Advergames & 'the nag factor'

Every parent knows what "the nag factor is"! It's some variation of "Mom, Dad, can I get ___ [fill in name of must-have product], please, please please?!", repeated anywhere from 9 to 99 times. It's what advertisers spend a lot of money generating in as many households as possible, writes guest commentator Nancy Willard, director of the Center for Safe & Responsible Internet Use (CSRIU) and Cyberbully.org. What they've found to be the most effective tool for generating the nag factor online, writes Nancy, is "advergaming." "Advergaming is the integration of advertising messages into online games, and it's all the rage in the Internet advertising community," she reports. For two reasons: 1) Kids don't bother to click on banner ads, and 2) unlike with banner, billboard, and TV ads, with games, "advertisers can create conditions for children (and adults) to immerse themselves for extended periods of time in a fun environment that's all about promoting brand identification and loyalty." Please click to my newsletter this week for examples and links to other people's views on immersive marketing.