James Draper, Bidstack CEO, spoke to WARC about how in-game advertising brings the scale of mass-media exposure without ruining playing experiences.
In the last 12 months, the popularity of esports has gone through the roof with viewing figures now surpassing both F1 and the 2019 Superbowl. With this continual rise, we are seeing advertisers starting to dip their toes into the world of esports and gaming by finding more creative and innovative ways to reach their audience. Just recently we have seen Honda become the exclusive automotive partner for the League of Legends Championship series and Nike signing a multi-year deal with FURIA esports in moves designed to future proof their media strategies.
Previously, allocating ad spend to in-game advertising was very much something that would work in theory. Now, with gaming and esports making headlines – and with esports set to reach $1 billion in revenue this year – brands and advertisers are proactively finding ways to engage with this audience in an original way.
Now that the initial wave of digital advertising has settled, brands and agencies are starting to realise that online ads don’t always live up to their expectations. Standard display banners, in-feed ads and pre-roll are impactful, but do have some drawbacks. There are issues around brand safety, low viewability, rising audience distraction, an increased use of ad blockers and disruptive ad formats.
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