Videogames-as-a-service: converting freemium- to paying-users through pop-up advertisement value Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Purpose Though the videogame literature is thriving, little remains known regarding the effectiveness of pop-up ads that appear in videogames. Addressing this gap, this study, therefore, aims to explore pop-up ads as an important tool to prompt gamer-perceived advertisement value and their subsequent intent to install the advertised videogame. Design/methodology/approach To frame the analyses, the authors adopt and extend Ducoffe’s advertising value model by incorporating the visual/audio aesthetic videogame components that are largely overlooked in prior research. Using a self-administered survey, data were collected from 321 online gamers. The authors tested the model by using partial-least-squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results indicate that pop-up ad-related incentives, entertainment, credibility, personalization, audio aesthetics and irritation significantly affect user-perceived ad value. In turn, perceived ad value was found to affect players’ intent to install the advertised videogame. Research limitations/implications Though the findings corroborate the importance of pop-up ads being perceived as informative and/or entertaining, they also emphasize the value of personalized ads, ad-related incentives and audio aesthetic, which impact gamers’ intent to install the advertised videogame. Practical implications This study advances managerial understanding of videogame-based services, which is expected to be particularly useful for freemium-based videogame marketers and developers. Originality/value By extending Ducoffe’s model of advertising value, the authors apply the proposed framework in the online videogaming-based pop-up ad context, and explore the effect of user-perceived pop-up ad value on their intent to install the advertised videogame.

authors

  • Hussain, Ali
  • Abbasi, Amir Zaib
  • Hollebeek, Linda D.
  • Schultz, Carsten D.
  • Ting , Ding Hooi
  • Wilson, Bradley

publication date

  • 2022

number of pages

  • 17

start page

  • 398

end page

  • 415

volume

  • 36

issue

  • 3