ALTERNATIVE REALITY GAMING: It's Going To Be 'Gabby Hayes' Big!

Just when you finally grasped the subtle differences between advergaming, viral marketing, word-of-mouth, and PR, comes a new niche of alternative advertising: alternate reality gaming. Near as I can tell this is basicially advergaming, but it processes the potential for players to get really immersed in the brand. At some point we should just lump viral, advergaming, and the rest of the lot in one big pile and call it what it really is, branded entertainment.

Alternate Reality Gaming and You
Alternate reality gaming is one of the most interesting new trends in online brand immersion. Pioneered commercially by online campaigns for properties such as the film "AI" and the game "Halo 2," these efforts blend "hoax"-like Web sites that don't announce their affiliation with online quests, unfolding mysteries, and even real-world activities such as messages received at phone booths or prerecorded calls to participants in the middle of the night.

Rather than 30 seconds of exposure to a brand, they generate stickiness that can last days, or even weeks, as they subtly (e.g., "I Love Bees") or not-so subtly (e.g., "Alias") draw in users and encourage them to bring other players into the "game." As branding experiences go, these things have the potential to be far more powerful than the short viral video clips that get passed around, or somewhat gimmicky one-trick ponies, such as the Subservient Chicken or the now-defunct Burger King Angus Intervention site. [ Clickz ]