“Headhunters” advergame tracks down talent for Silver Oaks

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.

Every facet of the game – design, programming, characters, animation, sound effects and music – was developed entirely in-house at Silver Oaks. The development team focused on eye-catching visuals and addictive game play that also incorporates a company’s logo, purpose and theme.“It's an economical, fun way for advertisers to enable thousands of people to experience their products, then have so much fun that they share the Website with friends,” Scott said.

Silver Oaks creates online games that utilize characters, logos and the brand of the company. “And our development team can create a great game for any budget. Companies can cultivate additional loyalty by rewarding visitors through advergame competitions, contests and prizes – a service or product offered by your company, for example – that give visitors a reason to return to your Website, says Julie Wine Johnston, director of the interactive department at Silver Oaks.

Studies have shown that advergames appeal to men and women ages 18 to 49, she added. One out of every six people on the Internet at this moment is playing a game. One out of every four of those gamers will tell at least one friend about the game. And the average gamer spends at least 21 minutes playing a particular game, so that means that your brand is in front of each gamer for a considerable length of time.”