Why the Best Digital Marketing Solutions Incorporate Video Game Ads

BY Rachel Cagle
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86% of marketers say that video game advertising is of growing importance to their brand, according to an IAB report. It’s so important that spending reached $7.53 billion in 2023 and is expected to increase to $11.49 billion by 2027. Here’s what your client needs to know about the importance of incorporating video game ads to their digital marketing solutions.

Why the Best Digital Marketing Solutions Incorporate Video Game Ads

Why are Marketers Investing in Video Game Ads?

Did you know that there are over 212 million digital gamers in the U.S. alone? And they’re receptive to the ads they see and hear while they’re playing. “Games advertising reaches unique, receptive audiences with immersive experiences that engage the customer throughout their purchase journey,” says IAB.

Overall, more than 66% of marketers say that games advertising is excellent or at least good at delivering outcomes. Here are the marketers’ ratings broken down by category:

  • Awareness: 78% of marketers say same ads are excellent or good at driving awareness
  • Research and Consideration: 76%
  • Loyalty: 72%
  • Advocacy: 70%
  • Purchases: 66%

And, yes, video game advertising is measurable. In fact, 85% of marketers say they’re confident in their ability to measure games advertising. Your client can easily measure:

  • Ad Engagement: 43% of marketers use this metric to evaluate video game advertising
  • Click-​Through Metrics: 41%
  • Conversions and Sales: 41%
  • Brand Lift and Other Surveys: 40%
  • Reach and Frequency: 34%
  • Viewability: 32%
  • Impressions: 30%

So, video game ad effectiveness is just as, if not more, easy to track as other digital marketing solutions available.

Video Game Ads Aren’t Just Pop-Ups

If your client is hesitant about breaking into video game ads, they may not know much about them. A lot of people think you’re just paying for pop-​up ads during games or on the website/​app. But there’s way more variety than that.

There are a variety of in-​game ad formats available to advertisers, says IAB, including:

  • Intrinsic In-​Game: These are ad and product placements and experiential environments within gameplay
  • Branded Worlds: Your client can develop a fully immersive branded experience, like a level, world or even independent gameplay
  • Hard Coded: These are ad placements that are built into the game itself. For example, the character could pass a billboard in the game promoting your client’s brand
  • Rewarded: Players can choose to view these ads in order to get rewards within the gaming environment
  • Audio: Purely audio ads that play during a game without disrupting gameplay
  • Advergames: Games designed around a product or brand
  • Skins/​Branded Digital Objects: Your client can create a skin or item that players can acquire in the game. These digital items promote your client’s brand and enhances the player’s game experience
  • Sponsored: When your client’s brand sponsors gameplay through special levels and branded themed in-​game events
  • Adjacent: These are ads placed next to games in the form of banner image ads
  • Interstitial: These ads stop gameplay so that the ad becomes the focus

Which to Use

Obviously, like all digital marketing solutions, different game ads have different strengths. According to IAB, the top three metrics used to evaluate these ad types are:

  • Intrinsic In-​Game: Engagement, brand lift and click-throughs
  • Branded Worlds: Click-​throughs, conversions and engagement
  • Hard Coded: Engagement, conversions and brand lift
  • Rewarded: Engagement, click-​throughs and conversions
  • Audio: Engagement, conversions and marketing mix modeling
  • Advergames: Engagement, brand lift and click-throughs
  • Skins/​Branded Digital Objects: Brand lift, click-​throughs and engagement
  • Sponsored: Engagement, conversions and click-throughs
  • Adjacent: Conversions, engagement and click-throughs
  • Interstitial: Engagement, brand lift and conversions

Want to find out how receptive your client’s target audience is to different types of advertising? Check out their profile on AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel.

It’s past time your client added video game ads to their digital marketing solutions.

Photo by: Afif Ramdhasuma

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