Activision and IGA sign for PS3 in-game ads

IGA will supply in-game ads to Activision's PS3 games, thanks to a deal announced today.

The first game to be served by the deal will be Guitar Hero World Tour.

“Activision has one of the most impressive stables of games in the video game industry,” said IGA head Justin Townsend.

“To partner with them demonstrates the appeal of in-game advertising to marketers and consumers, alike. We will be able to connect more brands with engaged users than ever before.”

Press release after the link.

IGA Worldwide Signs Exclusive PlayStation 3 In-Game Advertising Deal With Activision Publishing

Tuesday 30th September/... IGA Worldwide (IGA), the leading independent in-game advertising network, today announced a multi-year agreement with Activision Publishing, Inc. to deliver dynamic in-game advertising into multiple video game titles on Sony Computer Entertainment’s PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3). The first game to feature IGA integrated ads will be Guitar Hero® World Tour, the next installment in the best-selling franchise. To date, the Guitar Hero franchise has sold in excess of 22 million units worldwide, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK.

This landmark agreement, which also includes future Activision Publishing titles, is the second publisher deal announced by IGA since the PS3 opened its platform for in-game advertisements.

“Activision has one of the most impressive stables of games in the video game industry,” said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. “To partner with them demonstrates the appeal of in-game advertising to marketers and consumers, alike. We will be able to connect more brands with engaged users than ever before.”

“Our partnership with IGA will allow us to deliver dynamic in-game advertising to the growing PlayStation Network community for the first time,” said Dave Anderson, head of business development at Activision Publishing. “By incorporating dynamic in-game advertising in our titles where it is appropriate, we can increase the realism of our games by presenting consumers with authentic environments in genuine settings, while also expanding a key growth opportunity for the company.”

IGA and Activision Publishing will work in tandem to integrate the advertisements into the titles in a contextually relevant way. All dynamic ads can be updated in real time, allowing for campaigns to change creative without a major reprogramming effort. Ads can be targeted to a number of different demographics and offer marketers a wide variety of measurement metrics.

Buoyed by a recent Nielsen Games study highlighting the effectiveness of the medium, advertisers continue to expand into the in-game industry. The Nielsen data revealed that over 80 percent of consumers feel games were just as enjoyable with ads as without. Consumers’ positive brand attribute association increased 33 percent when viewing in-game advertisements.