In-game Advertising Offering Big Opportunities to Brands

Many marketers already know – games are a huge business. With over 1.2 billion people globally playing video games, according to a research by Statista, the global mobile games market revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2027) of 8.03%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$241.40bn by 2027. It will be justifiable to say that games players are no longer confined to a certain age, or gender.

More and more brands have started to realize the true potential of in-game advertising. The gaming industry has witnessed a good growth for the past few years, which has only further boosted by the pandemic where people were stuck at home and took to gaming to entertain themselves.

Brands want to follow their consumers and the last few years have shown that more and more are spending most of their time on gaming, not just on consoles and PC but also on their mobile phones. In-game advertising has provided brands a new platform to connect with an engaged set of audience.  This has given leverage to companies specializing in in-game advertising to come up with different ways through which brands can use gaming to connect with their target audience without disrupting their experience.

Now the question is how brands can effectively place their ads within the game? With today’s advanced AI technology, brands can deliver programmatic campaigns that not only aligns with the players’ interest but also remain complaint with the data privacy regulations. For example – Blended in-game advertising, can be an incredible tool for boosting brand awareness. It is a form of in-game advertising without clicks. Moreover, any in-game object can be used for advertising, such as billboards, banners, player jerseys, etc.

Considering ads can hamper the overall gaming experience, how can brands reach their target audience? The answer is rewards. Majority of gamers love rewarded ads since they don’t have to pay real money, and they can pay through watching ads to get access to items that will help them further in the game. Additionally, it has been observed that rewarded ads also engage with gamers by giving them the option to engage with ads. According to a gaming report, 74% of Indian gamers prefer to watch ads than to pay in-app purchases.

In advertising, trying something new has become a key work for experiment. Gaming has become an ideal platforms for advertisers and publishers to try their hands on. Ranging from rich media ads to mini games and in-game integration, there are a wide range of creative solutions available. And this trend is expected to continue in the coming years, with brands to integrate their marketing efforts into the game in a non-intrusive manner.