Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that it has partnered with Claire’s, the teen retailer, for an extensive advertising campaign in EA’s CHARM GIRLS CLUB game series.
The deal includes in-game branding, including banners and product placement. Sources close to the deal says that this arrangement will take in-game product placement to a whole new level.
Claire’s will have its own store in a mall, where the game takes place. Inside the Claire’s store, players will be able to enter into challenges or mini-games and they can also purchase Claire’s branded charms on the store shelves. EA will also promote the store at the video game’s home page.
While product placement is not new to video games, prevalent product placement such as this one is a new approach. Typically, we just see branded cars and branded cell phones.
These product placement deals like this will not rescue companies from the recession; it will still generate sizable revenue that will help them get by.
