Century 21 Real Estate LLC recently announced a collaboration with Electronic Arts Inc., and its SimCity Social Facebook® game. Players of SimCity Social will have the opportunity to add a CENTURY 21® Office building to their virtual cities, thereby generating virtual revenue while interacting with the most recognized brand in real estate.
According to the company, with the addition of the CENTURY 21 Office building, players can earn extra Simoleons helping them grow their cities by buying new homes, businesses and land. By performing “friend or foe” actions on neighbors’ CENTURY 21 Office Buildings — such as consulting with an agent or “taking” open house cookies — players can earn additional merits in the game. There is also the opportunity to earn an energy boost by watching an in-game, CENTURY 21 Smarter. Bolder. Faster.(SM) commercial.
“This campaign showcases our brand on the largest social network in a fun and creative way that resonates with an increasingly influential audience — gamers,” says Bev Thorne, chief marketing officer of Century 21 Real Estate LLC. “We see this as an innovative opportunity to deliver the dream of homeownership to millions who are intent on investing in real estate virtually, and eventually, in reality.”
Interestingly, according to the Simmons Research, 290 million people play games on Facebook. Additionally, Facebook players are a particularly captive audience and receptive to brands who deliver an item of value in a non-interruptive way during their game experience. In fact, 95 percent of people playing games do not multitask, making them a captive audience for brands aiming to build stronger connections with consumers.
“Gamers on Facebook love being rewarded with highly coveted in-game content that advances their game-play in return for engaging with relevant brands,” says Dave Madden, senior vice president, Global Media Solutions, EA. “The CENTURY 21 brand is helping SimCity Social players bring real estate experiences into their game in an authentic and beneficial manner.”
This three-week campaign runs through November 5, but players will be able to keep their building in their city indefinitely. To play SimCity Social and access the CENTURY 21 Office building, visit the game on Facebook.
Powerful Social Gaming Statistics
• 510 million people worldwide play social games (Source: PopCap Games 2011)
o 81 million people (68 percent of social gamers) play social games at least once a day
o 49 million people (41 percent of social gamers) play social games multiple times a day
• 44 percent of Facebook gamers are more likely to be influencers to family and friends. They are also extremely inclined to absorb messages delivered during their gaming experience (Source: 2012 Simmons Research)
• 90 percent of gamers who watched an advertisement in a Facebook game were able to recall the message of that ad a week later (Source: GfK Dimestore)
*Millward Brown Study Methodology
Source: 2011 Ad Tracking Study. The survey results are based on 1,200 online interviews with a national random sample of adults (ages 18+) who are equal decision makers and who have bought or sold a home within the past two years or plan to purchase or sell a home within the next two years. Brand awareness questions are based on a sample of 1,200 respondents at a 90% confidence level with a margin of error is +/- 2.4%. The study was conducted between September 12 and November 20, 2011 by Millward Brown, a leading global market research organization.
For more information, visit CENTURY21.com.
