Is a Branded Social Game Feasible?

According to a research by NPD Group, 20 percent of the U.S population has played a game on social network in the past three months. Unsurprisingly, bulk of them are from Facebook.

More than half of Facebook’s 500 million active users have engaged in social games, which makes up to 250 million social gamers worldwide. This statistic highlights social gaming’s growing popularity and as new age advertisers, it is important to take note of such trends.

Riding on the trend

Built on social networking sites, the ease of influencing friends into a game is the key reason why social gaming is so successful. But, can business people ride on this trend?

Certainly. Several months back, Bing provided free Farmville virtual credits when a user joins its page, which acquired over 400,000 Facebook fans in a day. Zynga was also reported to be developing a social gaming ad platform, which benefits both brands and users.

Building a branded game

So much for brands placing ad spots on social games. The real advantage, in my opinion, is to create a branded social game experience for social gamers. That’s the ideal way to engage users through social gaming: placing the brand where the actions are. But of course, the cost of creating one is a huge stumbling block.

Here’s the carrot: if a brand could replicate Farmville’s success, the ad impressions and engagement are certainly priceless and worthwhile. It’s easier said than done. So, we wish to hear your opinions. Is a branded social game feasible? Let us know your thoughts via comments.