IGA Signs In-Game Billboard Advertising Deal

In-game advertising firm IGA Worldwide has signed a deal with Posterscope to replicate the ad agency’s real world poster campaigns within games. As part of the deal, billboards bought by Posterscope on behalf of their clients will appear in relevant locations in IGA’s network of video games. Although virtual billboards are commonly utilized within games for dynamic advertising, the Posterscope deal will see real and virtual world ad campaigns run simultaneously with the same assets. Posterscope will offer the in-game advertising deal as an “add-on” package for existing campaigns. In return for less control over which games the ads appear in, and how frequently they are seen, clients are given lower rates for their display on the IGA network. “It is a logical step to include this package when planning broadcast out-of-home campaigns as the similarities in creative approach, media consumption, and Postar-style audience measurement are huge,” says Posterscope’s James Davies. “Our network offers a wide range of relevant photorealistic and interactive environments, from cities to sports arenas, with the added advantage that our technology measures the size and duration of every ad on screen, for every single user,”adds Ed Bartlett, vice president Europe for IGA. IGA has high-profile deals with publishers such as Sony, EA and Activision, and announced its 30 millionth unique user in October of last year. However, the general downturn in advertising budgets has forced recent layoffs and even talks of a buyout.