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Wise 2008
Wise 2008
Wise 2008
To cite this article: Kevin Wise, Paul D. Bolls, Hyo Kim, Arun Venkataraman & Ryan Meyer (2008) Enjoyment of Advergames
and Brand Attitudes, Journal of Interactive Advertising, 9:1, 27-36, DOI: 10.1080/15252019.2008.10722145
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ENJOYMENT OF ADVERGAMES AND BRAND ATTITUDES: THE IMPACT
OF THEMATIC RELEVANCE
Kevin Wise, Paul D. Bolls, Hyo Kim, Arun Venkataraman, Ryan Meyer
ABSTRACT: Campaigns increasingly implement advergames to engage consumers with a brand through interactive,
entertaining media content. However, little research tests the effects of specific features of advergames on desired advertising
outcomes. This article reports the results of an experiment designed to examine how variation in the thematic connection
between the game associated with an advergame and the brand affects the relationship between attitude toward the game
(equated with attitude toward the ad) and attitude toward the brand. The analysis reveals a stronger positive relationship between
attitude toward the advergame and attitude toward the brand when participants play games with a high thematic connection to
the brand's product. Therefore, designing advergames that relate thematically to the product of the sponsoring brand should
increase the likelihood of positive conditioning of brand attitudes evoked by playing an advergame.
The game for delivering a brand's message to a desired target choosing online, interactive media over traditional media
audience has changed. Advertisers previously played tag with (Business Wire 2008).
consumers, trying to chase them down and reach them by
The practice of placing some form of brand communication in
saturating traditional media channels with traditional spot
entertainment media, including console or online games, is
advertising. Yet ad clutter, negative attitudes toward
not new. Product placement agreements between advertisers
traditional advertising, and a media landscape filled with a
and content providers have been commonplace for decades.
mind-boggling number of media options for advertisers has
For example, the placement of products in movies caught
shifted the way the game is played. As a result, advertisers have
public attention in the 1980s when Reese's Pieces appeared in
begun engaging consumers in a game of hide-and-seek by
the movie ET and Pepsi appeared in Back to the Future. Since
imbedding brand messages in entertainment-oriented media
that time, the amount and prominence of product placement
content. This growing advertising strategy, known as branded
in movies, television programs, and videogames has
entertainment, involves integrating elements of brand
significantly increased (La Ferle and Edwards 2006). Product
communication into content that consumers seek out for
placement agreements allow advertisers to embed a brand
entertainment purposes. According to a recent report by PQ
message in content produced by other media companies.
Media Research, spending on branded entertainment efforts
Advergaming in turn represents a departure from this
will surpass $25 billion in 2008 (Business Wire 2008).
traditional form of product placement.
The Advergame
According to several scholars, an advergame represents a
One form of branded entertainment is the advergame, a unique form of branded entertainment because, in contrast to
videogame designed around a brand. Advergame executions placements purchased in other forms of gaming, the game
range from simply repurposing an existing, well-known game incorporated as part of an advergaming execution is produced
(e.g., shooting baskets) to feature the brand in the gaming specifically for the sponsoring brand, in essence making the
environment to creating more elaborate, custom-built games game itself the brand message (Chen and Ringel 2001; Deal
that involve detailed virtual experiences with the brand's 2005). For example, an Orbitz advergame that has players race
product (Wallace and Robbins 2006). Advergaming through an airport provides a distinct form of branded
constitutes part of the smallest but fastest growing segment of entertainment based on an Orbitz billboard that appears at the
branded entertainment marketing efforts. The tremendous Daytona 500 race. The opportunity to create entertaining
growth in the number of brands that include advergames as content in an advertisement for the brand establishes
part of their advertising strategy has been attributed to a desire advergaming as a form of branded entertainment that in
to engage youth and young adults who are increasingly essence provides a hybrid form of brand messaging.
Advergames merge the level of advertiser control found in
Journal of Interactive Advertising, Vol 9 No 1 (Fall 2008), pp. 27‐36.
