The mobile gaming industry has exploded over the past few years. According to the 2021 Global Games Market Report, the global gaming market is now worth more than $98 billion. It is projected to go beyond a whopping $272 billion in the next decade.
Mobile gaming is now more financially lucrative and diverse in audience than ever before. We have witnessed consumers easily adapt to new ways of engaging with the brands they admire. The pandemic has taught us how to remain in touch with our favorite brands; likewise, the brands adapted to the ever-changing conditions and became more digitally driven.
During this time, advertising in mobile games has boomed. There are an estimated 2.4 billion mobile game players worldwide: As a result, the market is rapidly evolving to offer millennials and Gen Z a more interactive and enjoyable gaming experience.
The rapid growth of the mobile gaming industry has also had a tremendous impact on consumer behavior. Thanks to the changing habits of consuming and engaging with ads, a new type of consumer has emerged: The G-Shopper.
The state of mobile gaming today
It is not a myth that all types of people nowadays play mobile games. The days when gamers were nerdy male students playing in their dorm rooms are gone. Today’s mobile gamers are sophisticated, tech-savvy and modern consumers who belong to all demographic types—they are a perfect target for every brand.
However, if the growing number of players is not convincing enough, let’s take a look at another critical factor: Today’s players spend nearly three hours per week playing mobile games. They spend more time playing than browsing on popular social media apps—in the U.S., that average time is two hours per week.
Yet, few digital marketers will doubt the benefit of using social media to engage with the target audience. The time spent playing will only increase, and it will happen at the expense of time spent on social media.
The emergence of the G-Shopper
In today’s ever-advancing landscape of experiential shopping opportunities, the G-Shopper is an individual who will lead the future of commerce in all gaming experiences—mobile, console and beyond.
In contrast to traditional marketing techniques—newsletters, social media advertising or other digital ads—more consumers are engaging with in-game ads. An astonishing 72% of respondents, in a recent survey by Tapjoy, shared that they understand the role that advertising plays in their gaming experience and they actively engage with the ads displayed.
The G-Shopper is a futurist who values the satisfying experience of engaging with a brand’s product or service from their most comfortable and safe environment. They are highly proficient in new gaming formats and are considered a brand evangelist who shares—with radical honesty—their shopping points of view with their gaming peers and community.
The G-Shopper preference includes a range of highly popular games, including but not limited to Call of Duty, Fortnite, Among Us, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Asphalt 9 and NBA 2K.
Certainly, each ad format is designed to accomplish different marketing objectives, but there are a few that research concludes draw in the G-Shopper more than others. In fact, the most popular formats are rewarded videos, interactive and playable ads, ad extensions and end cards that promote direct purchase actions.
The emergence of the G-Shopper will lay a new foundation for how advertising—digital marketing in particular—is done.
Connecting with the G-Shopper
The emergence of the G-Shopper and the exponential growth in popularity of mobile games will forever change the way brands market to their consumers. The brands late to jump on this bandwagon will face severe damage to business growth. Here are a couple reasons why there has never been a better time to put your ads in mobile games.
Low competition
Currently, the in-game advertising competition is low; however, the visibility for your brand is enormous. Many brands downplay the importance of mobile game ads, which gives you an excellent opportunity to reach all these billions of players at a lower cost and have a more significant impact on your brand.
Endless opportunities for optimization
Mobile in-game ads are programmed similarly to any other digital ads that most digital marketers are familiar with. However, they give even more opportunities for optimization.
For example, you can choose specific games to advertise in, which can be an essential consideration when selecting the most relevant audience. Think about sports players—you can promote your products to gamers who play any sports-related game. However, it’s hard to select an audience accurately for social media ads.
Multiple advertising formats
In-game advertising also allows you to choose the format of your ad. You may prefer in-game video ads, native ads, reward ads, banners or even in-game product placement. All these formats can serve different purposes and help you achieve your marketing goals.
Non-interruptive brand communication
In-game advertising can be made seamless and non-interruptive, allowing brands to communicate with their consumers in an interactive and effective way. Such non-interruptive ads seldom exist on other digital marketing channels; however, an in-game advertising experience can make brand communication immersive in the virtual world. Such unobtrusive brand exposure would potentially have a call to action, leading audiences directly to a purchasing page.
In-game ads—the new ‘Gen Z shopper’ advertising opportunity
The pandemic has changed our habits. People spend more time indoors, resulting in more time spent playing on their mobile phones. However, despite all the advantages shared, mobile in-game advertising is still relatively undiscovered territory for the vast majority of brands.
With mobile in-game ads, brands have the opportunity to reach billions of people when they are the most engaged and concentrated. Brands have a chance to communicate with highly targeted audiences based on their interest. Mobile games can perfectly mirror their hobbies and interests and provide brands with vital user data.
