With traditional print media said to be lagging behind in its ability to connect with men, advertisers need to be online where masculine eyeballs reportedly are – rich media advertising.

Gone are the days when gamers were thought of as geeks – just ask any brand manager or executive who needs their website updated, video graphics added or told how to turn on their computer.

Research compiled by Australian gaming website IGN.com has come up with some interesting statistics on how influential gamers actually are.

Roy Morgan research from March 2008 showed the IGN audience in Australia is likely to be younger males under 35 who work in professional/managerial roles, actively socialilse with friends (see movies and entertain at home) and are very active online, accessing the web more than once a day.

For marketers, this ‘gamers’ segment has become increasingly difficult to reach through traditional media, as the battered Australian men’s magazine market seems to show.

FHM, Ralph and Alpha, the three big names in men’s mags, have all dropped circulation substantially. FHM, published by ACP, lost 28 percent in circulation compared to the same time last year, according to figures from the ABC.

Andrew Cordwell, head of sales at Fox Interactive Media Australia, points out that, “The research shows us that IGN.com users are powerful consumers of a broad range of products who are interested in games, as well as wider entertainment, socialising and have heavy internet usage. ”

Of the more intriguing results that appeared: 72 percent purchased shower gel in the past three months (which helps to dispel some of the gamer stereotypes), 67 percent ate fast-food/home delivery in the past 30 days (which doesn’t do much to dispel gamer stereotypes) and 68 percent are interested in the latest gadgets… Yes, they love their gadgets!

IGN.com reportedly has over 500,000 unique Australian visitors to its site each month (according to Nielsen Online). They are predominantly male, with 168,000 of the audience in the 18-34 years age bracket and 25 percent with a household income of $100K+.

“If you are targeting men… you need to be connecting through new media, such as IGN.com, as other traditional channels seem to be falling behind. Leading advertisers are utilising rich media advertising across IGN because the advertising is delivering great click-through rates, as well as allowing enhanced creative that delivers further consumer engagement,” says Cordwell.

It has to be said that an online medium such as IGN, does allow marketers to immerse brands in the environment through a combination of targeted display and rich media advertising, sponsorships and event activations.

To read about and see some examples of rich media advertising on IGN.com, check out our news story on rich media, Online advertising now even more engaging for advertisers says MySpace.