This document discusses using advergames in the luxury industry. It begins with defining advergames and their purpose in advertising. It then outlines theoretical frameworks for analyzing and designing advergames, including ludology and the AIDA model. The research question asks if advergames would be effective for a global luxury company. The methodology section describes a qualitative analysis of past advergames and a quantitative online survey. The results section shares findings from the survey and implications for luxury brands considering advergames. It concludes that advergames could work for luxury under certain conditions focused on relevance, entertainment, and accessibility through social media.

1. ADVERGAMES IN THE LUXURY INDUSTRY
Brune Madinier, Florine Vanhove, Ángela Esteve & Gabriela Marengo

2. AGENDA
01
Introduction
What are “advergames” and why are
important for advertising?
Background
Theoretical frameworks to analyse
and design “advergames”
Research Question
Would advergames be effective in the luxury
industry for a global company?
Methodology
Qualitative analysis (Comparison with other advergames)
+ Quantitative analysis (Online Surveys)
Results
Findings and discussion of the results
Theoretical and managerial
implications
Recommendations from results
02
03
04
05
06

3. 01.INTRODUCTION
WHAT ARE ADVERGAMES?
Winkler & Buckner (2006) defined the advergames as the “online games
designed for the specific purpose of marketing a single brand or product”
According to Okazaki & Taylor (2013) advergames are usually custom-created
by firms for the sole purpose of promoting their brands and are accessed via
their corporate or brand web sites.
“

4. 01.INTRODUCTION
ADVERGAMING
Organizations starting to use
advergames as a part of their
marketing strategy
- improve branding
- boost product awareness
- collect detailed data from
existing and potential
customers, clients, and
supporters
Involves the use of interactive gaming
technology to deliver embedded
advertising messages to the consumer
It’s one form of branded entertainment
and represent a departure from
PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Increasingly being used as
part of marketing campaigns
to promote products and
brands
in-game advertising
Winkler & Buckner (2006)

5. 01.INTRODUCTION
ADVERGAMING
ADVERGAMES IN-GAME ADVERTISING
Brand or product is a central feature of the
game
products are placer in the background of the
game
Are commissioned by the marketing
department of the organisation to promote
its own brand or product
Are coordinated through independent gaming
organizations, such as Massive Incorporated
The game can frequently be accessed via the
organization’s corporate website
External organizations coordinate the selling
of in-game advertising and its delivery
through dynamic ad-insertion network

6. 02.THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS TO
ANALYSE AND DESIGN ADVERGAMES
LUDOLOGY
AIDA MODEL
Discipline that studies games in
general and video games in
particular. (Frasca, 2003)
Hierarchy of effects model that
describes the cognitive journey
that consumers do when
making a purchase decision.
4 stages: attention, interest,
desire and action. (Strong
1925)

7. 2.1 LUDOLOGY
Theodorou & Sirmakessis (2009) propose the application of ludology principles
to advergames’ content analysis and elaborate a methodological toolkit that can
be used to analyze and design a successful brand presence in an advergame.

8. COMPLEXITY
OF CONTROLS
GAME GOALS
CHARACTER and BRAND
STRUCTURE
BALANCE BETWEEN
USER INPUT &
PRE-PROGRAMME RULES
SPATIAL
PROPERTIES
SIMULATION ELEMENTS
REPRESENTATION ELEMENTS
AUDIOVISUAL STYLE NARRATIVE
The way brands appear in
audiovisual game’s environment
The way brands appear in
audiovisual game’s environment
Is an easy enough game
to play, control and
interact? How many clicks
to trigger the action?
What is the mission?
Explorative? Strategic?
Can the players elaborate
brand elements, such as
color and type?
The way the brand
appears and moves in
virtual game environment:
2D, 3D.
The way the players
manipulate the brand

9. LUDOLOGY
1
2022
2024 2026
Brands tend to appear more
in representation elements
than simulations
The more simulation elements
exist, the greater the brand
integration.
KEY INSIGHTS
2 3
Important decision: Produce
an almost alive experience
of the brand or a simple
representation

10. 2.2 AIDA MODEL
Ghirvu (2013) proposes the
application of the AIDA
MODEL in advergames to
understand which particular
elements of a video game
should be used in each stage
of the cognitive journey of
the consumer.
Interesting insights about the
connections between game
characteristics and the effects
produced on consumers. Useful
for the application of
advergames in non-traditional
industries such as LUXURY.

11. Ghirvu (2013). The AIDA Model for Advergames
2.2 AIDA MODEL

12. ACCESSIBILITY
EASY UNDERSTANDING
COMPETITIVE LEVEL
RELEVANT FOR THE
BRAND
CAPACITY TO INDUCE &
MAINTAIN STATE OF FLOW
VIRAL MARKETING
2.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE
ADVERGAME
Galin (2013). Advergames: Characteristics, Limitations And Potential

13. WOULD ADVERGAMES BE EFFECTIVE IN
THE LUXURY INDUSTRY FOR A GLOBAL
COMPANY?
03.RESEARCH QUESTION

14. ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERGAMES CAMPAIGNS IN
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND INDUSTRIES
A. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
COMPARISON OF REAL EXAMPLES
04.METHODOLOGY
B. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
SURVEYS

15. Toyota Auris Ice Experience - 2007
Race contest with
Toyota Auris car that
you can personalize
as you wish
CONCEPT OBJECTIVE
Launch of the new
Toyota Auris and try to
create a customer
relationship
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS
50.000 and 16.000
visitors
Nº OF PARTICIPANTSPOST GAME EFFECTS
15% increase of
sales, second version
of the game
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Accessibility
Easy understanding,
Relevant for the brand
Mobile accessibility, No
capacity to induce and
maintain the state of
flow
A. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

