Beyen Reports Quadrupling of Videogame Ads; Profusion of Titles Generates Competitive Pressure, But Prices Rise.Business Editor/High-Tech Writers NIAGARA FALLS Niagara Falls, waterfall, United States and Canada Niagara Falls, in the Niagara River, W N.Y. and S Ont., Canada; one of the most famous spectacles in North America. The falls are on the international line between the cities of Niagara Falls, N.Y. , N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 2002 Consumers will be awash Awash (ä`wäsh), river, E Ethiopia, rising near Addis Ababa and flowing c.500 mi (800 km) to a swampy lake near the Djibouti border. The Awash Valley is important agriculturally and has hydroelectric plants. in videogame advertising from retailers this holiday shopping season as Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo bring their market share battle to store shelves and ad circulars. The volume of retail advertising of videogame software is already running three to four times the rate of 2001 and publishers are bringing dozens of new titles to stores in time for holiday purchases. The volume of retail ads for videogame software has increased 273.9% on a year-to-date Year-to-date (YTD) The period beginning at the start of the calendar year up to the current date. basis compared to the same period in 2001. Despite the intense promotional activity and competition, the average price of a videogame has actually increased 7.8% to $41.95 as of September. "The videogame industry is second only to pharmaceuticals when it comes to motivated mo·ti·vate tr.v. mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel. mo consumers," said Roger Lanctot, director of advertising analysis for Beyen. "And the publishers and retailers are just as rabid to court those consumers as the consumers are to be courted."
September Videogame Title Count by Platform
2002 2001
Sony Playstation 2 123 55
Microsoft X-Box 61 0
Nintendo GameCube 49 0
Sony Playstation 45 54
Sega Dreamcast 0 34
In the final three months of 2002 approximately 50 new titles are expected from publishers, further stimulating demand. Through September of 2002 titles for Sony's Playstation 2 accounting for 42.9% of all retail ads followed by titles for Microsoft's X-Box 23.5%, Nintendo's GameCube 19.8% and Sony's Playstation 11.3%. Few of the ads describe anything more than a title and a price, but as the pressure mounts more offers are beginning to appear for rebates, gift certificates, bags, playing cards playing cards, parts of a set or deck, used in playing various games of chance or skill. The origin of playing cards is unknown, and almost as many theories exist as there are historians of the subject. and other accessories as publishers try to differentiate their offerings from one another and between different retailers. Videogame Software Offers Year-to-Date Offer Type Share of Total Price Only (No offer) 85.8% Value Add 9.0% Gift Certificate 3.2% Rebate 2.0% The data reported here is based on the tracking of retail preprint pre·print n. Something printed and often distributed in partial or preliminary form in advance of official publication: a preprint of a scientific article. tr.v. and run-of-press advertising by retailers drawn from 102 daily newspapers encompassing 85 U.S. metropolitan areas. Beyen's North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. headquarters is in Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 55,593. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario, both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they share. , with its corporate headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany. For further information contact Roger Lanctot, director of advertising analysis at (905) 374-4596. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion