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Research Project: Product Placement in MMOGs
Idalo
Member Posts: 7
Hello fellow MMORPGers!
I have quietly been lurking about these forums for quite some time now and have certainly not been one of the more active posters. That is now bound to change! 
But let me get straight to the point and not waste your precious online time 
I'm currently working on my master degree in marketing at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Since I've always been a savvy gamer I have chosen to combine my area of study with my hobby. In a nutshell, the topic of my research project is to explore the potential for product and brand placement in MMOGs.
[ A brief definition of 'product placement' is: Product placement can be described as the practice of displaying, mentioning or including in any form a product or brand within a setting which is not primarily intended to function as an advertisement, for example a movie, song or video game. If you want to know more about what product placement is you can start by checking out the wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_placement ]
As I have only just started collecting data for my project this thread will hopefully help me design my project and also help me get a general overview of what people think and feel about this topic.
So feel free to post any thoughts you might have on this topic here - any feedback (both negative and positive) is welcome! A few questions to get you started could be:
- What if product placements find their way into your MMO world?
- How could product placements be acceptable or even add value to our online worlds?
- Are product placements and online fantasy worlds incompatible?
- <Your question here>
Oh and feel free to ask any questions you might have, as I said - any feedback would be greatly appreciated 
Comments
You could take a look at the F2P vs P2P games.
And maybe add some info about Micro-transaction games, as you probably have read about on this forum, which seems to be a quite hot topic.
Maybe even give an example model of how you could run a MMORPG with product placement, rather than micro-transaction or monthly fee
Futilez - Mature MMORPG Community
Correcting people since birth.
1. I'd probably recoil in horror from buying those products because I'd suddenly realize I might be buying them because of seeing them in a game. This actually happened once (Fanta ads in Anarchy Online).
2. If they cut down on the cost of playing somehow.
3. Yes if you mean medieval fantasy. Unless you're trying to sell swords or something in the first place...
It really depends on the game.
In games set in modern day or sci fi, its possible to use ingame posters, billboards, or maybe even sound effects come to mind (An game based radio station, or virtual radio's in the game).
In fantasy setting, its a bit more difficult since having an advertisement ruines the immersion.
In a fantasy setting, I suggest using the launcher of the game, login screen and loading screens.
Advertisement of any sort, including product placement has no place in computer games. They are not wanted.
I would just avoid those products, and yes even if the game was free.
the ads are an eyesore, and only makes me pity the company that thinks they can get anything out of it.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
I can't give you any feedback about this other than I currently haven't put any time into such a game. I don't foresee any changes in that for me in the future.
I've thought about this alot, partly due to self-interest. I'd really like to have a way to afford to poke around in numerous mmo's. Here's my idea, but it does depend on the game. It could work for modern, future, or future fantasy settings done in a humorous style. You have a quest written on behalf of the advertising company. For example, advertising Coke- The local drink business is suffering and evidence leads to a group of renegade gnomes or whatever. You're send to investigate and you find that these guys discovered an ancient, future, or otherworldly recipe for this stuff called coke. Well, however the quest resolves, you get the "sparkling concoction of coca-cola", which greatly increases your stamina or endurance stats for an hour.
This may not be a very well thought out example, but the idea is that the player should benefit from the existance of advertising and form a positive connection with the product. And the game should be free- no subscription, no purchase price, no item shop. Not any game would be appropriate, of course. In many settings, it would just kill the immersion no matter how you advertise.
If the game is fun, accessible to the casual player, works as intended, and mass marketed including broadcasting free discs (AOL style), it just might have an audience large enough to make the project worthwhile.
Anyway, good luck on your research...
First of all thank you for your replies - all of them are greatly appreciated
I would like to point out that my research project is looking at the potential for product placement in MMORPGs and that researching this does not necessarily mean contributing to making it a reality. It is important to stress this because obviously the result of my research could very well indicate that product placement in MMORPGs is simply inappropriate. In fact I believe that without research into this topic, potential product placement in MMORPGs will likely end up being a loss for both gamers and marketers alike. Without the right insights and understanding of both worlds, being the gamers' and the business worlds, product placement in MMORPGs is likely to not work. As I'm the researcher, however, I for now would like to keep a neutral stance with regards to this obviously controversial issue and see what fellow MMO gamers have to say on this.
So let's see if I can provide some feedback for what has been said:
Thank you for your input, Orca!
From the interviews I have carried out so far I can say that the cost factor (Free vs Pay-to-Play) plays a crucial role when it comes to people's acceptance and views on product placement in games, so this is definitely something I will be looking at in great detail. And, yes, micro-transactions being such a hot topic at the moment are clearly part of this financial aspect too.
I like your idea of running an MMORPG entirely with product placement... very interesting! Any more thoughts on this?
You highlight the financial aspect of product placements in games, so the funding of the game - what about the aspect that product placements could add to the realism of a virtual world? Old-school video games, for example, used to have real-life products in them to enhance the immersion factor and to a small extent compensate for graphics which were rudimental.
