Licensing Video Games in Advertising
Advertising producers often get in touch about licensing video games for an upcoming advertising campaign. We’ve now helped an impressive number of agencies license video games for TV spots and have working relationships with all the major games studios you can think of.
We get asked a fair few questions when it comes to licensing video games for advertising, so join us as we cover off the answers below.
Do I need to get permission to include a video game or console in my production?
The answer, of course, is yes. Featuring a video game or console without the Rights Holders’ permission could lead to a costly legal process. This has happened many times before, such as with the UK brand Kit Kat who referenced Atari’s game ‘Breakout’ without permission. It was settled outside of court, but would have still been a very painful and costly matter for all involved.
Is licensing video games in advertising worth it?
Gaming and E-sports continues to build in popularity and the video gaming community is expected to reach 3 billion in 2023 (Statista, 2021). So, it’s no surprise that advertisers see the value in incorporating video gaming elements into their campaigns.
How can I use video games in advertising?
There are a number of ways a video game IP can be incorporated into advertising creative, such as:
Use mobile gaming apps
Similar to using existing gameplay footage, brands and their agencies often want to feature real mobile game apps within a spot for authenticity and relevance. We’ve worked with several popular mobile game apps including ‘Candy Crush Saga’, which featured in Samsung’s ‘Made for the Modern Family’ campaign.
Use existing gameplay footage
Instagram and their creative agency Wieden & Kennedy brought us on board to secure a license from SEGA to use real video game footage of ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ for their ‘Stories are Everywhere’ campaign. The music alone is enough to give anyone a dose of nostalgia, but that combined with the gameplay is a very powerful tool.
Create new gameplay, or a new world
NRMA Insurance and their creative agency, Tinkerbell, created ‘Climate Warriors’, a new ‘Minecraft’ world with custom-built landscape inspired by Australian coastal towns.
Use a popular character
Video game characters such as Lara Croft or the Mario Bros. are as recognisable and popular as major film characters. Ogilvy & Mather created a campaign with Lara Croft from ‘Tomb Raider’ in 1999 for Lucozade. 19 years later, Lucozade’s agency Grey London reunited the drink and the character in a film partnership.
Incorporate thematic elements
Sainsbury’s made clever use of elements from ‘Tetris’ in a 2017 spot entitled ‘Table Squish’. As licensing agents for The Tetris Brand, here at Born Licensing we can negotiate licenses without charging any clearance fees.
Host a live video game event
KFC hosted a live streaming E-Sports event featuring top YouTube gamers and grime stars battle it out. Born Licensing secured the rights for KFC to use a Sony PlayStation console plus the hit games ‘Tekken 7’ and ‘TrackMania Turbo’ for the event.
Show people playing a video game
Pizza Hut and their agency GSD&M also featured real gameplay in their latest spot with actor Craig Robinson playing a game of ‘PAC-MAN’.
Navy Federal Credit Union and their creative agency, MullenLowe Boston, came to us to secure permission to use a console and a popular car racing game — the licensed property being Xbox and the game ‘WRC 9’.
BT Infinity and their agency AMV BBDO wanted to highlight their super-fast broadband service, and what that means for families. We secured Sony PlayStation VR hardware and VR game title ‘EVE: Valkyrie’ from CCP Games.
The results from using video games in advertising
The spot for Samsung promoted the new Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, focusing on how the product is great for both work and play. For this spot it was important to feature instantly recognisable apps on the tablet to appeal to a modern, mobile-first audience. Samsung’s creative agency, Iris Worldwide, came to us for help in securing a permission for a popular game that was instantly recognisable and was easily playable on a tablet device. Born Licensing’s extensive experience and strong Rights Holder relationships allowed us to present Samsung and Iris Worldwide with a number of feasible options to choose from.
Once the client had settled on ‘Candy Crush Saga’, we managed the clearance process from start to finish, which included managing the creative approval process with the Rights Holders, Activision and King. As the result, the 20-second campaign launched on TV and online simultaneously, featuring a gameplay sequence from ‘Candy Crush Saga’. With over 270 million worldwide players, the inclusion of the gameplay helped the campaign appeal to a very broad audience. To learn more about the licensing process behind this campaign click here for a full case study.
For the KFC live event the choice of games was crucial as the event was specifically aimed at true gaming fans and so needed to be considered carefully. Similar to the Samsung x Candy Crush campaign, once we received a brief from KFC’s creative agency, BBH London, we put our existing relationships with all major studios and entertainment Rights Holders to work and quickly put forward a list of suitable suggestions. Thanks to our expertise and close contacts with Rights Holders we saved the agency significant time and recourse.
The event was a huge success, reaching 2.7 million people and 87% of the identified target audience within 5 days. KFC confirmed that it achieved the highest level of organic reach ever for a KFC video. To learn more about the licensing process behind PlayStation, ‘Tekken 7’ and ‘TrackMania Turbo’ click here.
It’s important to remember that game consoles also need clearing in addition to the video games played on them. For the Navy Federal Credit Union spot, we were able to secure permission from Microsoft to use an Xbox console and wireless controllers. For the spot, we again used our experience and contacts to provide NFCU’s agency, MullenLowe Boston, with a list of suitable games. It had to be a multi-player car racing game – and it had to be compatible with an Xbox console to be authentic and realistic. In the end we secured permission to use popular car racing game ‘WRC 9’.
As you can see, much is achievable once advertisers decide to use video gaming sequences, characters and consoles in their adverts. It might seem like a laborious process to get video gaming licenses, but here at Born Licensing, we know how beneficial it can be for campaign success. That’s why we do all the hard work for you.
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