Posts tagged 3D
Gaming is becoming more real – so are the ads
Jun 16th
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve noticed a lot more ads for the Nintendo DS. At first I thought it was trying to compete with the launch of Apple’s iPad. But no, today all became clear when the gaming company released its first 3D gaming console – and you don’t even have to wear those dumb glasses.
In back-to-back announcements at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, Nintendo and Sony both laid out their plans to make gaming even more immersive.
Nintendo showed off a 3D version of its DS handheld games console featuring a 3.5″ autostereoscopic 3D screen, which can be viewed without the use of active 3D glasses, and a touchscreen below it.
And advertisers are getting on board already. Earlier in the week, Domino’s Pizza announced its move into in-game advertising for the first time as part of an integrated football campaign.
The Sony PS3 activity, by digital specialists at ArenaMedia, forms a central plank of Domino’s multi-channel push that will also include TV, radio and social media.
Domino’s month-long in-game advertising targets 16 to 34-year old males playing a range of sports and racing titles on PS3 including NBA 2K10, Superstar Racing and Mx vs ATV Reflex. Ads will be shown to PS3 gamers who are connected to the internet.
In game advertising has been around for many years, but has struggled against regulation in the UK. While it is allowed, gaming companies must disclose the ads on the covers of games to warn player.
The concept has been called a bit of a ‘Marmite’ subject in the past. Some believe real world brands and products being forced into their games detracts from the experience, while others believe a well placed and well made ad can actually help ground the game in reality.
And as games become more real, ads are finding their place.
Sony Computer Entertainment president Kazou Hirai said in LA yesterday that making 3D playback available on the 35 million available PlayStation 3 consoles would give the new technology a significant boost and could speed up adoption of 3D TV screens.
“3D is one more leap in the entertainment experience, moving us forward to more realistic gaming.”
Games using the new controls will so far include Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour 2011, Toy Story 3 and SingStar Dance.
One last thing to add fuel to this fire: earlier this month a number of leading game publishers and businesses formed an in-game advertising steering group with the Internet Advertising Bureau.
The collaboration – which includes Sony, Microsoft, IGN, EA, DoubleFusion and IGA Worldwide – will work on developing and promoting in-game advertising in new titles this year.
Could 3D breathe new life into cinema advertising?
May 24th
Last week, digital transmission specialist Broadcast Australia became the first to broadcast 3D TV signals terrestrially over the air, as the rest of the world goes mad for all things 3D.
3D is attributed to making James Cameron’s Avatar the most successful box-office movie of all time.
And you’ll no doubt remember earlier this month when Hugh Hefner made headlines with his special 3D centerfold special June issue of Playboy.
And last week, Olympus launched a new advertising campaign for its new PEN E-PL1 camera that encourages viewers to go to a dedicated microsite (www.getolympus.com/PEN3d) and play around with 3D with a paper cut-out and a webcam.
3D is everywhere, and publishers and advertisers can’t seem to get enough of it despite reports that owning your own 3D set may actually be dangerous for your health.
So why all the fuss?
3D is about the next level, and the experience…as far as I can gather.
I remember going to Movie World on Australia’s Gold Coast when I was very young and saw a Marvin the Martian 3D movie there. It was pretty cool, fun, interactive…but it was also a novelty.
Imagine watching 3D all the time, it won’t always look so good. Perhaps this is a fad.
There’s a new movie out at the moment, Street Dance 3D. A movie about dancing in 3D. I can’t help but feel this is a space that is going to much like social media, a long-term experiment with sometimes, little pay off.
What do you think? Can advertisers benefit from our 3D fascination? It’s certainly going to be hard, and expensive, until the spectrum becomes mainstream. Still, there’s room to make a big impression.
3D advertising is one area expected to grow within in-theater advertising this year. Recently, Samsung ran a 3D ad in theaters prior to airings of the DreamWorks animated movie How to Train Your Dragon, for its new line of 3D TVs.
As more films are released in 3D, more theaters are investing in 3D-capable screens in the hopes of convincing consumers to leave their DVD players and video-on-demand behind and come to the movies.
