EA believes that planning for in-game advertising placement should be done during the development stage
Developing console and PC games with built-in advertising in mind from the start can significantly ease future efforts, claims Alexander Dao, Vice President of Advertising and Sponsorship at Electronic Arts (EA).
The Sims 4
Dao shared this advice in an interview with The Game Business. He explained that incorporating advertising into games opens up significant monetization opportunities, but if it is not planned from the beginning, its integration will appear less seamless later on.
“If you initially design a game with the presence of advertising and brand interaction in mind, everything becomes much easier. The advertising becomes more native, and there is more flexibility in the selection of brands that can come and go,” added Dao.
Dao acknowledged that embedding advertising is simpler in some games than in others. For instance, it is easy to imagine it in sports titles since real-life sports events are inherently filled with advertising content. However, Dao pointed out that collaboration with brands can extend beyond sports, as long as it appears unobtrusive and aligns with audience expectations. As an example, he mentioned The Sims 4's collaboration with Coach, which resulted in a free collection of clothing and accessories within the game. According to Dao, it was not only fitting but also generated considerable buzz among gamers and media.
Dao also reminded that last month, EA launched the advertising platform EA Advertising, which allows brands to advertise in its games. The manager anticipates that it will bring significant benefits to the company.