Is In-Game Advertising Undervalued?

Recently, advertisers have made a push to market their respective brands in the online worlds of Second Life, The Matrix Online, and Planetside, understanding the vast potential in reaching a whole new audience. In-game advertising, however, could reach far beyond current expectations.

Marketing efforts geared toward the online PC gamer have been well documented, but what about the console owner? It’s true that entities like EA Sports have signed deals with ESPN to feature branded content within the game, but are advertisers as a whole underestimating the ultimate value of in-game marketing?

In a MediaWeek article, Nielsen//NetRatings finds more than a third of online own a gaming console. The potential for integrated online and gaming-based marketing strategies begins to take on a whole new outlook when you consider figures like that.