Mobile Game Advertising Recall in Pre- and Post-Game Experience

The mobile channel is a prominent way to reach an ever-increasing number of customers, and games designed for mobile devices are the most prominent form of mobile entertainment. This research examines players’ attitudes, advertising recall and service quality in a pre- and post-game advertising context by extending and modifying Tsang, Ho, and Liang (2004) research framework to a new mobile service context. A real-life test followed by focus group discussions are used to evaluate players’ attitudes, explicit memory and experiences while they use the mobile game service. Additionally, six managers of mobile marketing companies were interviewed to increase managerial relevance. The results revealed that the attitudes toward pre- and post-game advertising are not only dependent upon message content and user demographics, as in text message advertising, but also the quality of the game service itself. An explicit memory test indicated that players can recall advertisement but struggle to memorize specific brands advertised. The research concludes by indicating future research avenues.