8 minute read
In Game Advertising
As an economic shift has evoked panic across the globe, brands have shown little to no sign of taking their foot off the pedal when it comes to advertising. But as brands develop their marketing strategies through mobile games, are the trivial time fillers just becoming vessels for commercial campaigns?
Whether it be commuting to work or entertaining yourself on a long haul flight, mobile gaming is a perfect go to. Although experiencing a post-pandemic market fall, audiences are continuing to be captivated by new downloadable challenges such as Clawee and Clash of Clans, regardless of their affinity for the recreational genre.
With such an isolated audience, brands have not missed their opportunity to exploit the gaming sphere and directly approach their consumers. In-game advertising, whilst reaching a new level of popularity during the pandemic, has been a familiar fixture in the world of gaming. As Fifa stadium banners flash with campaigns for sports channels and fast food brands, and Fortnite characters don Moncler jackets, marketing schemes have consistently been seamlessly inserted within the console game.
But, as the gaming community has expanded to more portable means, so have marketing approaches. Mobile in-game advertising allows gaming
developers to monetise play through displaying marketing campaigns, all the while giving brands the exposure and ability to appeal directly to consumers. However, if you’ve ever found your Tetris game playing interrupted by a 30 second advert between levels, then you will understand the need to evolve the existing model.
“The name of the game (pun intended) is to make in-game ads less disruptive, more immersive and authentic to what gamers are already engaged in doing,” commented Dave Kersey, chief media officer at GSD&M advertising company. “They want to keep their heads in the game and we, as advertisers have to get used to that guiding principle.”
The mobile gaming platform has been a learning curve for many advertisers. Often a disruptive element that overtakes screens and interrupts game play, mobile in-game advertising is a constantly evolving process. From playable ads to reward videos, developers and brands have worked on how to preserve the enjoyability of game play all the while meeting their professional goals.
But, as your run with Jake in Subway Surfer is cut short, and the only way out of the officer’s grip is to purchase a lifeline bundle, a free escape may be more appealing. However, as some games take advantage of an audience in favour of their free treats, the experience can take a turn for the worse. Bombarded with banner ads and pop ups, games become overwhelmed with commercials that detract from the enjoyment of the simple pass time.
Whilst it is as simple as deleting the app for users, developers rate of retention for their games falls, and brands lose the ability to bring awareness to their products. In order to avoid this, a change must be made. With only 5% of women and 3.3% of men who play mobile games opting to pay for their virtual lifelines or add-ons, as recorded by video game developer Playstack, developers and brands saw their opportunity to appeal to a cost-conscious audience.
Playstack, the London based developer, is home to games such as Too Many Cooks and Snipers vs Thieves. With a 4.3 rating on the Apple app store, most reviews of Too Many Cooks remark positively on the game’s limited ad-based content, and the rewards that come as a result of that do pop up. With their in-game advertising based extension Interact, Playstack is one company that have found a way to integrate advertised content that does not take away from the game play experience.
Through Data.ai and IDC’s 2022 gaming market report of consumers sentiment towards in-game advertising, the results showed that whilst it was not a desired feature in the gaming experience, 73% of sampled users were indifferent. Although the advertisements that do appear in games such as Too Many Cooks don’t directly relate to the theme, many of the videos appeal to the specific gaming audience that is attracted to the hypercasual genre. With intervals of interactive advertisements, players remain engaged during their period of waiting.
Whilst a high proportion were accepting of the format of advertising in games, the seeking out of agencies to better integrate marketing into gameplay suggests the desire for better participation in campaign initiatives. Beyond acceptance, brands and developers blurring of the lines between overt marketing and game play allows for both industries to benefit equally.
“THEY WANT TO KEEP THEIR HEADS IN THE GAME AND WE, AS ADVERTISERS HAVE TO GET USED TO THAT GUIDING PRINCIPLE.”
GAMING ADVERTISING
MARKETING
HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY REAL ESTATE WITHIN THE GAME WHICH COULD EASILY BE BRANDED, WHETHER IT BE THE AVATAR’S BASEBALL HAT OR JACKET? “The solution is to make an SDK (software development kit) which enables the game developer to identify places within their game where they could display a brand or they could display something,” said Harriet Hughes, Chief Marketing Officer of Playstack. “Basically, how do you identify real estate within the game which could easily be branded, whether it be the avatar’s baseball hat or jacket?”
LevelUp OAC, powered by the Omnicom Advertising Collective, is an end to end gaming brand marketing solution. Launched in August 2022, the subsidiary company is another response to the need for better cohesion between advertising and gaming. In an effort to find a balance, game specific advertising companies have taken on the challenge of working with brands and games to find a more subtle approach for both industries to get the most out of their situation.
“When you’re looking to go in-game, the most important thing to consider is if what you are doing adds to or detracts from the gameplay experience,” stated Andrew Robinson Jr, group director of gaming at The Marketing Arm. “Once you know for sure your brand is going to be a good fit, the next step is developing creative that is going to resonate with the audience of the game.”
However, as brands do become more seamlessly integrated into gameplay, where is the point when players become more concerned with their advert related rewards and less so with the essence of the game?
The recent popularity of Clawee is an example of just how consumerism is subconsciously at the forefront of the new world of gameplay. From Israeli-based developer Gigantic, Clawee evokes a sense of nostalgia from its players. The virtual arcade claw machine game gives individuals the opportunity to either take their chance at grabbing a prize, or watching others try their luck. Winners are then able to have their prizes delivered directly to them.
“It closes the gap between reality and virtual reality,” Gigantic’s chief executive, Ron Brightman, told Israeli business publication Calcalist.
Whilst Hughes argues that the limit of in-game advertising only exists with the number of marketing schemes and brands that are used, and the inclusion of familiar franchises can actually be “a nice surprise”, is it possible that the gaming experience be lost in the pursuit for prizes?
With the growing exploration of the metaverse, immersive experiences are continuing to blur the lines between virtual worlds and authentic realities. As players enter the limitless space to immerse themselves in their gaming experiences, there is the potential for confusion as to whether the advertising reward schemes are benefitting their virtual iterations or their reality based personas.
“Gamers are generally at the forefront, in terms of trying out new technology and experimenting with new platforms,” stated Hughes. “A lot begins within the games industry and then becomes mainstream after that.”
Roblox is the most recent gaming platform to adopt the system of in-game advertising. Plans were announced at the Roblox Developers Conference in September 2022 for the gaming universe’s evolution of traditional advertising, “a dream for 15 years” as stated by the platform’s founder and CEO David Baszucki. Having already existing partnerships with brands such as Ralph Lauren and Chipotle, plus allowing players to experience virtual concerts, Roblox is not new to combining advertising with gameplay.
“The brands we work with are fun and exciting ones,” stated Baszucki. “They’re brands that a lot of users want to engage with and interact with. So we’re creating a system where if you want you can put units in your experience. They can be portals, billboards, pictures, it’s up to you.”
With 58.5 million daily users worldwide, the gaming platform has transcended trivial play time. In creating this new approach to brand inclusion, Roblox have given their players free reign over how they interact with brands in the game. As a result they inadvertently encourage them to create worlds that reflect their realities, taking advantage of these virtual marketing schemes.
The identity of in-game advertising is evolving alongside the rapid pace of game development. As the approach to game play and creation changes and advertising within such follows suit, the traditional understanding of brand promotion is in the past. In the virtual world, as advertising shifts away from simple product placement and becomes more of an immersive brand experience, the inclusion of marketing in games is no longer just two industries finding ways to benefit from each other, but has become a whole product.
“GAMERS ARE GENERALLY AT THE FOREFRONT, IN TERMS OF TRYING OUT NEW TECHNOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW PLATFORMS.”
BRANDING DEVELOPMENT
VIRTUAL REALITY
