Advertisers seize mobile gaming growth opportunity

With much of the world working from home during the pandemic, mobile gaming isn’t so “mobile” anymore. Instead of playing during their daily commutes, people now can take a quick break with a mobile game from their home office, their sofa, or yes, even their bathroom. Gaming has been up across platforms since lockdowns began in March, and for advertisers looking to reach this audience, mobile gaming presents a unique opportunity.

Unlike advertising in console or PC games, most people have come to expect some form of in-game or around-game advertising on mobile because the bulk of mobile titles are free-to-play.

According to a report from the Mobile Marketing Association, 94% of marketers consider mobile ads to be effective. In fact, almost half of marketing professionals said that they plan on allocating more than a quarter of their marketing budget to mobile advertising. While mobile video streaming and social juggernauts like TikTok have been big contributors to the mobile ad surge, mobile gaming is also a significant, and growing, channel through which to reach and influence consumers.

“User attention in mobile games is at record-high levels,” commented Jude O’Connor, North American GM for mobile ad network AdColony. “You’re running in professionally produced environments that protect your brand from unwanted content adjacency, and valuable audiences are available at scale. It’s one of the safest, high-value, rewarding opportunities available to mobile marketers as we speak.”

Interpret’s New Media Measure® backs up this notion. Even before COVID-19 lockdowns set in, Interpret data showed that a third of mobile gamers have seen in-game advertising, with more than a quarter willing to click on an ad to gain an item or in-game currency.

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