Thanks for your answers, Xpheyel!
1. Your Fanta example speaks for the fact that product placement would work in terms of influencing your purchasing behaviour; what I'm interested to hear is why you'd "recoil in horror from buying those products"? How, if at all, is that different to buying something because you saw it in a movie? What did you think of the having the Fanta ads in Anarchy Online?
2. What if instead of cutting down the cost of playing (being game cost, monthly subscription fee, game-expansion costs, etc) product placements would bring value in the form of in-game freebies, items, etc or even real-life freebies, etc?
3. Yes, I mean Tolkienesque, medieval fantasy (even though that's just an example for a world very different from ours where products and brands would be out of place... you got what I mean
). And, yes, I can see how swords and products along the same lines would work, but what about for instance NPCs that give quests referring to fictionalised real-life products and services and then give in-game rewards associated with the real-life function or name of the brand or product in question? Can you see, if at all, how that could work or think of something else?
Thank you for your thoughts, Gameloading!
You make some very interesting points there, for instance the audio variation of product placements in modern day or sci fi MMOs certainly strikes me as being a less obtrusive approach and thus maybe more acceptable for a wider audience. Do you know of any games where that is already happening? What do others think of this idea?
You also say that in a fantasy setting product placements would ruin the immersion - could you expand on that? Or does anyone else have any thoughts on that?
I believe that the launcher, login screen and loading screens are already being utilised for advertisements of some form in many games (and if it's only for the publisher's logo or similar) but by definition those are not product placements as such, since those logos, etc are not technically within the game. Can you think of any other ways to include product placements in fantasy settings?
Thanks for your opinion, grunty!
I'm sure you're not the only one thinking along those lines - it would be great to hear why product placements "are not wanted" and "have no place" in computer games. Does anyone disagree? Or can anyone expand on this?
Thank you for your views, paulscott!
What you say is very important for my research I think - why would you "just avoid those products"? What kind of ads do you think of when saying that they are an "eyesore"? And what do you think are companies thinking that they can get out of it?
What do others think about these questions?
Thank you for your feedback, wjrasmussen!
When you say "such a game" - what kind of game are you referring to? Do you mean games that have product placement in them? If so, which ones do?
In fact, it would be interesting to hear some examples for product placement that people have come across in the games they play.
Thank you for your input, LadyChaos!
You wrote this whilst I was typing the other replies and you mention something I mention in there too: Quests sponsored by real-life companies. I like your example with the Coke quest
So what do others think of something along those lines?
Do you think that if this could only work if the game would be completely free like you point out? Why do you think in many settings any sort of advertising would kill the immersion - do you have an example for that?
Another interesting point you mention there is that these "sponsored quests" would have to be humorous - do you think this is a must and if so why?
Thank you once again for the already valuable and very interesting feedback - I look forward to your replies
Dont know if these are of any help to you for research purposes or if they contain any information applicable to your needs!:
http://www.theesa.com/facts/sales_genre_data.php
http://www.theesa.com/about/related_links.php
http://www.isfe-eu.org/
Good luck!
The European link has some studies (pdf's) with polls that I think take the opinion of gamers with regards to product placement - can't remember though was a while ago I looked!
Idalo,
To respond to your question about whether the game would have to be free, the developer/producer needs to ask themselves which mix is going to produce the maximum number of eyeballs. Current attitudes toward advertising in games is somewhat dubious at best. Hardcore players are not likely to give up their current games to pay a subscription for a game that is generating its income through advertising. It just doesnt' set well. Casual players have too many free games and not enough incentive to pay for a game type that they previous considered too involving for thier time limitations. Sure you'll get some subscriptions if its a good game. How many people do you need playing it, though, to make the advertising expense worthwhile. Will an advertising company pay for just 10,000 or even 50,000 subscribers? I'd have to ask what subscriber number is needed. Which brings me to my next point...
The idea with an advertising based game should not be to compete head on with the likes of WOW, EQ2, or any of the other big subscription games. Your product placement has to be different. You want to attract as many eyeballs as possible. People invest heavily in their main games, think raiding, leveling, etc.. You want your advertising game to be as inviting as plopping down in front of the television set. It's something to do when your bored of your main game. It's something a casual player can easily get into without having to read lore and game documentation before starting. Something you can pick up and put down easily. Catch a little easy, relaxing fun along with your advertising. Give equal satisfaction to solo or group play styles.
To address your question on killing immersion: An ogre guard sending you on a quest to find him some softer toilet paper might be amusing in a humorous game like Dungeon Runners or the upcoming Mythos, but in a game like DAOC or LOTRO, where much of your fun may come from your ability to "suspend disbelief", it becomes too obvious that the art of storytelling has been replaced by lame attempts to get you to buy a product. Thus, it won't work for the roleplaying sector. Now, lets look at the hard core uber player that doesn't care about roleplaying value... They just want to be the best, pk, or rush through the content so they can go to the next game. How many of those guys actually read the quests? I see alot of players in EQ2 going through quest give dialogue very quickly and I doubt they're speed reading. In game billboards, same thing. It can interfere with "suspension of disbelief".
