Recall of brand placements in computer/video games

Product placements have become popular across media, including computer and video games, as a way to increase brand awareness. This paper explores effectiveness of placing brands in a racing game across two preliminary studies by asking respondents which brands they recalled directly after game-play and at a five-month delay. Game players were readily able to recall about 25 to 30 percent of brands in the short-term and about 10 to 15 percent at a delay. Brands demonstrated recall superiority when they were a major part of game-play or when they were local or new brands, atypical of brands found in games, or relevant to the consumer. When asked their attitudes toward product placements, players were generally positive, indicating that they did not consider the practice deceptive and that brands can enhance game-realism. Open-ended comments revealed that players' attitudes, however, depended upon the game genre and how and where the brand appeared.