Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Mobile phone games continue to grow as a market force. Just recently, Rovio, publisher of the wildly popular game, Angry Birds, announced a new round of venture funding in the amount of $42 million. And the firm’s executives reported that over 75 million versions of the game have been downloaded when both paid and ad-supported activity are included. More mobile phone game publishers will likely be marketing their offerings and as they do so, they’ll be targeting specific demographics

As the economy has recovered, consumer spending bounced back in many categories. However, video games is one of the categories that consumers did not begin spending on again. Nielsen analysts have studied the patterns of consumer entertainment spending and suggest that the video game industry is facing tough competition. Changes in consumer behavior with respect to entertainment spending could translate into new marketing strategies by video game publishers and retailers.

With the last holiday season just behind us, the toy industry is already thinking about what the next big sales cycle holds. The annual Toy Industry Association convention just wrapped up in New York City. As a result of the convention analysts have identified several trends that will lead the way in new toy development. In designing toys, manufacturers usually consider the needs of “parents, the government and healthcare officials who are striving to amp up educational and active play to ensure a brighter, healthier future for today’s kids”. As new toys are introduced, marketers will roll out promotions to boost sales.

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Video Game Publishers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges ahead from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

Now that more consumers are migrating from their hard copy glossy magazines to a digital format on a device such as an iPad, marketers want to know – are consumers engaged by advertisements that appear on digital devices? A new study funded by Adobe and carried out by an independent researcher finds that the interactive ads have a positive effect on consumers.

If 2011 was the year of the e-reader, then 2012 may well be the year of the e-book. Consumers have the option to download books directly to their Kindles, or competing devices. They can also read the latest best-seller on their iPads or their mobile phones. This disruption in the traditional book publishing industry has many established businesses rapidly expanding their e-book offerings. And research shops see a bright future for this sector.