The impact of advergames and in game advertising on consumer behaviour: Across culture comparison between Saudi and UK

The modern business landscape is located within a contemporary digital culture. Electronic games have become an extremely important platform for companies employing digital advertising. An innovative technique in the realm of electronic marketing is ‘advergaming.’ Advergaming blends advertising and entertainment in video games, encouraging brands to seek new ways to connect with audiences. This study explored the persuasive power of advergames and their influence on consumer behaviour across cultures. It employed a conceptual framework based on social identity theory and flow theory, using a three-phase explanatory sequential mixed methods design. In the first phase, data was collected using a quantitative questionnaire from 482 respondents (170 Saudis and 312 Britons). Phase 2A involved participants playing six branded games for 30 to 45 minutes, while phase 2B involved collecting and analysing 5-star and 4-star reviews of seven games. The third phase involved data collection from 13 focus group discussions (6 Saudis and 7 Britons). The findings reveal that advergames incorporate regional cultural elements and relevant persuasive elements. Moreover, by playing advergames or encountering in-game adverts, the players began to identify with, speak about, and emulate brand-related characters, which showed that the brand had permeated their day-to-day life and culture. This permeation contributed to building purchase intentions and actual purchases because of positive word-of-mouth and loyalty. The players purchased in-game and real-life merchandise to express their identification with the in-group. These findings will be especially useful to scholars and marketing professionals strategising in-game advertising techniques.

URI

https://bradscholars.brad.ac.uk/handle/10454/20845

Type

Thesis

Qualification name

PhD