Television Advertising Still Important for Gamers, says Ad-ology

Ad-ology Research has conducted a new survey on how the media influences consumer choice. While the video game industry has put an emphasis on online campaigns, Ad-ology has found that traditional media is still quite relevant for today's gamers.

Although the predominant thinking has been that gamers don't watch as much television anymore, Ad-ology's survey of 1,105 adults this August found that 70 percent of recent video game/game systems buyers reported either "some" or "significant" influence from television, compared to 54 percent who reported influence from online video. 

Furthermore, almost half of consumers 18 to 24 years old – a prime demographic for the game industry – purchased video game products recently. These consumers reported even higher rates of influence from information or advertising from television (84.9 percent) and online video (64.6 percent).

"Gamers want to see new releases in action before they buy, and online video is an effective way to show actual gameplay," noted C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research.

Although ads in magazines appear to be less influential, they're still important to a well-rounded marketing campaign. Magazines had "some" or "significant" influence on 57.5 percent of recent buyers. Ad-ology found that males were more influenced by information and advertising in magazines than females (61.4 vs. 53.4 percent). 25-to-34-year-old consumers reported the most influence from magazines (68.3 percent).

"Video game marketers should be careful not to write off traditional media in favor of online marketing, as a large percentage of gamers are still influenced by television and magazines," Smith commented.

As for online marketing, publishers would be wise to spruce up their official websites. Ad-ology found that nearly 70 percent of consumers were influenced by manufacturer sites.