Posted on by Nathalie Tay
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In-Game Ads Awards and DIFF Creative Consultants’ Ted Lim break down Squatch Java’s ad in ‘Infamous Second Son’
15 Feb
The In-Game Ads Awards continues its quest to scour video game worlds for the most creative fictional advertisements for fictional brands – validated by none other than real-world, award-winning creative judges, themselves.
Featured game for this judging session: Sucker Punch Productions’ open-world superhero action adventure game, Infamous Second Son. Set in a fictional recreation of Seattle, the game’s fun mechanics allow you to explore fictional versions of the city’s beloved areas and most well-known landmarks – complete with, of course, fictional advertisements for made-up brands, concerts, movies and shows (there’s even a not-so-fictional nod to a record label and its significant contribution to the ’90s music scene!)
The fictional ad featured in this session: one of the many, many mock coffee brands in video game worlds: a brand called “Squatch Java.” Its amusing moving billboard features its for its sasquatch mascot, complete with a witty headline that’ll make you a big “believer.”
Judging in this session is none other than the well-respected and beloved mentor figure of Asia Pacific creative leaders himself, Ted Lim. He is the former Regional Chief Creative Officer, dentsu Asia-Pacific and now Founder of DIFF Creative Consultants.
Ted expressed his thoughts on the ad with a powerful reminder for advertisers:
Fine Line Between Wanted Interaction And Unwanted Distraction
No one plays Fortnite to seek out mock advertisements.
No one goes online to view digital ads.
No one switches on the TV to watch commercials.
No one takes a drive to look at billboards.
No one buys newspapers (if they still buy newspapers) to read ads.
Advertisements – be they in-game, on or offline – have to stand out to earn people’s attention and advertisers should consider the frame of mind of the person whose attention they seek.
The gamer is focused on survival – kill or be killed – and does not appreciate the distraction of ads. It is therefore only appropriate that mock advertisements in games are mostly incidental or in the background.
But if you were the advertiser, you’d want your mock ad to stand out to get more value for your ad dollar. You’d want your mock ad to get the gamer’s attention and, if possible, interaction.
A creative strategy that could work is to work the ad into the game. The Squatch Coffee billboard in Infamous Second Son, for instance, could do more than just adorn the entrance of the café or restaurant. It could become part of the game, so gamers can interact with the billboard instead of ignoring it.
A word of caution – there’s a fine line between wanted interaction and unwanted distraction. Over-commercialization will kill a game faster than a bullet, so the product and marketing teams will have to be mindful not to overkill and risk putting gamers off.
What would it take to make this happen? A lot of work for the game developer and not a little money from the advertiser.
In its present form, the Squatch Coffee mock billboard in Infamous Second Son probably merits a Bronze In-Game Ads Award (you can’t miss the furry creature at the entrance of the café or restaurant). It will certainly deserve more if the advertiser and game developer can make the experience more engaging for gamers.
“Data tells us where the customer is. Media gets us there. What we do when we are face-to-face with the customer, that’s creative. Marketing in the experience economy requires Innovative Business Solutions that move people to move business.”
