Postopia
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Type of site | Internet games |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Dissolved | January 2011 |
| Owner | Post Consumer Brands |
| Created by | Post Consumer Brands, Skyworks Technologies |
| Founder | Post Consumer Brands |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | February 2001 |
| Current status | Defunct |
Postopia was an American advergaming portal that was run by Skyworks Technologies in partnership with Post Cereals from 2001 to 2011.
History
[edit]Work on the website started at Skyworks in 1999 and continued until 2009.[1] The site opened in 2001;[2] its games featured tie-ins with cereal mascots and characters.[3] As of a June 2001 Nielsen survey, the website attracted 260,000 unique users aged under 12.[4]
The first version was developed by Scient. It was advertised on television and was featured in more than 17 million Post cereal boxes.[5] The initial version was divided into four countries, each one with its own main character: Futuria, a futuristic city inhabited by inventors known as the Gadgetrons,[6] led by Zander;[7] the Ice Burbs, a wintry location dedicated to fashion and trends, its inhabitants being the Ice Breakers,[8] led by Kiki;[9] Space Nation, a space station located above Postopia and populated by a team of explorers known as the Galaxy Busters,[10] led by Chelsea;[11] and the underwater Wet World, inhabited by professional athletes known as the Water Loggers,[12] led by Nick.[13] In 2004, the site was made by Razorfish, with two million unique users visiting per month for up to 30 minutes a day each. Development was largely due to the implementation of broadband connections, a technological advancement pivotal for the development of interactive websites.[14]
In November 2005, Skyworks started delivering USB-ported Dance Dance Revolution-inspired dancing mats. These mats were available from sister website NabiscoWorld.[15] That same year, it was heavily targeted by a new Kraft policy to promote only healthier foods, which effected the website by the end of 2006.[16] In 2006, Congress went after advergames for sponsoring unhealthy foods, prompting them to detach from their previous sponsors.[17] The website attracted a million child users in the second quarter of 2006.[18] In December 2007, Postopia received the most traffic from outside advertising on Nickelodeon's website (87%), Disney's website (74%), and RuneScape (67%).[19] As of 2009, the average number of visitors per month had fallen to 264,000.[20]
A 2011 study said that only a limited number of kids were aware that the games were made to advertise cereals—the study targeted the Honey-Comb-sponsored Be a Popstar.[21][22] At the bottom of its homepage, it included a fine-print message explaining that the website contained commercial advertising related to its products.[23] It also featured Postokens, with which users unlocked new levels or features to existing games using passwords found in cereal boxes.[17]
The website was discontinued in 2011, likely as an effect of the reduction in child-based advertising online.[24] Another cause was Kraft's sale of Post to Ralcorp, which hampered the creation of a new website.[25] The website was replaced by PebblesPlay.com, an advergame website promoting Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles,[26] Unlike what happened with Postopia, PebblesPlay did not generate the same amount of impressions.[27]
References
[edit]- ^ "Postopia". RyanBond.co. October 3, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
- ^ "Now Showing: News in brief". www.campaignlive.co.uk.
- ^ "Another Internet headache: Your kids think it's a game — but it's advertising!". August 23, 2006.
- ^ The Faces of Televisual Media. Routledge. 2003. ISBN 978-1-135-63974-7. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
- ^ "Postopia.com". www.jimfitts.com.
- ^ "Futuria | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "Zander | Character Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "Ice Burbs | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "Kiki | Character Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "Space Nation | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "Chelsea | Characters | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "Wet World | Country Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "Nick | Character Stories | Info Booth | Hangout Harbor | Postopia". www.postopia.com.
- ^ "aQuantive lands major catch with Razorfish | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com.
- ^ "Family Plan". November 30, 2025.
- ^ "Kraft Web Sites to Only Tout Healthier Foods". adage.com.
- ^ a b "Fresh Front in Food Fight: Pols Attack Digital Media". adage.com.
- ^ "Food Companies Use Web Games to Lure Kids". ABC News.
- ^ "Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents" (PDF).
- ^ Rochman, Bonnie (October 23, 2009). "The Sugary Brands Doing the Most Kid-Chasing - TIME" – via content.time.com.
- ^ "Advergames: it's not child's play" (PDF).
- ^ Moe, John. "Kids don't realize ads are ads". www.marketplace.org.
- ^ "Pitching It To Kids | TIME".
- ^ "Cereal FACTS 2012: A spoonful of progress in a bowl full of unhealthy marketing to kids | Yale News". news.yale.edu. June 22, 2012.
- ^ "Timothy Sheridan - Postopia". timsheridanportfolio.com.
- ^ Brownell, Kelly; Harris, Jennifer (June 22, 2012). "Sugar Rush: Why We Can't Trust Cereal Companies to Self-Regulate".
- ^ Challenges and Opportunities