This year will be "something of a coming-out party for EA’s budding in-game advertising business," as the videogame maker has "quietly introduced EA Engagement Ads, a new ad product designed to help brands weave their messages into console and mobile video games in a way that won’t alienate gamers," according to Mike Shields of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Among the advertisers that "have signed on to try EA² are GMC, McDonald's, Ford, Kellogg’s and Paramount." McDonald's Senior Dir of Global Alliance Marketing John Lewicki said, "With video games, you don’t want to be intrusive. You want to be part of it. We think in this case, gamers understand that we’re rewarding them with things they’d normally have to pay for.” Shields noted EA has also "begun testing the EA² ads within other sports titles, including NHL 15 and PGA Tour." But right now, the action is "focused on Madden," as fans have been "flocking to the game" over the past few weeks playing out this year’s Super Bowl matchup. That is "good news for GMC, which has a deep integration into Madden, including seven-second video ads shown prior to highlights." GMC National Promotions Manager Chris Ayotte said, "These people are passionate. Our research tells us that they are really engaging with the content and the branding messaging in these games" (WSJ.com, 1/29).
