Cross-Marketing to Gamers

There are millions of gamers in the US, so it’s no wonder that advertisers are itchy to market to gamers directly.

First we’ve got Paramount Pictures, which has just teamed up with Xbox to create Xbox Movie Showcase, which will “feature free, high-definition, downloadable content from two of the most highly anticipated films of the summer”: Mission: Impossible III and Nacho Libre.

The Xbox Movie Showcase content includes HD movie trailers, exclusive theme packs, and graphics allowing Xbox gamers to customize their gaming experiences, theming their Xbox Live experience to “M:i:III” and “Nacho Libre.”

Second, there’s GameTunes, which has started assembling new-music samplers that feature mostly hard-rock fare. They’ll be played in roughly 100 iGames-affiliated gaming centers. (”Gaming centers, almost completely dominated by independent operators, allow gamers to play popular videogames against one another.”)

In addition to listening parties and in-store play at the gaming centers, gamers will be offered coupons that could result in as much as $4 off at the Virgin Megastore chain.

Sources: GameInfoWire, Yahoo News