ONLINE ADVERTISING ON PKR POKER TABLES

15 June 2007

But does PKR really have 600 000 players?

Intriguing press release of the week came from IGA Worldwide, an in-game marketing network that announced a deal with the PKR poker website to display adverts on its tables.

IGA points out that the practice of table felt advertising is now common in big land poker tournaments, and the concept is 'infiltrating' the online poker milieu as well.

The poker room has signed an agreement with IGA Worldwide that will see ads featured on the site's play-money tables and backdrops.

The goal is to reach up to 60 000 players of PKR's claimed 600 000-person customer base and target the poker site's 18- to 35-year-old male demographic, the release reveals.

PKR's 3D poker site has already made room for high-visibility ad space, which will consist of virtual wall posters, together with logos on the tables. And PKR's dot-net marketing site will offer 15 to 30-second video commercials that will play at breaks and between games.

Players who are competing in real-money games and tournaments, however, will not be exposed to the advertising, the release said.

In-game advertising may be a new idea for online gambling operators, but it is widespread among major brands such as EA, Atari, Valve and Codemasters, which are all part of the IGA Worldwide network.

IGA feels that the PKR customer demographic is ideal for products such as the latest electronic gadgets and men's grooming products, a spokesman for the poker room said.

"In today's fragmented media environment we're seeing advertisers increasingly turning to in-game advertising as traditional formats fail to deliver," said IGA CEO Justin Townsend.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa