Placing ads in video games is commonplace, but a growing number of marketers are creating their own, product-oriented, interactive video games and placing them on their Web sites as a way to engage
consumers with their brands for as much as seven to ten minutes at a time. "It's a huge audience," says Dave Williams, general manager of Shockwave.com, which has developed 50 video game
advertisements. "Businesses are asking, 'How can I get people interacting with my brand?' and there's probably no better way to do that than with a game." Examples include games where players try to
keep a Filet-O-Fish sandwich away from sharks, dunk Oreos in a glass of milk, and smash through walls of ice to obtain a Pepsi. Some products seem natural for video games, like just about any kind of
vehicle. Go to Jeep.com, and you find no fewer than 10 action games. Volkswagen boasts of the Touran's spaciousness with a game where you (in the form of soccer star David Beckham) kick soccer balls
into the minivan. While the practice is effective for marketers, it has raised concerns among watchdog groups. "They're very effective, and I think that's a problem for children," says Susan Linn,
assistant director of the Media Center for Children. "The marketing industry really likes these games; they call them 'sticky' because kids spend more time on them than they would a 15-second
commercial."
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