Optimizing In-game Ads: A Few Best Practices

B2B marketers and advertisers today have a range of online ad streams and ad channels from which to choose from. And newer channels are constantly adding to the mix, making it more crucial for marketers and advertisers to not only dive deeper into their metrics to identify that which works best for their brand but also, to optimize future marketing and ad spends.

In-game ads have started becoming a popular channel for both, B2B and B2C marketers. Gamers come from diverse backgrounds and brands today can effectively capture a large market with a robust in-game ad campaign.

A solid in-game ad strategy and framework can lay the foundation for marketers and advertisers to prepare for a future where metaverse-like capabilities are fast becoming important. According to studies, there are about 3 billion gamers in the world. All of these potential buyers can be further fragmented based on the type of game(s) they are most adept with.

Advertisers and marketers in today’s marketplace need to be more conscious about reaching potential buyers where they are. Identifying market segments based on who from your target audience is more active on which game platform can allow advertisers and marketers to create a better impact and presence in front of often hard-to-reach customers.

With a growing interest in in-game ads today, how can brand marketers and advertisers create deeper impact through these channels without compromising on brand quality or messaging?

Here are a few quick tips:

Know your Game and Audience

Marketers and advertisers who are looking at launching a strong in-game ad strategy to build interest among their target marketers need to first understand more about the games or gaming platforms their target audience is most active on.

This is where marketers/advertisers need to work closely with publishers and game developers to understand the audience data better. Based on what your brand does, unlocking key data insights into the usage of popular games becomes crucial to ensure an affective in-game ad strategy.

If you’re promoting an ebook on content management best practices, finding the right game network to flash the banner ad as user’s play is one way of reaching your audience where they are with the aim of grabbing more eyeballs.

For a B2C marketer / advertiser: in-game ads on platforms like Nintendo might actually be beneficial for future sales while deepening interest in a brand/product.

Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview With Dean Coclin, Sr. Director, Business Development at DigiCert

Busting Myths

Gone are the days when the word gamer would be associated with a teenager constantly playing one in a room. Gamers can actually be a diverse group of people belonging to various backgrounds and they can have varied interests. While most may fall into the millennial, Gen Z or Gen X bracket, the truth is that gamers can be young and older people. And since gaming is mostly associated with personal entertainment or a hobby, identifying games that have users that match your typical ICP is not difficult.

One key point for marketers and advertisers to remember here is that gamers will, in all likelihood, have high purchasing powers. Regular gamers need to invest in devices and equipment to enhance their game experience and marketers and advertisers should capitalize on this data by breaking down priority lists based on the most popular games and its number of users.

With a growing interest in both metaverse and gaming, gamers can actually often be considered a hidden demographic for brand marketers. At a time when marketers and advertisers need to find more effective ways to channelize efforts and optimize ROI, diving into these often underrepresented areas can actually help them stand out from the crowd and beat their competition.

Understanding what Products or Service Ads can Drive In-game Ad ROI 

Most brands today sport a diverse product/service range. For each of these, unique ad strategies need to be built out to try drive optimum ROI. Certain types of products and services are fit for an in-game advertising model while certain others might benefit from a stronger Instagram campaign for instance.

While assessing the potential ROI from an in-game advertising plan, marketers and advertisers should also use the data and user behavior information to understand what type of products should be advertised to help ‘add more ad value’ to an in-game ad strategy.

Unlocking the Benefits of In-game Ads More Effectively

There are plenty of games/gaming platforms in the market today. Moreover, regular users are known to spend large amounts of time playing their choice of games, for marketers and advertisers this is especially a healthy feature because it means that there are higher chances of their in-game ad being viewed for longer periods of time.

With better programmatic ad capabilities, marketers and advertisers can easily run retargeting campaigns to look alike audiences once they have built a foundation to their in-game ad model.

Digital advertising is  evolving at a rapid pace and with the introduction of so many newer multichannel programs, advertisers and marketers have to be careful with the type of platform they choose for their marketing/ad mix.

In-game advertising has a lot of potential and is still an untapped market in many ways. For marketers and advertisers who are looking at newer avenues through which to create deeper impact, channels like in-game ads may work to their benefit, if planned and executed well and with the right data and display tactics.

Marketing Technology News: 3 “Old” B2C Marketing Trends That Remain Vital Today