© 2010 American Academy of Advertising, All rights reserved
ISSN 1525‐2019
28 Journal of Interactive Advertising Fall 2008
traditional advertising with the entertainment communication makes sense to conceptualize attitude toward the game as a
context associated with product placement. Because of their type of attitude toward the ad, a concept that has been studied
unique attributes, advergames hold tremendous potential for extensively by advertising scholars (for a review, see Brown
delivering a brand's message in an engaging manner at a and Stayman 1992). Most scholarly interest in attitude toward
fraction of the cost of television advertising (Bertrim 2005). the ad results from its theorized relationship with attitude
Campaign planners also appear to recognize this value; the toward the brand (Muehling and McCann 1993). This study
technology research firm Yankee Group (2006) predicts that examines possible variations in a well-established relationship,
advergames will generate nearly $260 million in revenues by namely, variations in the strength of the relationship between
2010. Wallace and Robbins (2006) also identify 27 interactive attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand, which
agencies and game developers that specialize in the production has practical and theoretical importance for advertising
of advergames for clients. professionals and scholars. Established models of advertising
effectiveness include the relationship between attitude toward
Thus, advergaming provides a growing and unique form of
the ad and attitude toward the brand (e.g., MacKenzie and
branded entertainment worthy of the attention of advertising
Lutz 1989; Muehling, Laczniak, and Stoltman 1991), but
scholars. The significant potential of advergaming as a new
scholars have not specified production features of interactive
form of interactive advertising suggests proprietary research
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29 Journal of Interactive Advertising Fall 2008
This study represents an initial step toward examining this channels. To identify the similarities and differences in the
possibility, because it investigates how the thematic effects of specific forms of branded entertainment, more
connection between an advergame and the brand affects studies must consider the effects of specific features of
attitudinal responses. A thematic connection between the branded execution, including thematic connection, on desired
game and brand can be manipulated easily through the outcomes, such as positive attitude toward the brand.
structure of the game. If this feature leads to variation in the
The connection between a brand and the content in which a
strength of the relationship between attitude toward the
brand message is embedded has positive effects on persuasion.
advergame and attitude toward the brand, professionals and
In a study of online sponsorship, Rodgers (2003) finds that a
scholars will gain deeper insights into the effects of one of the
strong linkage in the relevance of a sponsored Web site with
newest and fastest growing forms of interactive advertising.
the sponsoring brand enhances the persuasive impact of
Another critical issue to consider in studying advergames is sponsorship. Shamadasani, Stanaland, and Tan (2001) also
how brand communication effects evoked by an advergame find more positive attitudes toward the ad, positive attitudes
might compare to the effects observed for product placement toward the brand, and higher purchase intentions in response
in movies, television, and other forms of gaming. Previous to banner ads placed on product-relevant Web sites. Research
research on branded entertainment investigates the impact of on product placement in television also shows that product
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various features of product placement on brand recall placements related to the plot of a television program elicit
(d'Astous and Chartier 2000; Gupta and Lord 1998; Russell more favorable brand attitudes than do unrelated placements
2002; Sabherwal, Pokrywczynski, and Griffin 1994). This line (Russell 2002). The positive effects of connections between the
of research reveals that modality (visual/verbal), prominence brand and content on attitudes should extend to advergames,
of the placement, and congruence between the brand and but no empirical evidence supports this assumption.
media content have distinct effects on brand recall. Furthermore, previous research has not explored how the
thematic connection may influence the relationship between
Researchers also have proposed that the effects of product
specific attitudes. This study therefore examines the
placement in movies and television programs could differ
relationship between attitude toward the game and attitude
somewhat from those found for games because of the
toward the brand.
interactive nature of games (Nicovich 2005). The mental and
motor activities involved in playing a game differ from the Lutz, MacKenzie, and Belch (1983) systematically describe the
passive nature of viewing television programs and movies; relationship between attitude toward the ad and attitude
specifically, viewing a movie does not require a division of toward the brand. Their relationship model with the most
attention to the same degree as does playing a game. support uses dual mediation, through which attitude toward
the ad has both a direct relationship with attitude toward the
Brand placements in games thus might not be as memorable,
brand and an indirect relationship through brand cognitions
because playing the game is the primary focus of attention and
(Brown and Stayman 1992; Gardner 1985; Homer 1990; Lutz,
processing the presence of brands within the game is
MacKenzie, and Belch 1983). Petty and Cacioppo's (1986)
secondary, performed only with spare cognitive resources that
elaboration likelihood model of persuasion (ELM) provides
are not being used by the primary task (Grigorovici and
the theoretical foundation for the relationship between
Constantin 2004). Previous research finds low levels of brand
attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand; their
recall for product placements in video games (Chaney, Lin,
direct relationship may result from message processing that
and Chaney 2004), yet research into advergames specifically
occurs in the peripheral route of the ELM (Miniard, Bhatla,
reveals relatively high levels of recall (Winkler and Buckner
and Rose 1990). Attitude toward the ad may affect processing
2006). This difference in memory effects between online or
in the central ELM route by influencing brand cognitions,
console games and advergames represents one of the
which in turn affect attitude toward the brand (Miniard,
potentially interesting differences for distinct branded
Bhatla, and Rose 1990).
entertainment executions.
