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David Murphy discovers how the lure of aft entertainment can help firms build databases and awareness
Viral e-mails and branded online games are two of the internet's hottest marketing properties, so it should come as no real surprise to find that brands are combining the two to build awareness, drive site traffic and capture visitor data.
A couple of years ago, online games were a novelty, but look around a few web sites now and chances are you will soon stumble across one or more games inviting you to beat the goalie or dunk the biscuit. Games are often tied to the personality of the brand being promoted.
These are not console-style games as found on hardcore gaming sites, but much simpler fare, often using Flash animation, which loads up onscreen in a few seconds and is often little more than a way to capture names and e-mail addresses.
But having seen the way web users spread the word about something they have come across, brands are now 'viralising' their online games, either with a simple prompt inviting players to e-mail the link to a friend, or through more creative tactics.
Online marketing agency e-Design, for example, created a game for Tiger Tiger, the bar and restaurant chain. The game incentivised users to play by offering the chance to win one of 500 free meals at the restaurant.
In order to claim the meal, however, each player had to mail the link to the game to four other players, who then had to visit the site and register their details.
According toe-Design chief executive Louis Halpern,the principal benefit of online games for clients is that players often willingly release personal details, almost without realising they are doing it.
"You can gather profiling data as the person works through the game, about who they are, what they do, what they're interested in.While they know they're giving it to you, they don't think about it," he says."It's just part of what they're doing."
The extent to which data can be captured is limited by the amount of time the user plays the game, but this can be lengthened considerably by creating a more involving experience.
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