Sure, it's only a banner, but it's also a creative way to integrate gaming and advertising-a concept we may begin to see more of. This is a trend, not just on the Web. If you look at the historical trends in mass market advertising for supermarket stuff, consumer brand advertising is declining and sales promotion as a percentage of total spending is increasing. On the Web, this trend could translate into big business for game developers. Patrick Keane, a new media analyst at Jupiter Communications, says more mainstream sites are featuring their own contests as sponsorships gain in popularity over banner ads.
Sponsorship is a model that's definitely proven to be successful.
About the author Rodney J. Moore is senior writer and president of Moore Creative, an online content and technical writing firm in Franklin, Tennessee.