16. Scarecrow - Chipotle - 2013
A scarecrow’s journey through
4 worlds and 20 levels with the
purpose of bringing
wholesome food back to the
people
Raise awareness about
the importance of
consuming natural food
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS
530,000 in four months,
3.5 times per week
playing
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS
Publications in newspapers, conversations
on social media, 57,000 gift cards, 22,000
e-mail opt-ins, 4,200 mobile databases
opt-ins
Accessibility, Easy understanding,
Relevant for the brand, Capacity
to induce and maintain the state
of flow
Computer accessibility,
No interaction with
players
CONCEPT OBJECTIVE
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS POST GAME EFFECTS
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
A. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

17. Magnum Pleasure Hunt 1 & 2 - 2011/2012
- Ballet dancer collecting Magnum bonbons
while running through several commercial
websites
- Same ballet dancer going through
different cities to grab Magnum bonbons
CONCEPT OBJECTIVE
Raise awareness about
the importance of
consuming natural food
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS
7 million in 2011, 23
million in 2012
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS
POST GAME EFFECTS
Conversations on social media, most
popular hashtag, became a €1 billion
brand in 2012
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
Accessibility
Easy understanding, Relevant
for the brand
Mobile accessibility, No
interaction with other
players
A. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

18. The Lost Ring - McDonald’s - 2008
Solve a mystery that involved finding the
sixth Olympic ring. Story woven around
amnesiac athletes from parallel worlds.
Reveal McDonald’s
sponsorship for Olympic
games
3 million over 10
countries
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS
More than 2.000 photos of the game
published, conversation on Twitter, 100’s
of videos upload on Youtube, million of
website impressions
Accessibility, Easy understanding,
Competition level, Capacity to induce
and maintain the state of flow, Virality
Relevancy for the brand
CONCEPT OBJECTIVE
Nº OF PARTICIPANTS POST GAME EFFECTS
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
A. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

19. 100 Surveys about advergames and luxury
B. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
Mainly students 84%
and profesionnals 14%
100 people surveyed;
68 women, 32 men
Generation Y prominent :
66 less than 24 years
old, 30 between 25 and
30, 5 more than 35
82% already played
games on Internet
Only 18% already played
advergames
International respondents: Spain,
France, Argentina, india, Italy,
Pakistan, colombia, germany,
Jordania, mexico

20. Players experiences
Brands need to use social
networks and own websites
After the game, 68% interacted
with the brand
05.RESULTS

21. Perception of 53% wouldn’t be affected if a luxury
brand launched an advergame
05.RESULTS

22. Focus on adventure and strategic games through
social media and apps
05.RESULTS

23. 06.THEORETICAL AND MANAGERIAL
IMPLICATIONS
Yes!
Some global luxury brands could launch global advergames
But under certain conditions..
Key takeaways: Be relevant
to your brand
Offer free entertainment
and reward
Why advergame?
• Drive traffic
• Make people like the brand,
search information
For specific products:
#1 Cars
#2 spirits, clothes
#3 shoes, food
The advergame itself
1. Appealing game (adventure
or strategic)
2. High quality design
3. Narrative
Accessibility
#1 Social media
#2 Apps
#3 Website
WOULD ADVERGAMES BE EFFECTIVE IN THE LUXURY INDUSTRY FOR A GLOBAL COMPANY?

24. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
…ANY QUESTIONS?

25. 6.BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Galin, G. (2013). “Advergames: Characteristics, Limitations And Potential”. Annals of Faculty of Economics, 2010, vol.
1, issue 1, pages 726-730 (http://anale.steconomiceuoradea.ro/volume/2010/n1/114.pdf)
• Ghirvu, A. (2013). “The AIDA Model for Advergames”. The USV Annals of Economics and Public Administration, Vol
13, No 1(17) (http://www.annals.seap.usv.ro/index.php/annals/article/viewFile/497/548)
• Okazaki, S. and Taylor, C.R. (2013) "Social media and international advertising: theoretical challenges and future
directions", International Marketing Review, Vol. 30 Iss: 1, pp.56 - 71
• Theodorou, L. & Sirmakessis, S. (2009). “Advergames’ Content Analysis: Applying a Methodological Toolkit based on
Ludology Principles”. Journal Webscience. (http://journal.webscience.org/246/3/websci09_submission_174.pdf)
• Winkler, T. and Buckner, K. (2006), “Receptiveness of gamers to embedded brand messages in advergames:
attitudes towards product placement”, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Vol. 7 No. 1, pp. 37-46 (http://jiad.org/
article85.html)
• Wise,K., Bolls, P.D., Kim, H., Venkataraman, A. & Meyer, R. (2008) “Enjoyment of Advergames and Brand Attitudes:
The Impact of Thematic Relevance”, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Vol. 9 No. 1 (http://jiad.org/article107.html)

26. • Top 10 gamifications cases you won’t forget: http://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/top-10-marketing-
gamification-cases-remember/#.Vty1Hsevqb9
• Unilever Seeks Franchise With Sequel to Magnum Pleasure Hunt Game: http://www.campaignbrief.com/2012/05/
over-one-million-players-world.html
• Magnum Pleasure Hunt: (Adver)games and Narrative: http://gamesandnarrative.net/magnum-pleasure-hunt-
advergames-and-narrative/
• Chipotle’s mobile advergame gains 7 million YouTube views and top rankings in Apple’s Store: http://
blog.mobiversal.com/chipotle-mobile-advergames.html
• Chipotle Scarecrow is the future of advergaming on mobile: http://venturebeat.com/2013/09/30/chipotle-
scarecrow-is-the-future-of-advergaming-on-mobile/
• Game time: Brands’ mobile games build customer sales, loyalty: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusives/game-
time
ADVERGAMES EXAMPLES:
6.BIBLIOGRAPHY