At the Game Initiative's first annual Advertising in Games Forum, held April 14, 2005 in New York City, a number of key facts, figures and estimates were provided to the audience by leading industry experts at the Advertising In Games Forum. Highlights include:
- The Yankee Group forecasted advertising in games is expected to rise to $800 million in 2009 from nearly $120 million in 2004.
- $266 Million, or more than one-third of advertising in games in 2009, will come from "advergaming," when advertisers create a game around a product rather than place their brands within a well-known title, according to Yankee Group senior analyst Mike Goodman at the Advertising In Games Forum.
- Mitch Davis, chief executive of video game ad network Massive Inc., told the audience video game advertising would top $1 billion in the United States by 2010, and approach $2.5 billion worldwide.
- There are 100 million game capable cell phones are currently in the marketplace. 65% of the population owns a cell phone. And the turn over or replacement rate of cell phones is every 16 months, reported Anita Frazier, Entertainment Industry Analyst, NPD Group, at the Advertising In Games Forum. Every cell phone being sold on the market today is game capable. So within 16 months all cell phones in the marketplace should be game capable.
- The top selling 2004 game titles according to the NPD Group: 1 Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, 5.5 million sold since launch 2. Halo 2 on X box, 4.5 million units sold since launch 3. Madden NFL 2004 on PS 2, 3.5 million units sold since launch 4. ESPN NFL 2K5, 1.6 million units sold since launch 5. Need for Speed Underground 2, 1.7 million units since launch
- Top selling PC title of 2004: Sims 2 with 750,000 units sold., reported NPD Group at the Advertising In Games Forum
- Best selling game title of all time: Grand Theft Auto Vice City with 6.5 million units, followed very closely by Super Mario 64 on the N64 which is about 6.0 milllion units, according to Anita Frazier, Entertainment Industry Analyst, NPD Group, at the Advertising In Games Forum.
Ad Age's Jonah Bloom makes a solid argument why Miller should not retire its High Life man in favor of beer commercial dejour. Bloom says the campaign aligns more closely with the realities of beer drinkers and is a welcome offset to the metrosexualization of everything else. While bidding farewell to the campaign, Bloom hopes Wieden & Kennedy can replace it with something just as good.
Reversing a concept recently used in an Axe deodorant ad comes this commercial for SABMiller's Brutal Fruit in which a woman forces a man to move based on what she does to her bottle of Brutal Fruit. Other commercials featured in this week's AD Age TV Spots of the Week include, again for SABMiller, a spot featuring animals, poking a bit of fun at Budweiser's use of animals in its campaigns, auditioning for a role in the brewer's ad campaign; a very humorous Got Milk?" campaign that capitalizes on recent findings milk may reduce the effects of PMS causing men to obtain as much milk as they can; a Scope commercial that helps Eskimos get beyond the nose rub; Truth satirizes big tobacco companies for becoming media companies and changing their names to avoid bad PR; a Hispanic spot promoting the successful HED Grocery Store; a farting baby promotes Suzuki and Mercedes doodlers doodle up the new 2006 M Class.
Well, here we go again. As we all prepare to descend upon San Francisco next week for this year's AD:TECH San Francisco Show, April 25-27, we thought we'd assist you in planning your social schedule by rounding up the numerous planned parties for the three day extravaganza. Headlining the party scene, as they did last year and this past Fall in NYC, is Bluelithium who will host The AD:TECH San Francisco 2005 Party Monday, April 25 at 9PM at Ruby Skye. Bluelithium promises fire breathers, flying acrobats, giant stilters, ice sculpters and open bar.
Earlier on Monday, TribalFusion will, as always, host the Grand Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall beginning at 5PM. Immediately following, will be the PartnerWeekly Mixer, a Las Vegas-style event complete with blackjack, held in the Marriott Hotel's Club room from 6:30P to 8:30P. Following these early evening events, there are reports of an "exclusive" party hosted by YFDirect at an undisclosed location.
On Tuesday night, AdDrive and Impulse Marketing will co-host host The GRS Poker Tournament from 8:30P to 12:30A at the Marriott's View Lounge. A prize of $10,000 towards a World Poker Tour Main Event will be offered. Also Tuesday night, the International Game Developer Association will host an event at Metreon beginning at 7PM and featuring work by 4orty2wo Entertainment, creator of ILoveBees, followed by free food and drink at LJ's.
Troubled Young & Rubicam network is replacing Chairman and CEO Ann Fudge even though she will retain the position at Young & Rubicam Brands for the last year of her three year contact.
