Hakuhodo DY holdings Inc.. and ARROVA Inc. have announced the results of a survey on advertisements placed within games and metaverse spaces (in-game advertising). The survey, conducted among 3,000 consumers aged 15 to 49 nationwide, revealed that in-game advertising has the effect of stimulating purchasing intent and promoting word-of-mouth spread.
The survey targeted users of “smartphone games,” “game metaverses (Roblox, Fortnite, etc.),” and “social VR (VRChat, etc.)” and asked about their awareness of in-game advertising. Approximately 80% of smartphone game and social VR users, and approximately 50% of game metaverse users, responded that they had seen in-game advertisements.
In terms of purchase-stimulating effect, “advertisements displayed on walls, signs, and buildings in the space” within social VR recorded a score of 11.3%. This is approximately 1.7 times higher than the 6.8% score for “in-app banner ads” in traditional digital advertising.
Differences were also observed in the level of discomfort with advertisements. The percentage of people who found advertisements displayed on walls and billboards within game content to be “persistent or unpleasant” was 11.3% for smartphone game users, 11.2% for gaming metaverse users, and 10.0% for social VR users. This was significantly lower than the percentage of people who found pop-up ads while an app was running (19.4%).
Acceptance factors vary by user group. Among paying users of smartphone games, 65.7% agreed that “ads are acceptable if they fit the game’s world.” Among paying users of game-based metaverses, 66.7% said “ads are acceptable as long as the game continues to operate,” and among paying users of social VR, 66.5% said “a system where you can get items or currency through ads is good.”
Because in-game advertising is a new medium, it has been pointed out that it has challenges such as being able to reach fewer people compared to traditional advertising and having immature methods for measuring its effectiveness.
Hakuhodo DY Group and ARROVA have stated that they will continue to work on research and service implementation.
This article is an English translation of an original Japanese article, translated by the Mogura VR editorial team.
