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US Games Monitor Launch / Stats Released
NPD Funworld, the entertainment division of US agency The NPD Group, has launched a Video Games Hits Monitor, a quarterly tracking service giving consumer purchase information in-depth at the game title level. NPD also released results of a study of 'Cross-Entertainment Shopping' showing the power of licensing and product mentions in games and movies.
Data will cover ownership demographics, profiles, purchasing habits including future purchase intent, playing habits including hours played and online vs. offline usage, item-specific customer satisfaction and owner and player profiles. It will be offered alongside NPD's existing base of consumer information on purchases of video game software and platforms.
According to Funworld Director Richard Ow, 'Our clients rely on their ability to understand what it takes to make a hit title and as the gaming audience grows and diversifies, this becomes more and more difficult. We developed this service to give clients additional insights into who is playing each hit title, what else they own and play, and their attitudes and perceptions of the different titles'.
Purchasing behavior data will provide guidance regarding product distribution and advertising / promotional planning, while gaming behavior will provide insights for marketing / advertising and campaign planning. NPD also tracks video games in the Canadian market.
In a separate announcement, the Group have released initial results from a new regular study, the Cross-Entertainment Shopping Report, highlighting 'increased competition for the consumer's entertainment dollar' from an array of new and traditional media. It also notes 'an increasing interdependence' across the various entertainment categories. DVDs were the most popular entertainment product category, with 42% of US population age 13 and older purchasing a video in November and December of last year; closely followed by toys (37%), music CDs (36%), gift cards (30%) and videogames (20%) as the most popular items purchased over the holiday season.
NPD entertainment industry analyst Anita Frazier says the challenge for marketers is 'to understand how to leverage the consumer's desire for entertainment alternatives, while not cannibalizing their core business'. Examples of cross-purchasing are:- 79% of consumers who bought a movie soundtrack did so after seeing the movie
- 43% reported buying a toy that was featured in a movie
- 33% of videogame buyers were motivated to buy a game that was represented in a movie
- 20% of videogame buyers bought music that was featured in the game.
Frazier says music companies are 'scrambling to get placement in a movie or videogame'.
The Cross-Entertainment Shopping Report is based on interviews with c.10,000 individuals age 13+ from its online consumer panel of more than 2.5 million registered members. The Group is online at www.npd.com
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