Summary
This report describes the growth strategy of Rovio, the mobile gaming company, spearheaded by its phenomenally successful Angry Birds series. The report is based on an address by Michele Tobin, the company's vice president for brand ad partnerships and advertising in the Americas, to the Mobile Marketing Association Forum in New York, in which she describes Rovio's evolution from a "games company to a global media company". Angry Birds has now been extended into numerous new categories, including TV animation, books, consumer products and theme parks (with a feature film scheduled for release in 2016). Revenue also comes from advertising within its games: each new release now contains customised, integrated ad units that involve its characters. The company favours brand partners that add value to its games - for example by offering rewards or additional content, such as a tie-up with McDonald's in China. She also describes collaboration with NASA, started from a Twitter conversation, which saw a variant of Angry Birds launched from the International Space Station.

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This paper presents a review of extant literature about virtual worlds market research. We discuss the need for greater recognition of differences to traditional online and e-commerce web services, including social media. Our review considers what makes virtual worlds different and of particular interest to market researchers, including an overview of Second Life. We examine the issues faced and analyse how these link to research processes. We conclude that there is a need for a deep understanding of how user-participants behave ‘in-world’. This article contributes by raising awareness and informing the market research community of pertinent issues.

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This study investigates if a gamified survey provides greater insight into the relationship between consumers and brands compared to a more traditional survey approach. The research found that moving from a traditional survey to a Flash-enhanced survey reduces respondent fatigue and increases quality of response. Equally, when you move from the Flash survey to a gamified one, responses increase even further. The gamified element allowed the researchers to learn more about how respondents felt about particular brands. The research concludes that when the differences between brands are nuanced a gamified environment can highlight feelings and indicate brand differentiation.

Summary
Prestige car brands are eager to attract younger drivers as cheaper 'entry-level' models have proved to be a success in recent years. The BMW 1 Series now contributes to around one quarter of BMW's annual passenger car sales and Audi's A1 demonstrated the public's appetite for Audi engineering in 'concentrated' form. Mercedes-Benz will launch its A-Class in 2013 but the brand has an age perception problem, with research showing that the perceived age of a Mercedes driver was at least a decade older than that of an Audi or BMW. It is a brand at odds with the dynamism and energy of youth. This article shows how recent campaigns for Mercedes-Benz have started to tackle the issue, using active interaction and cross-platform populist storytelling.

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This document highlights best practice in using in-game branding effectively in the government and non-profit sector with cases from Depaul (UK), the Metropolitan Police (UK), Urban Ministries of Durham (USA) and Victoria Roads (Australia).

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Learn how media and entertainment sector experts use in-game branding effectively in this document with cases from Bing (USA), The Sun (UK), Nike (UK) and Dell (India).

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Discover top in-game branding strategies for the soft drinks sector in this document with cases from Coca-Cola (Hong Kong), Fanta (global), Capri Sun (USA) and Fanta (Spain).

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Discover top in-game branding strategies for the alcoholic drinks sector in this document with cases from Takahashi Shuzoh (Japan), Keystone Light (USA), Heineken (Europe) and Heineken (Malaysia).

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This document highlights best practice in using in-game branding effectively in the automotive sector with cases from Subaru (Canada), Mercedes-Benz (UK), Kia (USA) and Volkswagen (USA).

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This article looks at how advertisers are investing in digital gaming in the US. In September 2012, some 37.6% of Americans played an online game, while 34% of the nation’s 234 million mobile subscribers played games on their mobile devices. Advertisers which interact with consumers through games often see higher levels of engagement, awareness and brand favourability compared to other channels. However, the right approach can be challenging. Tips for good advertising strategy include: making sure that games are primarily fun and creative first; knowing your audience; making the game fit the brand; striving for authenticity; and measuring ROI. Examples of brands that have made the most of branded gaming include 3M's Post-It Notes, razor brand Wilkinson Sword, Old Spice and VISA.