Microsoft has recently made its 1 vs 100 game available in beta form as of June 1st, 2009. This is a community based trivia game based on NBC’s television show that ended back in 2008. Microsoft built this game with some strong attributes in mind: Fun, Friendly, Challenging & Rewarding. Seems like a common sense approach, right? Not many developers can achieve this successful mixture, Microsoft managed to do it while integrating an effective advertising platform. Interspersed within the “Live” game show are a series of branded ads and video ads during breaks. Currently Sprint and Honda appear to be the largest advertisers involved with 1 vs 100. Both advertisers have reportedly paid approximately $1 million to be sponsors for Season One of 1 vs 100. So, how does this all work?
As part of a large Microsoft Xbox Live! update awhile back, users were able to create their own custom Avatars (similar to the Mii characters on Nintendo Wii). These user-generated Avatars become the visual representation of players in 1 vs 100. Your character waits in the game lobby for the “show” to begin at its scheduled time. This game lobby is one of the first opportunities for advertiser sponsorships using branded banners in the background. Once the game begins, “The One” is selected based on previous successes and they are pitted against “The Mob”. The goal of the Xbox Live game is to eliminate “The Mob” when you are “The One” in order to secure the best possible reward. If “The One” is defeated, the remaining members of “The Mob” split smaller prizes. The primary reward is Microsoft Points which can be used to purchase arcade games, game content, movies, music videos, or even full games. Additional contests and giveaways are also planned for 1 vs 100, incentivizing players to bring their A-game. Trivia questions come at players fast, timing plays a large part in obtaining better scores. Answering questions quickly, accurately and consecutively improves your overall score and gives users a better chance at becoming “The One” in future episodes. There are many specific rules and game types beyond this basic explanation.
As Microsoft continues to refine 1 vs 100, the audience will surely expand. The current member base on Xbox Live has recently surpassed 20 million active users. The large pool of engaged Xbox Live users combined with the popularity of 1 vs 100 provides advertisers with a strong platform. In 1 vs 100 you can’t fast forward through commercials, the static brand placements are subtle and contestants can’t pause the game to grab a slice of pizza. Contestants pay very close attention to win the valuable prizes which leads to fierce competition and the advertisements are certainly effective thanks to the attentive crowd. My personal experience with 1 vs 100 is that the ads were exclusively a branding tool, no interaction, no conversion events and not much to track outside of viewership and exposure levels. If Microsoft can refine this ad platform during Season Two so that users can interact with the ads, but not interrupt their game, it will take the promotional element to a whole new level. Behavioral data and user demographics are more than likely being recorded through Xbox Live. Adding an element of geo-targeting could really make these ads pop as well. Order a pizza from your couch in the middle of 1 vs 100, submit your contact information to a local car dealership for special pricing/test drive, request free product samples, early game demo access or even sneak previews of exclusive movie trailers all via in-game ads are just a handful of possibilities that Microsoft could leverage with this successful & innovative “gamevertising” platform.
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