Shockwave.com today announced that it has launched its in-game advertising campaign, slipping billboards and branding for companies like SBC Communications, Intel, and Microsoft Game Studios into its free online games.

The campaign kicks off with Switch Wakeboarding, a 3D wakeboarding game that drew 20 million unique visitors last month. As with other Shockwave games, Switch Wakeboarding requires gamers to watch a short commercial before the game loads. The difference is that after players get into the game itself, they'll see ads for various products and services on billboards, or emblazoned on ramps around the course.

With casual gamers of every demographic playing online, Shockwave is offering advertisers a targeted approach to try and get the right ads in front of the right customer base.

"We have a long history of developing creative that gets gamers engaged with brands," Shockwave.com general manager Dave Williams said. "We'll bring this same kind of creative power to advertising in this new network."