Companies across the country are wooing women with casual play, while scoring points with subtle product promotion. On the Web site of international hair care giant Garnier, a Game Zone invites visitors to try "Beauty Hangman," featuring clever clues like "contains active fruit concentrate" and relevant brand buzzword answers such as "Fructis Shampoo." Tommy Hilfiger's "Reveal Your Tommy Style Instant Win Game" targets females ages 13-18 with a style personality test and a game where they match outfits from virtual closets; while The Golf Channel offers the "Big Break Online Challenge" to promote a female-targeted reality show and entice potential viewers to play golf-themed games like "Barrel Challenge" and "Break the Glass."

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Credit the appeal of advergames to a strong interest in gaming among the female population. A recent study by the Consumer Electronics Association reveals that there are more women gamers in the 25-34 demographic than males—largely the result of the growing popularity of casual games like Tetris and Solitaire.

"We are seeing an influx of women-targeting gaming sites like womengamers.com, conferences dedicated specifically to women in gaming, and brands successfully targeting and engaging women in advergame experiences," says James Lent, CEO of AgencyNet, a strategic interactive communications firm in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., whose portfolio includes work for The Golf Channel, Oxygen Media and Bombay Sapphire.

The rules of engagement in the advergaming arena are constantly evolving. Expect more interactivity and innovation in the near future, says James Brunk, creative director for the Detroit-based interactive promotion agency ePrize, whose campaigns include initiatives for Tommy Hilfiger, Liz Claiborne, Teen Vogue and Gillette. Brunk sees more companies introducing advergames with "video capabilities, instant reaction elements and tile-based gaming structures similar to the Sims."

In addition to more enhanced capabilities, AgencyNet's Lent predicts a greater proliferation of advergames as a marketing medium. "We see more games coming…especially in brand Web sites. We also see more community-based games where people can invite their friends to join them or to play along. The future of advergaming will probably involve portability and/or multiplayer capabilities, customization, better sound and more 3D/video for greater realism," Lent says.


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