Busting The Top Myths Around In-Game Advertising

In-game advertising brings brands closer to today’s gamers without intruding into their world And, this style of in-game advertising provides advertisers with a brand-safe, metaverse-like experience.  

The common assumption about gaming is that it’s all about consoles, young people and fast food. But the reality is so much more nuanced than that. From gamers over 55 to the highest gaming in-app purchases coming from working women, gaming is no longer an escape for this narrow cohort only.  

Here are the top four most common myths associated with in-game advertising and the realities behind them:  

1) In-game advertising is not brand safe   

In-game advertising is one of the safest gaming formats. Mobile games, like all apps, go through strict content review checks by the app stores before they are approved for publishing. There is usually no room for user-generated content to appear during gameplay, and game developers ensure the environment has only specific spaces dedicated to advertising. All inventory in this format is run through safety vendors like HUMAN to ensure it is fraud-free. Advertisers can also choose to exclude categories like shooting when running ads on in-game ad units.   

2) In-game rendered ads are not viewable to users 

In-game has seen viewability rate highs of up to 96%, where viewability wate considers the ad's placement, depth, user presence and angle when rendering. Ad setup requires no new creatives as all sizing is according to IAB standards, while best practices for being viewed by gamers during gameplay indicate the use of bold, simple visuals.  

3) Users are not interested in in-game ads  

Half of gamers want to see their favorite brands in the game, while 70% find the presence of an ad positively influencing gameplay. While in-game advertising is still a new format, the nuance of today's gamers, coupled with the amount of attention they give gaming, has advertiser curiosity piqued. 

4) There are not as many high-quality apps on in-game  

InMobi, along with platform partners like Anzu, also ensure quality checks cover everything from game quality to, ad quality and user experience. Moreover, the content review checks by Apple’s and Google’s app stores, combined with user reviews and ratings, ensure that only the high-quality apps can provide scale for ad opportunities. 

Overall, in-game advertising is a must-have for all branding campaigns. Its seamless, immersive nature supported by viewable measurement makes it the perfect driver of brand recall. And for those who are curious to dapple with game advertising, this is the ideal format to try mobile marketing for the first time.