Ads are everywhere where a commercial value can be seen, and mobilizing lifestyle is no exception. However, mobile advertising is still struggling to find it’s killer application. One such candidate is AdverGaming - use of games to advertise / promote a product or organization.

The catch of advergaming is simple: the game promotes a product, lifestyle or service throughout the game. In return, consumers can get the game either at discount or even free of charge. Many brands already leverage advergaming in traditional Internet / PC-targeted environment, and world of mobile devices will follow in near future.

The opportunities mobile advergaming opens are intriguing for consumer, advertiser and game developers.

For consumer the most obvious catch is possibility to get mobile entertainment services to their cell phones with more economical prices, in best cases free of charge. Advergaming could also be put into good use as an educational tool, recruiting tool etc. The possibilities of advergaming are limited only by imagination.

For advertiser, the goal of advergaming is usually not to make direct revenue, but instead build customer relationships and brand awareness. It also could provide brands new ways to reach out and share their visions of mobile lifestyle to consumers. Or what would you say about an game where some new feature of Nokia N94 would be the key factor of game? Once again, the possibilities are limitless and go far beyond traditional splash-ads in the beginning and end philosophy.

For mobile game developers and mobile gaming industry, advergaming could be the required boost. Especially important mobile advergaming could prove for smaller, independent companies, as game development is time consuming and very expensive procedure.

As a summary I would say that instead of asking IF, the questions is HOW and WHEN.