I’m starting to feel a little guilty for bashing Gatorade again on this blog. After twice firing at its “Got G?” campaign, it could look like some kind of personal vendetta. But I actually love the Gatorade brand and it is my choice for both after-hoops hydration and a drink to go with lunch at the deli. Maybe it’s because I love the brand so much that it kills me to see its marketing perform so poorly. I was actually hopeful last week when I saw the title of an article in Advertising Age about Gatorade winning an advertising award for its integration in the NBA 2K9 video game. Alas, I found the in-game placement anything but meaningful.

The product placement in question is a new addition for the annual NBA 2kX game franchise. For years, this popular NBA game with real players and teams has included advertising integration. Most of the in-game advertising mimics the real world. There are ads on and around the court, sponsored breaks in the action, and real branded clothing worn by the virtual players. I believe players accept and actually like these kinds of ads because they make the game seem more real. That said, they are pretty low on the meaning scale and likely become more wallpaper than anything.

This year the game did something new for Gatorade (at a special price, of course). It added something special, as best described in the brand’s application for a Cream award:

The Gatorade Thirst Meter [was] integrated seamlessly with the game’s artificial intelligence to recognize when a player was becoming dehydrated and losing energy. The “Gatorade Recommended Substitution” took over to designate which players should hit the bench for a quick Gatorade refill in real time. Once the player was sufficiently hydrated and his energy levels restored, he went back into the action. Dehydrated players who were not subbed out, began to show sluggish performance, indicated by a green Gatorade cup.

Marketers absolutely love this idea. Advertising Age wrote it up nicely, and it won the People’s Choice  Cream Award (those people being marketing folks) for Best Use of Gaming and Game Platforms. What’s not for a marketer to love? The brand being forced into the game play itself—that’s a high score!

Here’s where it gets interesting: Most game reviewers disliked the Gatorade integration. I searched beyond the marketers’ fawning and found some well-known reviewers who specifically pointed out Gatorade’s brand overload in both the Thirst Meter and its many other sign placements. For example:

• “The biggest eyesore is the realistic overload of product placement. From the T-Mobile halftime report to Team Jordan player of the game to the Gatorade Thirst Meter, it gets exhausting.” —Planet Xbox 360
• “Two things that do affect game play, however, are the Gatorade logos at the beginning of the half and the play-calling menus. Both obscure a large portion of the screen, often making it impossible to see the ball handler. This is inexcusable. —CNet Reviews
• “NBA 2K9 features a mix of useful, interesting, and somewhat silly features. In the silly department is the Gatorade “thirst meter” icons that appear if a player is getting tired. Previous games already had fatigue meters, so this is apparently a creative way to get some extra ad revenue.” —Game Trailers.com
• “The in-game presentation is rather well done as far as the graphical displays go, with the score and stats being easily viewed. Some advertisements, particularly the Gatorade one, block a portion of the screen.” —Total PlayStation.com

I think the big issue here is that the Gatorade Thirst Meter crosses the line because it has little to do with real-world game play. Players want realism; they want to try and feel what it is like to play in the real game. Real games do not feature the issue of hydration. Yes, players get tired and need to hit the bench for a bit. Yes, they might grab a cup of Gatorade (or whatever brand has paid millions to be the official drink of the NBA). But coaches, players, and announcers do not focus on a cup of whatever as a key part of the game.

Most gamers might tolerate this, but, as the reviews suggest, the makers of NBA 2K9 had better be very careful. Games for consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation sell for $40 to $60 a pop, while the company makes considerably less than $1 per unit from advertising integration ($1 would be a CPM of $1,000, by the way). So, just a handful of pissed-off game players could destroy the economics of these games.

There are many, many other great opportunities for brand integration into games that actually can help sell more games. My favorite examples are the bands that are providing free songs for Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and I love how the movie Tropic Thunder provided an add-on scavenger hunt level for the game Rainbox 6: Vegas 2.

At the end of the day, game marketing must be completely focused on adding value to the gaming experience. Gatorade might have won over the marketing gurus, but I doubt the players came away smiling.