Previous research further explicates the relationship between
The mental activity demanded by television programs, movies,
attitude toward the ad and attitude toward the brand in terms
online or console games, and advergames probably varies,
of general paths. However, no extensive research identifies
which implies the potential for significant differences in the
specific message features that may influence relationship
effects of branded entertainment executions in these media
30 Journal of Interactive Advertising Fall 2008
strength. Advergaming presents a unique opportunity for difficult to engage in conditioning procedures should weaken
researchers to study variation in the strength of the this relationship. The thematic connection between the game
relationship between attitude toward the ad and attitude used in an advergame and the brand could be such a feature.
toward the brand in the context of branded entertainment,
Information processing of ads also requires encoding
because it is easy to manipulate the game features and then
information from the message into working memory and
measure any changes in attitudes. This study therefore focuses
storing it in long-term memory, where consumers can retrieve
on how the thematic connection between the brand and the
it later in their evaluation and decision-making tasks (Lang
game influences this relationship.
2006). Conceptualizations of human memory as an integrated
Similar to Lee and Faber's (2007) notion of congruency, network of concepts, attributes of objects, and beliefs
thematic connection refers to the conceptual match between (Anderson 1990) imply that information encountered in the
the brand's product and game content. For example, higher environment, such as stimuli in an advergame, gets stored in a
thematic connection marks an advergame for Nike running pattern of interconnected nodes. Lang (2006) also proposes
shoes that has players engage in a virtual footrace compared that the strength and number of connections between nodes
with a Nike running shoes advergame that features a gun containing information from a media message determines
shooting range game. In turn, how might the thematic how well the message becomes stored in memory and,
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connection between an advergame and the brand lead to ultimately, how easily it can be retrieved.
variation in the strength of the relationship between attitude
In addition to information contained in an ad, people store
toward the game and attitude toward the brand?
attitudes in their associated memory network (Roskos-
Previous research suggests that positive attitudes evoked by Ewoldsen, Arpan-Ralstin, and St. Pierre 2002). Thus, both the
exposure to an ad translate into positive attitudes toward the evaluative experience of playing an advergame and
brand through conditioning procedures (Allen and conditioned attitudes toward the brand may represent
Janiszewski 1989; Shimp, Stuart, and Engle 1987). One specific interconnected nodes in an associative memory network.
mechanism, direct affect transfer (Kim, Allen, and Kardes Because conditioning of brand attitudes involves the
1996), involves attitude conditioning through the transfer of systematic pairing of ad information with existing information
positive affect evoked by exposure to an unconditioned about the brand, games that strengthen this pairing should
stimulus (i.e., advergame) to an unconditioned stimulus (i.e., result in a stronger connection in memory between attitude
the brand) (Allen and Shimp 1990). Attitudes also can be toward the game and attitude toward the brand. A high degree
conditioned through cognitive mechanisms, in that people can of thematic connection between an advergame and the brand
draw inferences about a conditioned stimulus on the basis of therefore should strengthen the pairing between the game and
properties or information present in the unconditioned the brand, resulting in a stronger connection between
stimulus (Fishbein and Ajzen 1975). Kim, Allen, and Kardes conditioned brand attitudes and attitude toward the game in
(1996) support conditioning of brand attitudes evoked by the people's associated memory network. This pattern of attitude
presentation of attractive visual images through both cognitive conditioning should become manifest in a stronger observed
mechanisms and the direct transfer of positive affect. This relationship between attitude toward the game and attitude
finding makes sense in light of more recent theoretical views toward the brand as a result of playing advergames with a high
suggesting that exposure to a media message engages both degree of thematic connection to the brand, compared with
cognitive and emotional processes and that emotion and playing advergames with low thematic connection to the
cognition are intertwined in the human information brand. The primary hypothesis of this experiment therefore
processing system (Lang 2006). posits:
If people draw inferences about a brand from information H1: There is a stronger positive relationship between
presented in an advergame and transfer the positive affect attitude toward the game and attitude toward the brand
evoked by playing the game to the brand, the features of for advergames with a high thematic connection between
advergames that make it easier to engage in attitude the game and the brand than for advergames with low
conditioning procedures should strengthen the relationship thematic connection.
