Latest Masters of Business Research (Work in Progress): Exploring relationships between consumers and brand’s in a computer games environment by Neil Gautam

Authors

Neil Gautam

Master of Business Student, Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Creative Industries and Business, neil.gautam@gmail.com, Unitec Institute of Technology, Department of Management and Marketing, Private Bag 92025, Auckland, New Zealand.

Dr Robert Davis

Associate Professor, Department of Management and Marketing, Faculty of Creative Industries and Business, rdavis@unitec.ac.nz, Phone: +(649) 815 4321, Postal Address: Unitec Institute of Technology, Private Bag 92025, Auckland, New Zealand.

Exploring relationships between consumers and brand’s in a computer games environment.

Abstract

Marketing is rapidly evolving to meet the demands of the technologically savvy consumer. The advancement of computing technologies resulting in new entertainment media devices such as gaming consoles has introduced new consumer experiences in terms of how people interact with brands and how products and services are advertised and consumed.

In the past two decades electronic games have overtaken more traditional forms of entertainment such as television and movies. The result of this transition in entertainment consumption has led to businesses reconsidering their strategies on how to advertise to consumers. Digital content delivery platforms such as gaming consoles have enabled enhanced ways of distributing marketing material directly to consumers, and in more recent years the emergence of brand advertising within computer games has become more evident.

In this thesis the research question is answered by understanding how consumers develop relationships with brands within virtual or game environments where brands are often not only visual but also interactive. Qualitative interviews with participants provides experiential feedback and grounded theory is used to analyse the data collected. The purpose of conducting this research is to understand consumer-brand relationships and its impact on consumer behaviour and brand consumption experience.

Keywords: Brand Relationships, Computer and Video Games, Consumer Behaviour