In-game advertisements: A win-win for brands
For long, the online and video gaming industry, has had a niche group of audience in India, limited to a small number of desktop gamers. However, with advancement in technology and increased affordability of smartphones, the gaming industry has seen a significant rise.
Recent times, especially after COVID-19 lockdown, where everyone has been at home – Online gaming has witnessed an incredible surge in usage across the country. With people spending more time online, games have elevated in their role as an entertaining platform providing respite and medium to say connected with family and friends. Games like Ludo King, Carrom, Rummy Circle, Poker gained aplenty users as people found it easy to stay connected with their loved ones and spend time with them, virtually. As these games gained familiarity and popularity amongst the audience; celebrities jumped in to be one of the biggest endorsers of these games. For example, Ludo King has a TV advertisement with singer Mika Singh; Junglee Rummy has roped in actor Sunny Singh for promoting the game.
The gaming industry has given brands and companies a new opportunity to market their products or services to a diversified audience. We bring 3 core advantages that the brands can look at to tap digital games in their marketing strategy, for an effective and bigger marketing execution.
All eyes on you
Every brand pays a hawk eye attention to the visibility of their advertisement and the number of people watching it, that in-turn help them to achieve their sales goals! However, earlier, TV served as the only advertising medium, but with changing times and advancement in technology, various platforms such as social media and online games have become new platforms for brands to explore.
As compared to the problems faced by TV commercials, the nature of in-game advertising is opposite. We all play games with intense concentration and dedication whether it is to advance to a particular level or kill someone’s gotietc. This is where viewability cannot be beaten, as the player’s eyes dart around the screen to grab every information.
Adding to that, rewards are something that the user is always on a look out for. Games have reward advertisements that everyone indulges to gain incentives mostly in the form of extra coins, lives etc. Even though it interrupts the game, still the players tend to watch them to receive in-game benefits. Such advertisements can help brands get granular data on the viewability of the ad right from how long ads were viewed to whether they were viewed head-on or were partially seen due to an obstruction.
Reaching diversified people
The rising trend of digital gaming has not been limited to just the youth or a niche audience but across all genders and age groups. In-game advertisements offer brands with an opportunity to cater to a diverse demography. Online gaming is not only becoming the best pastime for people, but also building bonds. We have seen how people dedicate specific time slots to play Ludo King with family and friends. For example, many lifestyle and beauty brands are advertising on various online games, in order to attract more customers. Since, most of the games are designed keeping in mind specific audience, in-game ads allow brands to access their customer base easily.
R.E.C.A.L.L. – Remember Every Communication At Large Length
Every brand aims at leaving an impact on the audience and ensuring that the brand or the product stays in the minds of the people. Gaming, as a new platform for brands to explore, offers an opportunity to them to increase their recall value. Especially, ads that offer users with rewards, as they tend to sustain themselves while the ad finishes. This opt-in feature in online games, enables brands to repeat their advertisements which further leads to audience remembering it. For instance, Rummy Circle does reward ads on various other digital games, to increase its users. This move, not only helps in recall but also creates brand awareness along with word-of-mouth.
Therefore, gaming as a platform today, provides vast potential for brands to communicate and spread their message. So, are you ready to get your game on?