• by Ross Fadner , July 30, 2004

Last week, Jeff Bell, VP of marketing for Chrysler/Jeep, demonstrated the positive effect of custom advergaming initiatives on Chrysler brand awareness during his keynote address at the Jupiter Media Advertising Forum in New York City. In fact, Bell revealed that in some instances, demonstrated interest led to actual sales.

One of the games--called "Race The Pros"--generated a 27.6 percent lift in Dodge brand awareness, as well as a 19.6 percent purchase intent and a 24.7 percent rise in overall brand awareness for DaimlerChrysler brands among users who played and downloaded the game. It was promoted online at MSN and FoxSports.com, as well as during certain Fox broadcasts on TV. WildTangent, which created the game, has built several other games for blue chip companies, and is currently working on Nike's Speed campaign.

"Our fastest-growing area by far is in the Internet," said Chrysler's Bell. "The great thing about the Web is you can take a risk, learn from it quickly, and move on." He added that the positive results from the gaming initiatives will result in more online spending from the automaker.

In his keynote address, Bell noted that "the future is such that all marketing will be interactive," and "integrating your brand into popular culture is absolutely vital." He added that Chrysler plans to begin marketing on the Internet outside of the auto category--to sports and tech sites, for example. DaimlerChrysler's other advergame initiatives include "Chrysler Golf" and "Jeep 4x4 Trail of Life." "Chrysler Golf" drew 124,732 registrants; each was required to give geographic as well as car preference information prior to playing. Bell said the result was a 33 percent lift in purchasing intent over the next six months.

The "Jeep 4x4 Trail of Life" game drew an even larger audience of 383,403 participants. Thirty-nine percent of those who played expressed interest in purchasing a Jeep vehicle. Bell said that Jeep sold more than 1,000 vehicles to people who had registered for the game in the last 18 months.

In his address, Bell noted the importance of being able to experience a brand's product--particularly in an industry such as automotive--and emphasized that advergaming provides consumers with a valuable combination of technology, popular culture, and brand interaction.