• by Tameka Kee , April 10, 2008

MTV's XFire has partnered with Exent Technologies to launch an ad-supported prize competition that exists wholly within the "Call of Duty 2" PC game.

The treasure hunt-style promotion, which runs on Exent's AdMuse dynamic content insertion platform, tasks gamers with finding and redeeming secret codes for a chance to win a copy of the newest game in the franchise, "Call of Duty 4".

Members of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Xfire's online gaming community can access the treasure hunt while playing through the first five missions in the single-player version of "Call of Duty 2". The AdMuse platform is able to track the secret ad codes (or impressions) on a number of levels, including exposure time, how large the code appeared on screen, the angle it was viewed from and what percentage of it was seen. The data is periodically transmitted back to Xfire and the code sponsor.

The AdMuse technology can also match the info to Xfire member profiles to determine whether a participant actually discovered the hidden clues themselves or cribbed answers from a friend. According to Zvi Levgoren, CEO of San Francisco-based Exent Technologies, the trackability and ease of use that AdMuse offers are what have made it the platform of choice for gaming properties like Metaboli (which ran a contest in conjunction with Ubisoft in France).

"(AdMuse) is not really embedded into the game, so there is no work on the publisher or the game developer's side that needs to be performed," Levgoren said. "And it can operate on existing games, even ones that have already been installed on end-users' machines." So advertisers and the gaming community or Web site owners can insert graphics, audio and video clips within games without getting developers involved, and they can use games like "Call of Duty 2" that already have an established user base.

"With new titles you never know how well it will be received by the gaming public," Levgoren said. "With our approach, you can select games that you already know are popular and integrate them into your advertising/marketing campaigns."

Xfire boasts a healthy roster of popular games and nearly 10 million users worldwide. "We're excited about the opportunity to offer advertisers effective means to reach core demographics, and offer (members) additional value and the ability to win prizes through a fun, unique experience," said Adam Boyden, Xfire's general manager.