Sports Games Proving Effective for In-Game Advertisers, Study Finds

In-game advertising is a touchy subject for some gamers. Many worry about ads taking them out of the game experience, and others complain that they have to contend with ads in a title they already paid $60 for. Nevertheless, the one genre that has always been perfectly suited for in-game ads is sports. After all, real-life sports venues are already plastered with advertising, so replicating that in a sports video game only enhances realism. More importantly, from the marketer's perspective, the overlap between sports fans and sports gamers appears to be quite strong, and this presents a great opportunity for advertisers.

TNS has conducted an ESPN Sports poll in partnership with Electronic Arts to examine the similarities among traditional sports fans and the sports gamer audience. The study found that marketers do best by targeting avid sports fans because they're more likely to also be sports gamers. "By targeting the 'Avid Fans', marketing campaigns have a much better chance of being noticed by the audience that is paying the most attention, and is likely driving their business," TNS said.

“Fans consume sports in multidimensional ways," said Robert Fox, Senior Vice President at TNS and Executive Director of the ESPN Sports Poll. “Today’s interactive entertainment enables fans to engage with their favorite sports on a platform that looks incredibly close to the real thing. When a person is engaged in the video game, there is no channel surfing, and the game is paused only for necessity. This is a terrific way for real-world advertisers and sponsors to develop incremental affinity for their brands.”

The study found that about half of the households in the U.S. own a gaming console, and of those, half of the sports fans and 69% of the avid sports fans own at least one sports video game. The demographic profile of the sports gamer in these households aligns perfectly with the audience brand marketers want to reach; 75% are male, over half are between the ages of 18-34 and most are single males with disposable income. Additionally, 38% of sports video game players say they spend as much or more time playing a sports game as they do watching that same sport on TV during its season. And, three out of four sports fans say that in-game advertising plays a part in reinforcing a company’s real-world sponsorship of that sport. 

“Fans have grown to expect that the game experience mirrors the real world and allows them to be Mark Sanchez for the night. Part of the authenticity is the advertising that is imbedded in the game or that is dynamically served during connected play, and includes the finer details like in-stadium and in-arena signage,” said Elizabeth Harz, Senior Vice President, Global Media Sales at Electronic Arts. “For sponsors looking to differentiate their brand in a crowded field, the Sports Gamer is influential and the messaging options robust.”