This study aims at presenting a market trend in the space of video games for interacting with potential customers. The development of a video segment shows a noticeable increase in interest and tracked improvements in the user experience. As part of the implementation of the new strategy focused on consumer behavior around the advergames, the opinions of players lead to a value proposition. Additionally, the study on advergames impact and adoption of the market trend led to a seeding start-up, Devolver Digital: Devolverland Expo. In order to establish the analysis and assessment from a qualitative and quantitative base, a focused group and a questionnaire were provided in order to measure data and track its implementation. By interacting with a focus group and creating a tool for analysis, the study shows that adoption in video games and specifically, advergames, is closely related to experience as it is improved and evolving from the setting; however, this marketing method has areas for improvement within digital marketing to stand out to social ads, SEO, and SEM.
TopIntroduction
The source of this study lies in the Devolver Digital Convention (2019), a critical turning point for marketing efforts peaking around the launch event of videogames. One of the companies’ launches, Devolver Digital, based their marketing game in a simulation that was acclaimed for its novelty and gained attention from potential new customers.
One main idea deriving from the study leads to establish a bottom-line exposition of the company strategy, so that other marketing companies can draw on a framed analysis in order to implement similar un-conventional campaigns in combination with other communication tactics.
With this aim, the objectives for presenting advergames and their strategy analysis, lie on a positive note based on comments that indicate acceptance of this software developed for marketing, in the videogame segment and that is set on a consumer point view. Additionally, these guidelines are geared up in the analysis and background context, by:
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obtaining a wide context of usage, among potential players and established videogame users, around advergames.
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showcasing the usage and penetration in contrast with more conventional launches.
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providing an encompassing explanation of their strategy as seen from consumers during the Devolverland Expo.
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reaching a conclusion from the provided guidelines and analysis as a valuable strategy, for influencing and reaching out to a wider audience, and an overall improved user experience.
Upon completing the working hypothesis for the advergame concept and specifically, developing of advergames as part of a video game campaign created by Devolver Digital, it is found that little attention has been paid to this area of marketing. This approach to virtual reality and recreation in marketing hasn’t been applied for ten years and it has been studied within an English-speaking academic environment. Two seminal articles in this area are retrieved from entering common tags, “advergames”, “videogame marketing”: Videogames as tool advertising and communication: approach to advergaming, and José Martí Parreño, Rafael Currás Pérez, and Isabel Sánchez García’s work: new formulas for advertising: advergames as a communicative tool for marketing.
There are not specific studies around this advergame creation, launched by Devolver Digital. The approach to research relies on bases of information and data relative to online platforms and gaming, will draw from non-specialized publications and scholarly article alike.
TopBackground
Presently, the videogame marketing industry is leading into innovative formats for improved presentation, from hardware, consoles, pc’s, handheld devices, smartphones, and tablets. The recent expansion into clients that are entering the sector brings new strategies into marketing and advertising with the objective of captivating new audiences into using the newer formats.
In the case of a segment that developed new formulas for marketing and advertising, their success in adapting to a growing market with a younger userbase, arises from a targeted strategy that addresses a more sensitive to marketing user base as they interact in social media networks. For this reason, more companies in the gaming industry are oriented to create a sense of shock that breaks them apart form traditional marketing by using alternative media and channels for promotion (Pareño, Pérez, & García, 2010).
The growing use of advertainment by many companies bring out a technique that is gaining traction in the media industry. The term is a newly created form out of two English words that are amalgamated in one, “advertaiment”: entertainment+advertising (Ruiz, 2009). The neologism is accepted in the branded content area, more focused in brand marketing and content marketing; the term has also become widespread in English-base user platforms.