On the Microsoft Advertising Blog, we like to bring you the very latest digital insight in the form of case studies and proof points, so today we’re talking Games Advertising.

Whether it’s JJ Richards on in-game advertising or Mark Kroese showing how we’re helping brands reach consumers through Xbox LIVE advertising, there is no doubt that online gaming is becoming a huge area in an advertiser's multi-screen armoury.

When it came to promoting the new Xbox game Lips Party Classics, the objectives were pretty straightforward.

The team wanted to drive awareness of the new game, increase purchase intent, and create interest in console ownership among a predominantly female audience. They also wanted to engage less frequent gamers, creating interest & buzz about the brand.

The solution, which ran in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, was a creative game experience where a taste of the full Lips game could be had via Windows Live Messenger.

Consumers were invited to record a song with friends and family using Messenger. They could choose to perform one of five tunes, including Cameo’s Word Up, Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama, and have their friends tuning in through their conversation windows.

Pre-and post-roll rich media ads, as well as links within the game, promoted the full Lips console title to the admiring masses.

Let’s take a look at the results:

• 695,000 unique users played the game
• 7.5% clicked through to the Xbox Lips site
• Lips Lite players spent a total of over 6.7 years playing the game

Research in the UK & France where we chatted to 270 Windows Live users aged 16-35 told us how engaging the campaign was:

• 62% of those playing the game did so more than once, over half (54%) sang more than two songs
• 83% said that they enjoyed playing the game
• 57% described the game as Fun, 35% as Modern and 29% as Something New

As for word of mouth and purchase intent:

• 35% are likely to play again in the future
• 29% said they would play often or quite a lot
• 8 in 10 said that they would recommend the game to others
• 20% of those playing said they were likely or very likely to go on to buy the full Lips Xbox game
• Amongst Xbox owners the number likely to buy rose to 35%

The games advertising mantra is very much about “Invite. Don’t interrupt!”

In this case, the team created a simple vehicle that aligned with the product they were marketing, provided a fun environment for consumers to learn about the game, and generated mechanisms to share their delight and create awareness in a viral way.

For more on games advertising in Europe visit: Online Games Advertising

Cheers

Mel

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