Marketers to use social games as a branding tool in India

[vasanth]

Mumbai : Social gaming, a relatively new phenomenon in India, is a concept that promotes social networking via online games. Already a popular culture in many parts of the world, social gaming has seen increased popularity among the Indian community.


By including local nuances into the gaming environment, most of the social games are becoming more realistic as they represent the users’ daily endeavours. These games not only help to bring the communities closer, the real-time rewards further entice users’ participation.


"Over 500 million people worldwide play social games and in India alone, more than 10 million or over 50 per cent of India’s Facebook users play social games," says Ashish Khoria, Country Manager of MOL India.


Today, users in India are investing more time and money on online games. Many users play free social games like ‘Farmville’ and ‘Pet Society’. Spending real money to enhance the gaming experience is growing.


Ganesh Kumar Bangah, CEO of MOL says, “The audience and revenue growth forecast is tremendous and this presents an opportunity for marketers to promote their brands through social games. The user growth we are witnessing continues to increase beyond expectations. This is really a good time for companies to explore social gaming initiatives in India”.

[amey katkar]

even movies now are promoted through social games...social games are buzz in marketing terms of view

[Anjana Kamat]

social games are a great way to engage audiences, but has to be done with some care and aesthetics. Imagine if farmville were FULL of ads? It would look horrible!

[vasanth]

But if you got cityville money for placing a McDonalds ad or a franchise which is available, its an awesome idea!

[amey katkar]

well said vasanth and even jack and jones outlets and nike wow lol