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IGA Worldwide delivers in-game ads to casual gaming arena

IGA partners with Merscom to extend its reach to growing demographic of women gamers

October 10, 2007

IGA Worldwide, the leading independent in-game advertising company, announced today an exclusive agreement with Merscom to place in-game advertisements into their casual game arsenal. The agreement includes the eagerly awaited casual game Jewel Craft, a fast-paced point-and-click game in which players create their own jewelry masterpieces, among several others.

IGA Worldwide’s agreement with Merscom will broaden IGA’s consumer reach into the popular casual gaming market which is expected to reach $2 billion by 2008 according to the Casual Games Association. IGA Worldwide will further extend its position as the leading independent in-game advertising network by targeting this highly untapped audience of 30+ female gamers, an increasingly crucial demographic to advertisers.

“This agreement expands our casual game network to further enable our advertisers to reach this growing, engaged and influential audience of female gamers” says Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. “We continue to strive to create opportunities to offer advertisers new and exciting ways to reach various demographics and this partnership with Merscom allows us to deliver on that promise.”

The deal will provide advertising in casual games throughout the United States and European markets, creating contextually relevant ads specific to each region. These games will be available in both US and European retail stores and online portals worldwide.

Casual games can be defined by their mass appeal and relative ease and directional simplicity. Average game playing times vary, being simple enough to pick up for a short time but challenging enough to play for hours. Unlike typical console video games that target men ages 18-35, casual games target audience is women ages 30+ and are available on a variety of platforms including consoles, PCs, handhelds and mobile phones.

“In-game advertising is being talked about a lot but very little has been done within the casual gaming space,” says Lloyd S.Melnick, chief customer officer at Merscom. “We are excited to partner with IGA, a leader in in-game advertising, to open up casual games to advertisers throughout the world for one of the first times.”

Executive quote

“This agreement expands our casual game network to further enable our advertisers to reach this growing, engaged and influential audience of female gamers” says Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. “We continue to strive to create opportunities to offer advertisers new and exciting ways to reach various demographics and this partnership with Merscom allows us to deliver on that promise.”

About the company

(www.igaworldwide.com)
IGA Worldwide is the global leader in 360-degree in-game advertising solutions, helping brands to achieve measurable results in the world's fastest growing and most engaging new communications medium. Through its proprietary ad serving network, Radial ®, IGA enables advertisers to dynamically target millions of engaged consumers across a broad range of game platforms, titles and genres, whilst its wholly-owned communications consultancy, Hive Partners delivers strategic consulting services and exclusive access to unique integrated product placement and co-promotion opportunities.

Headquartered in New York with offices in London and Berlin, the group is backed by Easton Capital Group, Morgenthaler Ventures and DN Capital. IGA has recently been voted by ad industry-leaders as the ‘Breakout Company of the Year 2006’ and as a ‘Top 100 Private Company’ in the media and entertainment sector in the OnHollywood awards.

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Anna Moseley at LEWIS
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7802 2626
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7802 2627
Email: annam@lewispr.com
Web: www.lewispr.com

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IGA Worldwide delivers in-game ads to casual gaming arena

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