Games could be answer to mobile engagement

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 | By Alex Farber

We don’t talk about mobile games very often at new media age despite the fact they’re a steady revenue provider for both publishers and operators — not to mention Apple, which has seen great success with the format via its App Store.

But mobile gaming, and particularly the integrated/immersive alternate reality games (ARGs) as MSN looks set to kick off with its latest version of Halo, hold valuable lessons for the wider mobile industry.

A game is designed specifically to offer players an all consuming experience. It means publishers highly prioritise innovation or go to great lengths to closely involve people in the experience. And what brand or publisher doesn’t want that for their service?

As has been trotted out at conferences ad infinitum, the mobile is a very personal device and consumers will respond to a rich media experience. So brands can apply the same rules as they seek to engage consumers via integrated marketing campaigns. The budgets might not be so large but the principles of offering consumers as immersive an experience as possible should apply wherever possible.

The mobile has many functional limitations but there’s an opportunity to offer clever, appropriate extensions, such as incorporating mini-games, updating avatars or interacting with others, which tie to the main campaign.

Of course, it’s not easy nor cheap to come up with an original idea which will only reach a small proportion of users. But brands can learn from games publishers to offer people a truly engaging experience.

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