Gatorade sales surge thanks to EA Sports

Research conducted by Nielsen Research on EA's behalf has found that sales of Gatorade have shot upwards thanks to being a sponsor in EA Sports game.

The study showed Gatorade sales received a 24 percent increase in "household dollars spent" on the drink, offering a return investment of investment of $3.11.

Households which purchased Gatorade, where also purchasers of EA Sports titles: NHL 09, NHL 10, NBA Live 07, NBA Live 08, NBA Live 09 and/or NBA Street Homecourt.

To gather the data, Nielsen used a Homescan panel of more than 100K households, which scanned videogame UPC codes into the research device. The codes were matched to a reference library of over 14K titles, leading Nielsen to compare numbers from homes purchasing EA Sports titles before and after Gatorade branding went into the games.

"Nielsen's study is a milestone for interactive entertainment," said Elizabeth Harz, EA's senior VP of global media sales. "For the first time, advertisers are able to link the value of their in-game marketing or sponsorship to actual sales. Now brands can feel confident adding gaming as a core media channel for their advertising."

The firm also included in its research the number of homes that didn't purchase any of the games and homes that didn't purchase games with Gatorade advertising.

Via IGN.