Advertising and Games

Means of PersuasionProcedurality

◦Procedural rhetoric = rhetoric of a system

◦The use of unit operations, systems, rules, and procedures to persuade or express.

Visuals◦Graphics, editing

Audio◦Music, sound effects

Words◦Print, spoken

Games are systemsGames are systems—they are a

combination of rules and units—they embody procedural rhetoric.◦Games have persuasive qualities,

and some games are designed to be persuasive.

What makes procedural rhetoric better/worse/different at persuasion than static or linear forms?

ADVERTISING

Three modes of advertising1. Demonstrative – communicate tangibles about the nature of a

product Demonstrations, simulations, and/or descriptions of product “Let me show or tell you how it works”

http://www.allgirlarcade.com/games/play/cupcakemaker/ http://ford.com/cars/mustang/customizer?intcmp=fv-fv-a1b01c02d000941e00f0

0g05h14j12k40m6n0p20111212 Advergames: Use of product in game; descriptions in game.2. Illustrative – indirect information through presentation of

product in social or cultural context Object used or referred to in context, but sometimes incidental

to gameplay. “Play hockey using a lifesaver as a puck” Advergames: Communicate existence of the product through

gameplay◦ http://crazysquares.com/games.html◦ http://mccafetime.com/game/

3. Associative – indirect; focusing on the context/social and intangibles.

Lifestyle marketing; associating product with who buyer wants to be.

“Play pool on this cool Jack Daniel’s Pool Table.” Advergames: Relate product with game/lifestyle http://www.happymeal.com/

Ads can use multiple strategiesNot mutually exclusive

◦Sometimes an ad can be demonstrative, illustrative, and associative.

◦Rarely is an ad equal parts demonstrative, illustrative and associative.

◦We look at the focus of the ad—what is its primary means of communicating.

Great games……but are they great

advergames?The Coke Zero GameGet the Glass!Samurai Kitten

Who created whom?“Mass media allowed companies to

manufacture wants rather than satisfy needs” (Bogost 150).

“Marketing has shifted away from a focus on the procedural rhetoric of media technologies—integrating ads into the rules of programming formats” (Bogost 152).

“Advertisers focus on the procedural rhetoric of the frames themselves—integrating ads into rules of consumers’ perceived cultural station” (Bogost 152).

Types of game advertising• Licensing and Product Placement. This perpetuates a

recursive network—deepened relationship with product. Game increases exposure to product, exposure increases game sales.◦ Licensing – sponsoring producer or representative

product within game. Illustrative and associative◦ Product Placement – placement of product in game.

A soda machine, baseball bat, or clothing line. Also, static/linear advertisement in game.

Advergames – Any game created specifically to host a procedural rhetoric about the claims of a product or service. Demonstrative, illustrative, associative simulation of product.

Advergame: $10,000 – $400,000

Primetime commercial: $100,000 – $200,000

30 second spot

Playing food advergames led to

children eating more (Folkvord et al., 2012)

30 commercials run during an hour long TV

program

Dorito’s Hotel 626 won 8 awards, and videos on YouTube of people playing have reached

over 1 million hits

AdvergamesFocus on advergames for this

assignment because they (can/should) are based on procedural rhetoric.

They are “persuasive” games. Persuasive games foreground a product, lesson, or ideology.