Toy Companies Encouraged to “Play Like A Girl!” in Online Gaming

Males and teens are not the only ones uttering desperate pleas of “aw, come on, five more minutes please – I’m almost to the next level!” Research shows that females are more avid game players than males.

According to Forbes.com, Games Girls Play, “While casual games appeal to everyone from pre-teens to older men, women are the most likely to pay for them…75% of those who pay for casual games are women and 72% are over 35 years old. 

Women tend to play games online to provide stress relief, for mental exercise and also for convenience.  There are a wide variety of games available:  from role playing video games to online versions of favorite classics such as Sudoku, card games, and from simulation games (e.g., The Sims series) to social gaming within a social network setting (e.g., Farmville on Facebook).  Regardless of what kind of game is chosen, females are spending a significant amount of time online playing games by themselves or competitively against other players.

How does this affect the toy industry
According to research (Nielsen @Plan Profile Report  Rel 1 2010), females that frequent ad-supported gaming websites were often moms and homemakers who ranked high against the following online behaviors:

• Purchased children’s clothes and/or shoes online in the last six months 
• Purchased toys/non-computer games online/offline in the last six months
• Researched parenting/family information online in the last 30 days

Additionally, studies show that Moms ages 25-54 spend an average of 75 minutes, three times per week playing games online. 

According to Debbie Ibarra, Digital Supervisor at Blue Plate Media Services, “Advertising within the casual, female targeted online gaming space provides an effective way to reach and connect with your female/mom target audience during her leisure time.  It’s not about pushing your message.  It’s about aligning and integrating your message in a contextual manner.”

Online games can be found both at dedicated gaming sites such as miniclip.com and shockwave.com, and can also be found as a major section on large, female centric sites such as mylifetime.com, USA (TV) network’s site (aka USA Character Arcade), etc.

A variety of advertising options on these sites are available for toy companies that are interested in reaching moms and other females in an engaging environment where they will be exposed over a long period of time to the product and brand. 

Custom games, product integration, sponsorships, and high impact units such as site takeovers and/or fixed positions that feature several products are just some online branding units/tactics that can effectively align a product or brand with an online mom audience.

For as little as $25K, toy companies can build an online campaign – including banners, sponsorships, advergames, skins, pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, game overs, etc. – that not only drives game play but also drives  brand awareness and product sales. 

For additional information and a free consultation on online or other smart, efficient, integrated media solutions that reach and engage with your kids- and mom-focused consumer, contact Blue Plate Media Services (908-918-0202; info@blueplatemedia.net or www.blueplatemedia.net/tia).

Blue Plate Media is a strategic media partner with the Toy Industry Association and a media advocate for members.