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The deal, designed to increase exposure of traditional out-of-home ads, will see billboards bought by Posterscope on behalf of their clients appearing in contextually relevant locations inside IGA’s network of premium computer and video games, simultaneous with their display in the real world.

Developments in gaming technology such as IGA’s proprietary Radial ad serving platform, photo-real graphics capability and broadband online connectivity and, coupled with the obvious similarity in media formats allow the exploitation of synergies between real and virtual worlds.

This new offering is complementary to the in-game advertising strategies already being employed by media agencies and digital specialists, with an exclusive out-of-home ‘add on’ package allowing advertisers to benefit from favourable rates in return for less control regarding individual game selection and ad frequency.

This approach will not be appropriate for all brands and campaigns but it is expected that the initiative will significantly widen the appeal of in-game advertising.  It allows advertisers to reach a valuable and highly engaged audience and works alongside real-world out-of-home media.

According to James Davies, Director of Posterscope’s innovations division, Hyperspace, “it is a logical step to include this package when planning broadcast out-of-home campaigns as the similarities in creative approach, media consumption and Postar-style audience measurement are huge.”

Ed Bartlett, Vice President Europe for IGA agrees; “Our network offers a wide range of relevant photorealistic and interactive environments, from cities to sports arenas, with the added advantage that our technology measures the size and duration of every ad on screen, for every single user”.

IGA’s network already reaches over 30 million consumers worldwide across a variety of gaming platforms including PlayStation 3, with average ad view duration in excess of 8 seconds.

Research carried out by Nielsen in 2008 showed that 36% of gamers bought or sought information about a product after seeing an ad in a videogame, with an average increase in positive opinion of a brand or product of 61%.

Source: Hyper Space Media