The year 2014 marked an important turning point for game advertising for all the right reasons. Driven by new technology and social and mobile adoption, the gamer landscape has rapidly evolved.
The evidence is clear that the demographics for games are more inclusive than ever with time spent playing growing at an unprecedented rate. And now more than ever, savvy marketers are viewing games as valuable and highly engaging content that fits in both content marketing and paid advertising strategies.
The IAB’s new “Games Advertising Ecosystem Guide” was developed to help marketers and agencies understand today’s game play, the core game types and advertising categories to reach consumers. The guide provides an overview of today’s game play and a summary of the game advertising system outlining:
- The evolving and dynamic gamer landscape and trends
- The two main categories of games that can be played across multiple devices
- The three main types of advertising formats available to marketers and agencies with examples
- The most common performance models
- The most common revenue models
- The future evolution of game advertising
On the importance of this guide, Sandro Camarao of MediaBrix, who led the Game Advertising Ecosystem Guide working group said: It is important for buyers to understand how to leverage gaming content for maximum brand impact. Gaming has grown exponentially, and with its growth, new opportunities for brands to forge emotional connections with key audiences. The IAB Games Ecosystem Guide comes at a critical time for buyers who are determining how best to integrate gaming into their media plan.
IAB Game Committee co-chairs added:
“Now, more than ever before, games are a part of everyone’s life, whether you’re 2 or 92. Those of us on the committee want to make it easy to align brands with this entertaining and ever-changing medium.”
Kym Nelson, SVP Soles, Twitch
“Gaming is recognized as a mainstream media that will only continue to grow. With so many new and innovative opportunities available to brands, this guide will serve as a substantial reference for marketers looking for the most effective way to engage this critical growing audience.”
Jock Koch, Director of Strategicnights & Research EA Global Media Solutions
In looking forward to 2015, the IAB Games Committee will take deeper dives into each of the three main types of advertising formats to provide more guidance for marketers and agencies who seek to deploy game advertising in their content marketing strategy and media mix.
On a related note: Be sure to check out the IAB’s recent (11/14) research study “Mobile Gamers: Who They Are, How They Shop, and How to Reach Them.” This report examines the behaviors and economic outlook of mobile phone owners who use their smartphone for all of its functions as compared to the general US Adult 18 and over population.
