• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, November 10, 2005

In another example of online advertisers hoping to lure Web surfers with entertainment, Pepsi-Cola Co. recently launched a microsite branded with Mountain Dew's MDX, where users can play an online video game. Omnicom's Tribal DDB, Dallas created the site for Mountain Dew.

The online game, as well as the microsite, incorporate elements from a traditional TV and print campaign created by Omnicom agency BBDO to promote the new energy drink.

As more users connect through broadband connections, marketers have increasingly created online games or other forms of branded entertainment intended to encourage users to remain on their sites. For instance, when Jeep went online in September to promote a new vehicle, the Commander, it launched the site WeAreTheMudds.com, which focused on a fictional family of Jeep enthusiasts. That campaign's centerpiece was a series of videos featuring Mudd family vacations.

Additionally, many marketing executives have said they view online games as a particularly good way to reach young males between the ages of 18 and 24--the target group of the online MDX campaign.

Tribal DDB Dallas Executive Creative Director Scott Johnson said the agency hopes that users who come to the site, www.benocturnal.com, remain for at least four to five minutes--far longer than the typical 30-second TV ad. "We're looking for something considerably more engaging than 30 seconds," Johnson said.

The game includes a "tell a friend" button, which asks users to submit their names and e-mail addresses as well as the name and e-mail of at least one friend, but users don't need to submit such information to play. The button itself doesn't appear until the user has scrolled through several screens.

"It may look subtle, but we've found that hitting guys over the head--particularly in this target market--doesn't work that well," Johnson said.

To promote the microsite, Tribal purchased banner ads on gaming and community sites, Johnson said.