In-Game Sponsorship – The Way of the (Mobile Advertising) Future

Tap Me Inc. is revolutionizing the mobile gaming experience, providing an attractive solution for both advertisers and gamers. Currently, most mobile advertising is done through banner ads and other web technology solutions which link to an outside website. If a user chooses to click on the advertising, his or her gaming experience is interrupted while he or she is connected to an outside site. Tap Me Inc. provides a seamless user experience by integrating advertising directly into the game, using what they refer to as an “in-game sponsorship and rewards system”. Tap Me Inc.’s product, iComplishments, is an ad platform that allows advertisers to take advantage of in-context commercial opportunities within the game or “in-game sponsorship”. Instead of traditional mobile advertising, gamers choose a sponsor for their game. This allows users to continue to play the game without breaking the user experience. Users playing the game collect points, which can then be redeemed for items within the game or for the sponsors’ merchandise outside of the game. By integrating advertising within the gaming experience, Tap Me Inc. will be able to provide advertisers with a deeper understanding of their ROI, consumers and products. In-game sponsorship also allows advertisers to be connected to the gamers in a new way, by providing them with more direct interaction to their gamers. As gamer collects points, advertisers can reach out using twitter or Facebook to reward gamers for playing with prizes, congratulations, or other interactive campaigns. To begin with, sponsors will be the game itself, but the end goal is to integrate brands into the games. Last week, Tap Me Inc. demoed their company and already have plans to release a public beta on iPhone next week.  In a few months, they plan a release to Unity SDK. By spring 2011, Tap Me Inc. plans to release their ad platform solution on every mobile platform. Try it on the iPhone4: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/galaxy-golf/id385117736?mt=8 Try it on the iPad: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bitflip-hd-intense-puzzle/id370440899?mt=8