Play Headhunters online!

The spears come at you from all sides because the headhunters are all around you. You must run, jump and roll to evade the arrows and make it to the top of the ancient ruin. It’s not the latest Playstation challenge – it’s the latest advergame developed by Silver Oaks Communications Inc., Moline.

“Headhunters” is a multi-purpose game:

• It’s designed as a unique recruiting tool for new talent, giving potential employees a flavor of Silver Oaks – especially those interested in design, interactive media and game development.

• It’s also a sales tool. When they play “Headhunters,” clients experience the kind of game that Silver Oaks develops for its clients.

• It’s just plain fun.

“When our clients incorporate advergames into their Websites, they see an increase in Website traffic, word of mouth and brand awareness,” said Greg Scott, president of Silver Oaks. “With ‘Headhunters,’ new clients can see for themselves how much fun an advergame can be, and its effectiveness at bringing visitors to the site.”

Advergames are a part of “viral marketing,” which occurs when a company offers a free advergame to attract Website visitors, who then will pass along the link to their friends. Viral marketing is the “holy grail” of online advertising, according to a recent article in Advertising Age magazine.

It’s the behind-the-scenes advantage of advergames that businesses appreciate the most. When visitors log in to play, the sponsoring company can ask for their e-mail addresses and other opt-ins, building a potential client list and valuable marketing information. In addition, you can track game play to see the game’s effectiveness for yourself. And that’s not to mention word of mouth and increased visibility in the market segment.

Headhunters requires Flash Player 8