In-game advertising is a billion-dollar market with high engagement and user involvement; therefore, brands should embrace it.
There are 3.1 billion gamers on the planet, and statistics show that the sector will continue to grow. By 2025, mobile gaming is expected to be worth more than $11.35 billion in the United States alone. By 2023, the worldwide video game market is expected to top $200 billion. These figures alone are motivation enough to enter into in-game marketing from an advertising standpoint. But there’s another, perhaps even more powerful motive.
People between 18 and 35 dominate the video gaming industry, accounting for 29% of all gamers. A gamer’s average age is 34. And, contrary to popular belief, women account for 45 percent of all gamers in the United States.
What better method for advertisers to reach these demographics than to advertise in the multibillion-dollar high-engagement and user-interaction industry?
Here’s all you need to know about advertising and marketing yourself in video games.
What is the definition of in-game marketing?
Advertisements embedded within computer, console, and mobile games are in-game marketing. You may pay to have your brand or product included through ad overlays, scene segues, in-game banners, or directly in gameplay, which is an excellent method to increase brand engagement.
The fact that gamers are immersed in the metaverse contributes to marketers’ success. According to studies, Gen Z gamers spend twice as much time online with their peers as in real life.
As a result, in-game advertising can be interacted with by players. If you’re having trouble reaching people through traditional marketing, video game marketing is a strategy that can help you reach over 2.5 billion players – nearly a third of the world’s population!
In-game marketing efforts are becoming increasingly popular among brands.
Before the UEFA soccer championship final in May, PepsiCo and Pizza Hut collaborated on augmented reality “Score with Pogba” game. Butterfinger and PUBG MOBILE teamed together to offer gamers a unique challenge with exclusive in-game rewards in the same month.
In-Game Marketing Types
In-game advertisements and techniques to market your brand to players come in many forms, but here are a few to consider:
Dynamic In-Game Ads: This is the newest type of in-game advertising. Like banner adverts on websites, dynamic advertisements allow you to buy in real-time and geotarget your purchases. We commonly encounter dynamic advertising on billboards, posters, and bus stops in the non-digital world, which comes and goes as the days or weeks pass. In video games, these types of spaces are the same.
Static In-Game Advertisements: Unlike dynamic commercials, static adverts stay in the game for the entire time it is played. Product placement is used to plan and integrate this marketing into the game’s storyline.
InMobi and Anzu Announce Preferred Programmatic In-Game Ad Partnership for Asia-Pacific Region
Advergames are video games made only to market a company or product. The plot, gameplay, and atmosphere of each game are all meant to promote the brand or product significantly. Advergames made by LEGO and the Star Wars and Harry Potter brands are popular examples.
Virtual Reality Experiences: Virtual reality experiences can be found in the metaverse. To create a virtual reality, you can purchase digital areas. Gucci did this with the Gucci Garden Experience, which allowed users to tour themed rooms and learn about the brand’s history.
Successful In-Game Marketing Tips
Here are some essential things to remember before diving into the world of in-game marketing:
Make sure your product is appropriate for the game.
When selecting a game to host your brand’s marketing, make sure the game’s style and demographic are compatible with your product. People of all ages like playing video games, but their favored genre differs. Younger boys like sports and adventure games, whereas families prefer puzzle games.
It’s All About the Timing
Show your marketing campaign to gamers when they’re most receptive to ensure its success. Show the commercial between levels, cut scenes, or during natural breaks in the game rather than being intrusive or annoying (no one wants to be interrupted).
If you don’t think about the timing, gamers may associate your brand with impatience, indifference, or worse. Your advertisements should be a compliment or a break, not an interruption.
Prioritize quality over quantity.
It’s possible to have too much of a good thing, and in-game marketing is no exception. Don’t overburden the viewers with commercials because more ads don’t always equal more income. Ads bombarding gamers can result in a poor user experience. Don’t be the reason why gamers aren’t enjoying themselves.
Be inventive.
Banner blindness is one of the most significant challenges in today’s advertising, particularly in mobile games. Anything that resembles an advertisement or traditional advertising messages will be ignored.
As a result, you might have to think outside the box. Craft a compelling message that can be smoothly placed into the video game’s storyline or atmosphere to ensure your in-game marketing is a success.
