If you can’t get them in the real world, follow them to the virtual one. Here’s an excerpt from the Driving.ca article:
>To promote its two new special- edition 2006 Mini models called the Soho and the Rallye, the BMW-owned company is using ads embedded into the landscapes of more than 20 video games for PC and Xbox platforms. MINI ‘virtual outdoor’ advertising now appears in many online video games until November 26, 2006.
>While the ads are designed not to interfere with game play, they’re interactive and, according to Mini, “are used to enhance the game experience for those players who choose to interact with them.”
[ MINI Advertises Virtually ] Driving.ca
Great, so cars only available in Canada can be advertised in every nation of the world.
The reason billboards work is that they are local.
If I saw this, and wasn’t in Canada, I would just get the impression that MINI isn’t very smart or thrifty, which probably isn’t the best impression to have.
The game developers could target ads by source IP. It wouldn’t work all the time, but usually it would.
Actually, when Second Life started letting third party programs have access to the site, I thought maybe MINI should look into a virtual-reality presence there – those pseudo-worlds will only get bigger. Something on the order of the BMW short films, but more interactive than a video billboard. Toyota already has done something with their Scion there, but let’s face it, that just means Second Life needs a real virtually-real car! 😉
BCNU,
Rob in Dago
Take off eh?