LONDON: Marketers are looking for new ways to reach users of video games as viewing habits change and television is no longer regarded as an automatic marketing choice.
Jonathan Simpson-Bint, chief commercial officer of Twitch TV, an online video network that specialises in games, noted that video-on-demand and live video online had been growing very rapidly.
"Live internet video allows for interactivity between broadcaster and user, and among users," he told MCV, "so the dream of an 'interactive' and 'shared' TV experience is now finally happening, but it's happening on phones and computers and not the TV set. "
"This interactivity creates lots of engagement opportunities for advertisers, so it's natural that they'd start to gravitate there," he added.
Noting that TV was no longer an "omnipotent entertainment and information force", he remarked on how online availability had changed consumer expectations, especially among the younger age group.
"We've got generations of people growing up now for whom the web is primarily a 'now' experience," he said, as he described Facebook, Twitter and Reddit as "instant gratification machines".
Andrew Mallandaine, the UK sales director of Turner Media, observed that a lack of major hardware releases had also had an impact on expenditure, but cautioned that TV still had an important role to play in the advertising of video games.
"TV gives instant scale, the ability to regionally target, very defined launch dates, the ability to control the way the message is received and a defined target market," he said
"Anybody who wants control over the way their brand is being perceived is always taking a risk in the online space," he added.
Harvey Eagle, UK marketing director at Xbox, concurred. "TV advertising is still one of the most effective – but no longer the only – means to create awareness by reaching lots of people repeatedly over a short space of time," he said, citing the use of an international football match to air the worldwide premiere of the Halo 4 live-action trailer.
Among the youngest age group, however, TV remains as effective as it has ever been. Children tend to watch TV live and make little use of on-demand facilities, a fact recognised by games publishers such as King which uses TV ads to promote its popular Candy Crush game.
Jonathan Simpson-Bint, chief commercial officer of Twitch TV, an online video network that specialises in games, noted that video-on-demand and live video online had been growing very rapidly.
"Live internet video allows for interactivity between broadcaster and user, and among users," he told MCV, "so the dream of an 'interactive' and 'shared' TV experience is now finally happening, but it's happening on phones and computers and not the TV set. "
"This interactivity creates lots of engagement opportunities for advertisers, so it's natural that they'd start to gravitate there," he added.
Noting that TV was no longer an "omnipotent entertainment and information force", he remarked on how online availability had changed consumer expectations, especially among the younger age group.
"We've got generations of people growing up now for whom the web is primarily a 'now' experience," he said, as he described Facebook, Twitter and Reddit as "instant gratification machines".
Andrew Mallandaine, the UK sales director of Turner Media, observed that a lack of major hardware releases had also had an impact on expenditure, but cautioned that TV still had an important role to play in the advertising of video games.
"TV gives instant scale, the ability to regionally target, very defined launch dates, the ability to control the way the message is received and a defined target market," he said
"Anybody who wants control over the way their brand is being perceived is always taking a risk in the online space," he added.
Harvey Eagle, UK marketing director at Xbox, concurred. "TV advertising is still one of the most effective – but no longer the only – means to create awareness by reaching lots of people repeatedly over a short space of time," he said, citing the use of an international football match to air the worldwide premiere of the Halo 4 live-action trailer.
Among the youngest age group, however, TV remains as effective as it has ever been. Children tend to watch TV live and make little use of on-demand facilities, a fact recognised by games publishers such as King which uses TV ads to promote its popular Candy Crush game.
Data sourced from MCV; additional content by Warc staff
