• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 24, 2008

Brand Advertising on Game Sites Performs Best With Women Over 45

According to a recent newsletter from Dynamic Logic, analysis from their MarketNorm database shows that Consumer Product advertisements on Gaming sites tend to perform much better among women ages 45+ compared with younger females. And this is not a small audience, says the report. 8.3 million women ages 45+ say they access the Internet to play online games, according to Focalyst from Millward Brown.

Digital gaming, concludes the report, can be an attractive advertising vehicle for brands because it allows for higher levels of consumer involvement and engagement. Each type of game offers different advertising opportunities, making it critical to understand the gaming landscapes and their audiences.

The chart shows the impact (as measured by the difference between women exposed to the ads and those in the control group) of CPG ads across various female age groups. Increases in the persuasion metrics are significantly higher among women ages 45+ compared to younger women. While there is almost no significant impact on Brand Favorability among females under age 45, CPG ads on Gaming sites yield a delta of +3.3 percentage points among females ages 45+.

Since Brand Favorability is typically a difficult metric to move through advertising because consumers often wait until after they have tried the product to form an opinion, it's notable, says the report, that CPG advertising on Gaming sites is able to persuade women ages 45+ to form an opinion before trial/purchase.

The study analysis offers things to consider when planning advertising on Gaming sites:

• Ad-supported free games on Web sites are often targeted towards a mass audience since these games are easy to learn and can be played in shorter sessions.
• As with online display advertising, targeting may be used to reach relevant demographics and age groups on various Gaming sites.
• Brands on Gaming sites are engaging with people when they are in a different state of mind than when browsing on other types of sites.

For more information on Boomers and Matures, visit Millward Brown here.