In-game mobile advertising kicks off... in France
Coke, Saab and other brands are on board
Excuse us for straying from our usual UK focus, but this story's interesting enough to make it worthwhile. Orange France is launching a trial that puts adverts inside mobile games, in partnership with mobile advertising firm Amobee Media Systems.
Here's how it'll work: for a range of games from publisher Filao, users will be given the option to buy them for a reduced price or free if they accept advertising within the games. Brands taking part include Coke, Saab, Mobifun, Travelski and Société Générale.
The ads won't appear while gamers are actually playing, though. Instead, they'll appear on-screen in between levels, or while the game is loading up. If they're interested in the advert, they'll be able to click to go to a WAP site all about the product that's being promoted.
"Similar trials in other territories have shown high levels of user acceptance, provided that the model is opt-in and controlled by the user," says Patrick Parodi, chief marketing officer at Amobee. "We are confident that this trial will further demonstrate a willingness among mobile customers to accept advertising in exchange for discounts or additional value."
Meanwhile, Orange France says it sees the trial as a way to understand how players will respond to in-game advertising, and gather data on how effective the ads are.
We're keen to hear your views. Would you accept ads within a mobile game if it meant getting it for a lower price or free? And perhaps more importantly, would you then click through to the WAP sites, or just ignore them? Let us know by posting a comment.