between attitude toward the game and attitude toward the
To test this hypothesis, this research uses an experiment in
brand. Alternatively, advergame features that make it more
which adult participants play two advergames created by
31 Journal of Interactive Advertising Fall 2008
Orbitz, an online travel company. The manipulation of the Football" is based on a table game in which one person tries to
thematic connection involves randomly assigning participants flick a folded paper triangle between a set of goalposts that
to one of two groups, such that they play either games with a another person has made with his or her fingers. "Sink The
travel-related theme or games that have little to do with travel. Putt" is a computerized version of miniature golf, in which
Attitude toward Orbitz is measured both before the participants try to putt a ball into a hole in the fewest possible
experiment and after participants finish playing the games, at shots. Pretests of the games by a small group (N = 6) of
which point they also indicate how much they enjoyed the strategic communication students, who played a total of eight
gaming experience. Support for the hypothesis exists if games on the Orbitz games Web site, indicated the two games
enjoyment of the gaming experience accounts for more of the that they thought were most and least conceptually related to
positive change in attitude toward the brand among travel. The Orbitz logo and slogan appeared in the corner of all
participants who play the advergames with high thematic four games. No active integration of the brand occurs in any of
connections to the brand. the four games, though the word Orbitz appears in the playing
area of the "Paper Football" game.
METHOD
Dependent Variables
Participants
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32 Journal of Interactive Advertising Fall 2008
their attitudes toward different online travel companies and We next test our hypothesis by running the same regression
indicated how to complete the brand attitude pretest using a separately for each thematic connection condition. As we
computer equipped with Media Lab software (Jarvis 2004). show in Table 1, attitude toward the game significantly
When participants completed the pretest, a researcher predicts changes in attitude toward the brand when a high
attached sensors to their hands and face to collect some thematic connection marks the game and the brand, which is
physiological data during the game (not reported here). not the case when a low thematic connection exists between
Participants then took part in an unrelated experiment about the game and the brand. A Z-test (Paternoster et al. 1998)
electronic newspapers, which increased the time (30 minutes) demonstrates that the regression coefficients differ
between when participants completed the pretest measure of significantly between these two conditions (z = 3.54, p < .05),
attitude toward the brand and when they played the in support of our hypothesis that the positive relationship
advergames and completed the posttest brand attitude between attitude toward the game and attitude toward the
measure. All participants viewed the same stimuli during the brand occurs only when the thematic connection is high
unrelated experiment. Following the unrelated experiment, (versus low).
participants played two Orbitz advergames for 5 minutes each,
Table 1. Linear Regression of Game Enjoyment on Change
determined by their random assignment to one of the two
in Attitude Toward the Brand (N = 40)
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33 Journal of Interactive Advertising Fall 2008
designers will be to design product-relevant games without Resource and time limitations make it difficult to perform a
sacrificing the entertainment value of the game. An single experiment on multiple advergames for multiple brands
entertaining game will always be the most critical feature of an and products. However, the effect of any given game feature
effective advergame, because the desired communication effect on desired advertising outcomes could vary across product
is to transfer positive affect from an entertaining media categories targeted at different users, which increases the
experience to the brand. As its bottom line, our experiment importance of experiments that involve different brands and
notes that not all entertaining games will be equally effective in products, as well as different and larger groups of people.
achieving this goal. Advertising managers should evaluate the Furthermore, even simplistic advergames, such as those used
product relevance of proposed games for an advergaming in this study, are very complex stimuli from a
effort to ensure the execution has the strongest positive effect cognitive/emotional processing perspective. Game features
on brand attitudes. The games in our experiment illustrate that other than those studied herein will always be potential
the positive effect of product-relevant advergames can be confounds for experiments in this area.
achieved with fairly simplistic, and probably less expensive,
Implementing a repeated measures design, in which
online games.
participants play more than one advergame containing the
Theoretical Implications feature of interest, may help minimize the statistical impact of
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34 Journal of Interactive Advertising Fall 2008
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