Reebok and Canon book ads in Konami soccer game

LONDON - Reebok and Canon have secured pan-European in-game advertising deals for the latest version of Konami football game 'Pro Evolution Soccer'.

The deals for the 'Pro Evolution Soccer 6' game have been brokered by New Street Media.  

The Reebok deal includes branded balls, kits and pitchside hoardings throughout the game.

For Canon, the deal also includes pitchside advertising and exposure during the replay function, when a logo for the Canon EOS350 will be displayed. It is estimated this function is accessed by players at least once every 10 minutes of play.

Maryam Bazargan, New Street Media managing director, said: "Maintaining sensitivity to gamers needs is key whilst exploiting these new marketing techniques -- we needed to ensure the advertising was true to the game content and added to its realism.

"It's important not just to place brands within a game, but to follow the partnership through to offline co-marketing and joint events, which is what we've been working on with Reebok throughout Europe."

The game will be released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation2 and PC formats on October 27, with versions for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS set to follow at a later date.
 
Roy Gardner, Reebok European lifestyle marketing director, said: "'Pro Evolution Soccer 6' is an outstanding football simulation and Reebok is delighted to be involved with a game that is so highly regarded in both the gaming community and the youth marketplace as a whole."

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