Branded entertainment is the insertion of a brand within an entertainment property in such a way that the line between entertainment and advertising becomes blurred ( Moore, 2006 ). Branded entertainment blends editorial content (e.g., a television program) and advertising content (e.g., brand messages) in a wide range of formats that include from advergames to fashion films or braned user-generated-content.
Published in Chapter:
Acceptance of Branded Video Games (Advergames): A Cross-Cultural Study Spain-USA
José Martí-Parreño (European University of Valencia, Spain), Carla Ruiz-Mafé (University of Valencia, Spain), and Lisa L. Scribner (University of North Carolina – Wilmington, USA)
Copyright: © 2014
|Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-6190-5.ch026
Abstract
Advergames are free, branded video games used by advertisers to target audiences with marketing communications in a playful, interactive, and engaging way. Despite their advantages for consumers (i.e., free entertainment content), advergames can also cause concern in consumers (i.e., advertising clutter), making it necessary to explore consumers' attitudes that lead to acceptance of advergames. This chapter analyses the factors that lead consumers to accept advergames as an advertising format analyzing three variables related to consumer-media relationships: 1) consumer attitude toward advertising, 2) consumer attitude toward the presence of brands in video games, and 3) previous experience with video games. The moderating role of culture is also analyzed. To do so, an empirical research study involving American and Spanish students was developed. Findings suggest that attitude towards advertising is the primary factor affecting advergame acceptance for the Spanish sample, while attitude towards product placement in advergames is the primary factor affecting advergame acceptance for the American sample. These results suggest cultural differences related to advergame acceptance.