Napalm Riot

Sony is opening up its Playstation 3 platform and has announced it will allow brands to advertise on the medium. The deal could be worth $100 million over three years to Sony Computer Entertainment America, Foster City, Calif.

Videogame marketer Electronic Arts, Redwood City, Calif., will be the first to take advantage of the Playstation 3 platform via its EA Sports and EA brands. EA Sports games include Madden NFL football, NBA Live basketball, Nascar racing and NHL hockey. EA itself will use ads in The Need For Speed and Burnout.

In-game ad firm IGA Worldwide, New York, will handle. IGA aims to execute highly strategic campaigns to a targeted demographic of males 18-34. The company plans a 70/30 revenue split between itself and any game publisher.

"It's exciting that the PS3 has opened up and marketers will now have access to the platform, as this represents a tremendous opportunity for brands targeting a valuable and hard-to-reach audience, plus it sends a clear message that dynamic in-game advertising has arrived as a compelling medium for marketers," said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide, Wednesday.

An advantage to in-game advertising on PS3 is that the ads can be updated and adjusted in real time. The advertising also enhances the gaming experience. In-game ad firm Massive, New York, conducted a survey on in-game ads among 30 Xbox 360 clients and concluded that "an average of 70% of gamers agreed with statements that the dynamic in-game ads contributed to realism, fit the games in which they were served and looked cool."

(Continuation Source: http://www.brandweek.com/…vnu_content_id=1003812911)