In terms of growth dynamics, the mobile gaming industry has no equal. Already in 2018, the mobile gaming market held the largest share of the gaming sector at nearly 47 percent, and in 2020 it exceeded the magic number of 51 percent.[1] Newzoo forecasts indicate that this trend will continue. This year, the value of the mobile gaming market could reach as much as $91 billion, of which more than 82 percent will be generated by smartphones.

Have marketers recognized this potential and put mobile gaming on their "to do" list when running their campaigns? It turns out they don't quite know how to approach it, and above all, how to measure the results. And results can be measured with even better effectiveness than in campaigns run on social media. For several years, global players such as Samsung, L'Oreal and the Dettol brand have been taking advantage of this situation, successfully investing in mobile gaming. How do they do it?

The desire to stand out from other brands and be competitive in the market is the main motivator for marketers to look toward mobile advertising and gaming. At the same time, 6 out of 10 specialists indicate that the main reason for not investing advertising budgets in this area is insufficient knowledge of the industry and, in their view, a problem with its measurability.[2]

- Marketers navigate with ease the familiar and proven forms of online advertising, which they are able to execute and, above all, measure. When it comes to the mobile gaming environment and in-game advertising, that experience is currently limited. Specialists see the potential of games as a non-standard marketing tool, but they don't know how to approach it and what sales opportunities it offers. For this reason, they don't want to take any action without having their doubts resolved. The myths that have sprung up around the industry also have a big influence, and they are worth addressing substantively in order to unlock the potential of this advertising channel. Examples of real campaigns carried out by brands will certainly help too, showing that gaming ads are for everyone – says Michał Giera, CEO, Mobiem Polska.

Myth 1. Mobile gaming doesn't fit my brand

Mobile gaming and brand image

More than 83 percent of marketers taking part in a Havas and Brief eSports study concluded that gaming doesn't fit their brand's image and isn't a good channel for promoting the brand.[3] What might this stem from? The gaming environment is often perceived as a specific and closed-off place, featuring a particular group of young audiences – "hardcore" gamers – who aren't necessarily mature enough to make purchasing decisions. At the same time, games are associated primarily with popular "shooters" like the mobile version of Counter-Strike, and perhaps less often with educational games or ones that simply provide entertainment.

- According to our research, more than half of women choose simulations. Men, in turn, prefer strategy games, sports games, racing, action-adventure games, and so-called "shooters." So we mustn't forget that the repertoire of games available to potential users is very broad and varied. When developing campaign assumptions specifically in mobile gaming, we can precisely define both the target group and the environment in which our mobile ad will appear. We have far greater control over this than in the case of campaigns run on social media. There's therefore no fear that a brand's ad will appear somewhere that could harm its image, which is why global brands invest substantial budgets in this communication channel – says Michał Pietruszka, Head of Mobile Product, Mobiem.

Samsung – product launch in mobile gaming

Samsung – product launch in mobile gaming

An example of a well-known brand that has successfully run campaigns in mobile gaming is the phone maker Samsung. The brand partnered with AdColony, a global mobile advertising platform, for the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. The campaign used an advanced solution increasing the interaction area in the form of a Dynamic End Card and gave users the opportunity, via a mobile ad, to receive an R4000 voucher for the purchase of Galaxy Buds Live headphones and the Samsung Care+ service offer.

The call-to-action button "order now in pre-sale" drew the interest of several thousand users, who went to Samsung's website to learn more about the product and order it. This confirms that the brand reached the right audience on the right platform.

- User preferences are shifting toward digital distribution, and with that the overall distribution model in this segment is changing. The popularity of "Free To Play" games is growing – games we can play for free in exchange for watching ads. As many as 8 out of 10 users want to learn about a promoted product in exchange for extra in-game bonuses[4]. What's more, according to research, gamers pay attention to ads more often in mobile gaming (41 percent) than on the Internet (17 percent). That's why video spots, especially those with additional bonuses that can be played in games, are so popular, and the ad itself is highly acceptable to users because it helps them achieve their intended goals. The visibility of promotional materials oscillates at levels of up to 99 percent – explains Michał Giera, CEO, Mobiem Polska.

Dettol – engaging advertising in mobile gaming

Dettol – engaging advertising in mobile gaming

A good example is also the Dettol brand, which last June carried out a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the coronavirus and encouraging increased hand hygiene. After watching a short video, users could wipe soap off the screen and then answer a few true/false questions about misinformation regarding COVID-19. At the end, the brand encouraged sharing the results with loved ones via WhatsApp. The element that generated the greatest engagement was wiping the screen to get rid of germs. The campaign's results revealed two pieces of false information that were widely circulating in the community. The first was that children cannot catch the virus, and the second that a specific diet can prevent infection.

- 2020 was the year in which marketers began to pay much greater attention to mobile games and the gaming environment in general. It looks like this trend will continue in 2021, resulting in an even greater presence of popular brands and game titles in every aspect of our lives thanks to new, more powerful phones. According to research, 46 percent of game developers believe that in-game ads will bring the greatest revenue return in 2021. Global mobile ad spending is expected to reach $290 billion this year. So I can definitely say that we will have a busy and productive year as AdColony – says Warrick Billingham, general manager of AdColony, EMEA and LATAM.

Myth 2. I won't find my target group in mobile games

Mobile gaming – target group

Mobile gaming advertising in practice: brand case studies

The number of gamers worldwide is constantly growing. In 2020 it was estimated at up to 2.6 billion, and nearly 38 percent of them will pay for games. In Poland, among a group of more than 11 million active players, a clear advantage is the wide age range of users. From representatives of Generation Z, who make up about 22 percent of all users in Poland, but above all mature people aged 24-35 who regularly play games on their smartphone. If we add to that the time spent in front of the phone, which lengthened significantly during the pandemic, the gaming environment becomes an ideal place to promote products and services.

- It's worth adding that recent research shows that women find their way in the gaming space just as well as men. Nearly 7 out of 10 mobile gaming users in Europe are female.[5] In Poland, the proportion looks as follows – 52 percent are women, while 48 percent are men. Brands that notice this potential in time can gain a significant competitive advantage in this advertising environment. At present, one could venture to say that mobile marketing in games is only just developing and is still aimed at a male audience – Magdalena Wąsikowska-Gal, Operations Manager for Marketing, Mobiem Polska.

The L'Oreal brand, meanwhile, is leveraging the potential of the female target group by promoting selected cosmetics, including one of its newest products, Vichy Liftactiv, in cooperation with AdColony through a mobile in-game advertising campaign, and the spot itself was watched by a large group of women.

Myth 3: Advertising activities in mobile gaming are hard to measure, and ad formats are new and difficult to execute

Nearly 7 out of 10 marketers surveyed admitted that a tool for measuring campaign effectiveness is an important factor that would encourage them to use gaming marketing.[6] This probably stems from the fact that specialists don't know that tools are available on the market that enable campaign optimization.

- In practice, the process from carrying out a mobile gaming campaign to measuring it is simple and transparent. It's essentially analogous to a rich media campaign in mobile apps. With the exception that in games, non-invasive rewarded formats are popular. In mobile gaming, choosing the right provider is very important – one that has the appropriate ad-serving technology and offers advanced methods of profiling players based on 1st and 3rd party data. In creating such campaigns, it's important to reach the right target group, and secondarily the title in which the ad is served. The provider should have the right skills in creating engaging advertising creatives. It's worth remembering that in the case of games, the last expected interaction should be a redirect to the landing page outside the game. Hence it's very important to make proper use of every opportunity for interaction within the format itself. The best providers are also transparent – they're not afraid of measurement, they enable the implementation of external measurement tools for brand safety, anti-fraud, and viewability – explains Michał Giera, CEO, Mobiem Polska.

 

[1] Newzoo, Global Games Market Report, October 2018 Quarterly Update
[2] Does marketing in gaming work? Report 2020, Havas Media and Brief Esports
[3] Does marketing in gaming work?
[4] Source, Mobiem Polska 2020.
[5] Statista, September 2020 – data concerning the EMEA region
[6] Does marketing in gaming work? Report, 2020

Summary

Mobile gaming is an advertising channel with enormous potential, but many marketers are still afraid to invest in it. The most common myths concern a mismatch with brand image, a lack of target group, and problems with measuring results. Meanwhile, brands such as Samsung, Dettol and L'Oreal are successfully running campaigns in mobile games, and gamers are eager to watch ads in exchange for bonuses – 8 out of 10 users declare such a willingness.

The mobile gaming market is developing dynamically – in 2021, global mobile ad spending could reach $290 billion. The key is choosing the right provider that ensures transparent measurement and engaging formats such as rewarded video.