3D, in fact, could mark the rebirth of cinema advertising. Since the beginning of the financially crisis, cinema advertising has suffered falls and failed to since report any growth since the recovery. 3D could be just what the medium needs to kick start growth again.
MARKETING NEWS BITES: Google teams up with Verizon for tablet and Playboy goes 3D
May 12th
A quick round-up of news from around the web:
Google has confirmed that it is working with US carrier Verizon Wireless on a tablet computer like Apple’s iPad. Verizon Wireless chief executive Lowell McAdam told the Wall Street Journal that tablet computers were part of the “next big wave of opportunities”. WSJ.com
In an effort to bolster low readership, the June edition of Playboy, on newsstands this week, will feature centerfold Hope Dworaczyk in good old fashioned blue and red (anaglyph) 3D. Hefner, not himself a fan of the new wave of 3D movies, frames Playboy’s role amidst the Avatar effect simply: “What would people most like to see in 3D?…Probably a naked lady.” Gizmodo
A poll by ESure car insurance has found that 67% of Brits were a hazard to motorists as they used their mobile phone while crossing the road. Dubbed Netwalking, 60% say they made calls, 40% sent texts and 16% read emails whilst crossing the road. Daily Express
Cifas, a UK fraud prevention agency, say that Fraudsters are targeting Gmail and Facebook accounts Daily Mail
TV in the digital age, what marketers are in for
Jan 14th
TV, the way we watch it and how we interact with it, has changed dramatically as technology evolves. But are marketers ready to follow suit?
Given today’s radical new report in public service broadcast, I thought it was worth a look into what TV is going to be like in the ‘digital age’.
I know what you’re thinking, we’ve been in the digital age for some time now, but this decade, the teens of the millennium, TV is going to become vastly different.
For one, the digital switchover looms (2012) and as we saw in the noughties, it will not only change the way we watch TV, or where, but how advertisers reach us. Consumers have the power and ability to skip the ads, and they do, with such services as Sky +.
But, while this does seem a negative point, it has been a catalyst for some of the most creative and engaging TV ads in the past two years. I hate to keep mentioning it but Cadbury’s Gorilla advert is a perfect example.
It also embraced the power of cross-channel marketing – using a combination of social media, viral marketing and TV ads. The use of multiple channels isn’t anything new though, it has been greatly experimented with, but going forward, I think we can expect to see a lot more of this from now on.
Also, internet TV is here, well and truly. And at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, Yahoo unveiled a widget that will allow consumers to access the internet through their TV sets. We’ve been watching TV on our computer screens for a few years now, but this goes one step further, bringing the web to us from the comfort of our couch.
I think a lot more broadcasters will be trying to get more of their programming online once this Yahoo widget truly takes off. Catch-up TV, in particular the BBC’s iPlayer, have experiences massive growth in the past few years by offering this simply convenience. However, some broadcasters are still fiddling with the model.
Channel 4’s catch-up service for example was originally a paid-for-service. Each TV show you downloaded was around £2. The service eventually went free after limited take up, but now the broadcaster has signed a content deal with YouTube to feature its shows.
Catch-up TV (or, on-demand TV) poses a problem for advertisers and broadcasters as the number of commercials and sponsors are limited – most shows only feature one ad. But with product placement in Britain expected to get the go ahead before summer, we could be about to see many more broadcasters jump aboard.
Also unveiled at CES was 3D TV. Programming is about to get a lot more interesting, we’re being coaxed back to our TV screens and advertisers will follow suit with highly creative and interactive ads that jump in front of your eyes and burn in your memory – remember, 3D is an experience.
Technology has allowed TV to now be consumed in more ways than we ever thought – the internet, 3D, mobile and digital. The opportunities for advertisers are endless and TV advertising certainly isn’t dead yet despite what some broadcaster’s revenues said last year. In fact, I would say we are at the new dawn of TV advertising, and it’s about to get a whole lot more creative.
Lastly, where does all this leave public service broadcasting? The Policy Exchange report is calling for radically reforms, especially of the BBC. With the way that television is evolving, ultimately the PSB channels will have to fight to keep up. Let the content wars begin…and perhaps product placement really is the solution for easy revenues for broadcasters.
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