• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 8, 2007

Would you like some branded entertainment with that? Burger King has inked a licensing agreement with mobile content provider Mobliss, a division of the Index Group, to create downloadable cellular phone games featuring BK-branded content.

Miami-based Burger King will market the casual games through packaging, as well as with in-store signs, in an effort to tightly connect consumers with the brand. Scheduled to launch in the spring, the games will likely cost less than $10 each. Customers will send a text message to purchase and download them.

Making it easy for consumers to find and download content, Seattle-based Mobliss will market the downloadable games through partnerships with Sprint, Alltel, AT&T, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon, says BK spokesperson Heather Krasnow. Some Burger King restaurants offer Wi-Fi access, too.

Casual video games are a far better investment than television ads because there's more interaction between consumer and brand. Unlike TV advertising that consumers can fast-forward or skip through, the game player makes an effort to engage with the brand, says Edward Williams, managing director at equity research firm BMO Capital Markets. "Some brands choose to sponsor sessions in games, while others create them based solely on their brand," he says. "We're seeing several brands look at games for marketing."

As marketers try to find ways to reach their target demographics, many are beginning to look toward video games in sponsored sessions, billboard ad placement, and creating branded games similar to Burger King, Williams says.

Billy Pidgeon, game analyst at market research firm IDC, says casual games are a good way to brand and market restaurants, products and services. "Depending on the production quality and depth of game, it's unlikely any would cost $1 million to produce," he says. "It's more likely they would cost in the range of $250,000 or less."

Some Web games cost less than $100,000 to develop, because they have low overhead and a small staff, Pidgeon says.

The first game being developed by Seattle-based Mobliss features players vying for the role of the Burger King's protégé by facing challenges and progressing in the virtual world of a Burger King-themed city. Points are earned and advanced levels unlocked, so gamers can face more difficult challenges as they successfully complete tasks.

Burger King's branding strategy also includes Xbox video games "Pocketbike Racer," "Big Bumpin'," and "Sneak King," as well as the integration of branded content into the video games "Fight Night," "Need For Speed" and "NFL Street."