But how could you make it work? How could you support an immersive style mmorpg with advertising? Remember LadyChaos's rule: advertising must give something. Humor or stats or items. As an EQ/EQ2 player, I could appreciate a monthly player e-zine with really useful tips, raid and guild recruiting, well done fan fiction or pro-fiction, announcement of a new recipe book, found in xxx zone or by xxx quest giver. and you have advertising sprinkled through out. Interact with the advertisement and back in game you can /claim your healing potion or quest starter tome. Maybe you receive in your in game email a short "Hope you enjoy Nestle's Potion of Greater Healing". If the player doesn't want that they can opt out of that kind of adveritser e-mail. I think Acclaim was experimenting with a revenue model that would drop the subscription rate for players who allowed the in game advertising. Advertising on the peripheral of a game. Perhaps advertising in the loading screens between zones wouldn't be any more disruptive than a commercial separating segments of a TV movie.
Well, I've rambled enough for now, but I'd really be interesting in hearing about the results of your research.
I tend to think that it would depend on the game. For example MxO is supposed ot be 'today" i wouldnt have minded walking into a clothing store and buying a pair of Nike shoes or visiting old navy for a pair of jeans or even better buying food in a real world restaurant ( hell put coke machines in MxO , you see them everywhere in any city except in a game city same for CoH no vending machines...) when i played.
As for other games it woukld be hard to fit an ad for Dr Pepper into eq2 in any reference without it being a blantant Spot ad ( think waynes world parody of product placement).
But also i think if games are to remain affordable they will be considering it in the future .. as games are getting more expensive to make the 14.99$ a month thing will soon be a 19.99$ or 22.99 a month thing not so long from now ( thats why many many developers are looking for alternative ways to make money ( buy in games items , 2.99 mini pubs , taking a cut from a game item for real money trading board, etc... because the 14.99 model only works if you hit wow numbers these days )
It will happen eventually , that or the games will start spamming you with a commercial for Toyota while an instance is loading . and saying i wont play it means you wont be playing anything, as this type of thing is one of the features of that mythical "next gen MMO" all devs looking for that line that creates a next gen mmo is also publicly saying they are looking for other ways to make money without going over that magical 14.99 fee. alot product placement is easy .. i mean people watch TV, good shows get watched no matter who is advertising and with things like TiVo and DVR recording become more common those same ad compaines are looking for new ways to reach the comsumer (thats why you see a Pepsi commercial before any movie starts now instead of those old just go get a drink at the lobby things).
anyway i prolly did not answer a single of your questions but gave alot of my own opinion ( which means its mine and not yours to correct *) on the subject
* this is directed to trollers looking to flame me not the OP.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
Once again thank you for your replies - very interesting feedback I'm getting here
To comment on what has been said:
@AmazingAvery: Thank you very much for these links - they indeed do contain a lot of very useful information for my research! Much appreciated!
@LadyChaos: Thank you for your very interesting feedback, it would be great to hear more and maybe ask you more questions! I really like your ideas and suggestions - would be great to see some feedback from other people to what you propose. And on a different note, I have been interviewing people on this topic and would be great if I could interview you too
I will PM you with more details...
@Gorair: Thank you for your also very interesting thoughts and opinion.
I have also PM'd you regarding a potential interview on the subject. Once again, it would be great to see what others think of your vision for a potential future regarding product placement in MMORPGs.
I will use this thread to keep people posted on my findings as I progress on my research. Let's see if there are more people out there willing to share their views on the topic in this thread.
I'm looking forward to hear some more opinions, thoughts or feedback on this topic.
Reading over my initial post I thought it might be a good idea to define more clearly what product placements are. So that you then can tell me what you think of having any kind of product placement in our MMOGs
The following table gives examples of what product placements are and what they are not:
Displaying the Nike Swoosh logo
It would be great to hear some more feedback
Thanks for all your input!!
Advertisement of any sort, including product placement has no place in computer games. They are not wanted.
Thanks for restating your opinion, grunty!
As I said in response to your first (identical) post: I'm sure you're not the only one thinking along those lines - it would be great to hear why product placements "are not wanted" and "have no place" in computer games. Can you explain why you feel that way about product placement? It would be really interesting to find out a little more about your stated view but I understand if that is all you have to say. Thank you for your input.
[NB: Once again, I am merely researching this subject as stated in my initial post and collecting opinions. This does NOT mean I support or am against the idea of product placement in MMOs.]
I think it would be best in games that are set in present or future time periods. I think there is plenty of potential, as long as it's non-intrusive. "Mt. Dew Mana Juice" would be a stretch in a game like WoW. But "Shell Rocket Fuel" in a game like EVE might work. Or billboards at a space outpost.
If we're talking about something like banners embedded in the UI, I don't think that would be looked favorably upon unless the game was free, or exceptionally good for the money.