BP Powers SimCity's Windmills
We all know that advertising in video games is becoming more and more popular. Whether it be Snickers in Madden or Axe in a different game, it is a more realistic idea for media planners out there. The latest company to move into a video game is BP in SimCity. BP's logo can be found on windmill's and other energy sources in the game. The reason for EA (makers of SimCity) and BP getting together is because EA says they want to raise awareness about low-carbon power choices. Usually it's the advertiser going after the video game. In this case, it appears it was the other way around. Many video game users find such ads in video games annoying. So annoying, that one user even came up with a downloadable software that can actually remove the BP logos from the game. With all the ad clutter out there, I think, for now, that advertising in video games is a great idea; However, I think that in the near future it too will become too cluttered. I don't know how many SimCity players are concerned with low-carbon power choices, but it will get their brand image out to a new market. Only time will tell if it was a good choice for BP and EA to hook up.
posted by Mandy Mazzeo @ 10:54 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I feel that even though this may seem like ad clutter, this ad is actually standing for something. It isn't as trivial as Ford putting a giant logo on the cars they might drive or Snickers sponsoring a drive in a football game. BP is taking the step to attach their logo to something meaningful and worth while. In this way I feel that it stands out from the rest of the ad clutter in the world and almost makes you step back and picture a better, cleaner life.
I agree that it is a good idea for avoiding clutter, but I wonder if the young audience of gamers (especially for sim city) are really interested in a gas company's environmental awareness, especially since a large portion of the gamers are probably not at the age to consider choosing between gas stations.
Although I wouldn't consider SimCity users to be the best target market for energy companies, this move for BP could be a good one for when the target market ages. My guess would be that most people that are playing SimCity are within the ages of 8 to 22, because it is a video game and I don't really picture many college grads sitting around playing video games often. However, the people in that age group who do see this ad in the game, may just remember it when they do become old enough to make decisions about what kind of energy they would like to use. If this game gets the ideas of using alternative power sources into a younger generation's heads, it may influence them to make smarter choices for our environment. I've always believed that product placement is a better way for advertising to work, because people don't usually even realize it's there, so it doesn't bother them. And in this case, we could be advertising something that could really help to influence people to make better choices for our environment.
This is a big win for all companies composed of only two letters, BP and EA. In all seriousness, this is the rare occasion when online ads blend seamlessly in the virtual world. An environmentally conscious energy company advertising on a game like SimCity is a match made in heaven. Now, BP is interesting because it will not make you go out and buy "BP" because its more infrastructure than product but I think what it does do is put them in top of mind for consumers concerned about the environment.
I don't believe that BP will see any immediate ROI but that isn't the point. By including their logo on windmills they have started to cement themselves with younger targets as environmentally friendly and are more visible than the other energy juggernauts.
Whats next? G&E branded nuclear reactors? Nuclear power is safe kids!
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