| |
| | (now Yahoo! Search Marketing) and Google
|
| Google's next major move, they may be
| |
| | AdWords, a company called DoubleClick
|
| neglecting a potentially larger
| |
| | pioneered website advertising. Their
|
| opportunity: in-game video game
| |
| | downfall, however, was that they required
|
| advertising.
| |
| | a formal sales contract, limiting their
|
| Earlier this year Massive Incorporated, a
| |
| | potential client base to only large
|
| video game advertising network, announced
| |
| | companies. Overture and AdWords made it
|
| a landmark deal with Major League
| |
| | easy for the small advertiser and small
|
| Baseball and 2K Sports to provide dynamic
| |
| | site owner to participate in their ad
|
| advertising in the popular video game
| |
| | networks, essentially opening their
|
| Major League Baseball 2K6. According to
| |
| | service to anyone on the web. Several
|
| their press release, "Massive's Network
| |
| | years later, one would think that Google
|
| and technology allow MLB Advanced Media
| |
| | is keeping a watchful eye on what's going
|
| and 2K Sports titles to leverage dynamic
| |
| | on over at Massive Incorporated. Massive
|
| advertising for ever-fresh brand
| |
| | may be the first to enter the market, but
|
| messaging in their games, mirroring the
| |
| | it's hard to ignore the fact that the
|
| rapidly changing and expanding
| |
| | small business owner remains shut out.
|
| advertising opportunities in the live
| |
| | Could Google make Massive the next
|
| action sports industry."
| |
| | DoubleClick?
|
| Why Should Google Care?
| |
| | How Would Google Do It
|
| The Entertainment Software Association
| |
| | There's no doubt that with the best
|
| put U.S. sales of video game hardware and
| |
| | programmers in the world Google is
|
| software at $7.3 billion back in 2004, a
| |
| | capable of developing and improving upon
|
| figure that rivals Hollywood box office
| |
| | the technology that Massive has. It's
|
| revenue. In-game video game advertising
| |
| | also not hard to imagine advertisers
|
| is nothing new for the booming game
| |
| | paying per thousand impressions (PPM) for
|
| industry - large companies have been
| |
| | their text or image ads to be shown in
|
| buying static advertisements in games for
| |
| | specific games, much like they do now for
|
| years. What is new is the expansion of
| |
| | specific sites. The tough part for
|
| online gaming into the mainstream. Once
| |
| | Google, however, would be the
|
| reserved for only PC Gamers, console
| |
| | distribution of those ads.
|
| gamers have now discovered a whole new
| |
| | As opposed to signing up websites to
|
| world of competition over a broadband
| |
| | display their ads by copying some code on
|
| connection.
| |
| | to their site, Google would have to work
|
| In a recent interview with TechNewsWorld,
| |
| | with game programmers throughout the
|
| EA's John Schappert, who oversees the
| |
| | development process. This would be much
|
| largest interactive game studio in the
| |
| | more time consuming and would be a much
|
| world, was asked about in-game
| |
| | larger risk for Google. In the same way
|
| advertising: "In-game ad integration is a
| |
| | that Massive signed the contract with 2K,
|
| growing business where we see both
| |
| | Google would have to sign large contracts
|
| advertisers and consumers looking for
| |
| | with game developers and work with them
|
| more. It's an additional revenue stream
| |
| | for several months to integrate their
|
| that is still small, but growing. There's
| |
| | ads.
|
| the potential for scalability in this
| |
| | This enforces the fact that the main
|
| area with dynamically-served ads. It's
| |
| | difference between what happened with
|
| still in the early stages [in terms of]
| |
| | DoubleClick and what could happen with
|
| how in-game ads will grow in
| |
| | video games is that it would probably be
|
| significance."
| |
| | more work for Google to distribute their
|
| Starting with Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's
| |
| | ads over multiple channels (i.e. more
|
| PS2, and continuing into the next
| |
| | games). Since each game is programmed
|
| generation of online gaming with
| |
| | differently, there is no game equivalent
|
| Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, and
| |
| | to the JavaScript used in all AdSense
|
| Sony's PS3, it has become a virtual
| |
| | ads. Every game would need to be
|
| certainty that nearly all gamers will be
| |
| | tailored to Google's ad network
|
| playing while connected to a broadband
| |
| | individually. Difficult: yes.
|
| connection. With that broadband
| |
| | Impossible for Google: no way.
|
| connection comes an advertising
| |
| | When Will They Do It?
|
| opportunity that's hard to ignore.
| |
| | In my opinion it's not a matter of if,
|
| Is History Repeating Itself?
| |
| | it's a matter of when. The potential
|
| The potential flaw in what Massive
| |
| | revenue from the gaming industry is too
|
| Incorporated does is that their ad
| |
| | big for Google to ignore. Oh, and if you
|
| network still only includes the large
| |
| | still aren't convinced, consider this:
|
| advertisers. Massive's website gives no
| |
| | Microsoft, one of Google's main
|
| specific information regarding how to
| |
| | competitors, also produces the Xbox 360.
|
| purchase advertising, only mentioning
| |
| | If Microsoft decided to integrate their
|
| that "blue-chip" advertisers can work
| |
| | newly launched adCenter into Xbox games,
|
| with their "veteran" sales team to start
| |
| | would it really surprise anyone if Google
|
| an account. I think it's safe to say
| |
| | countered by announcing a deal with Sony
|
| that small businesses aren't their target
| |
| | or Nintendo to integrate in-game dynamic
|
| market. So while they are implementing
| |
| | advertising for the PS3 or the Wii?
|
| dynamic ads, those ads are still only
| |
| |
|
