While interactive entertainment has become a global juggernaut, many advertisers are still treating it like a novelty, allocating only a sliver of their media plans to a single partner.
This “one and done” approach overlooks the sheer diversity of the gaming ecosystem, where mobile gaming is quietly commanding vast amounts of user time, according to one exec at the sharp end.
This fragmented buying strategy means brands are missing huge, distinct audiences and underestimating the channel’s potential reach, said Gabrielle Heyman, VP, global brand sales and partnership, Zynga, in this video interview with Beet.TV. She argued that advertisers are “dipping their toes” into a gaming audience of nearly 3.5 billion players globally, when they should be diving in.
Harnessing the attention economy
In the modern media landscape, time-spent is the ultimate currency. Heyman pointed to comScore data to position her company’s portfolio as a heavyweight contender for user attention. “Zynga is number six in time spent out of the top 100 mobile properties,” she said. “That means we have more time-spent than TikTok.”
Zynga games include Empires And Puzzles and Toy Blast.
A significant barrier for advertisers entering the gaming space has been the fear of interrupting an immersive user experience. However, Heyman explained that the most prevalent ad format in mobile games, rewarded video, is fundamentally non-intrusive. Because it is an opt-in ad, it serves as a value exchange, offering players in-game currency or boosts in exchange for their attention.
“Only maybe five, 10 percent of players buy in-app purchases,” Heyman said. For the other 90 percent, a rewarded video can be a welcome aid. “That’s when they’re going to opt in to a rewarded video to get something in exchange for helping them finish their level… so brands don’t have to worry about interrupting the gamer. In fact, they’re additive to the experience.”
A second screen that adds up
The rise of connected TV has led many to focus on the living room screen, but Heyman sees the ubiquitous second screen—the mobile phone—as a powerful, complementary tool. She cautioned against viewing mobile and CTV as competitive channels, suggesting they work best in tandem to capture an audience whose attention is often divided.
To support this, Heyman cited recent studies conducted with Samba TV which found that adding a Zynga mobile campaign to a broadcast or streaming buy delivered significant lift for tune-in. “Buying streaming alone, which you would think is like native and endemic to a streaming advertiser, would work really well on its own,” she said. “But actually adding Zynga to the mix increased tune-in significantly.”
While many streaming platforms are exploring interactive advertising, Heyman believes mobile gaming is far more advanced in delivering engaging, two-way brand experiences. “I just don’t think TV is there yet. I don’t think people really want to engage and use their remote to click on ads, but they do want to do that on mobile,” she claimed. Zynga operates an internal studio dedicated to creating playable and shoppable ads for brands.
The retail media secret
While some sectors are still testing the waters, Heyman noted that retail advertisers have long understood the power of mobile gaming as a direct line to the primary household shopper. She argued that the demographics of casual gaming align perfectly with the people making the majority of consumer purchasing decisions.
“Retail has been buying mobile gaming for a long time because the primary household shopper is usually a woman, and 75 percent of casual gamers are female,” Heyman said. With women said to be driving the vast majority of consumer purchases, she stated that gaming is an efficient way to reach that crucial demographic. “If you want to reach who’s buying all the things for themselves, their kids, their partners, their friends, their parents… you’re going to reach that person who’s playing.”
This insight has not been lost on the burgeoning retail media networks, which Heyman identified as sophisticated buyers in the gaming space. These networks use their valuable first-party shopper data to target consumers outside of their own properties, and mobile gaming is a key channel for extending that reach. “Whether you’re working with Roundel or Walmart Connect, a lot of them are already really deeply engaged in gaming,” she added.
You’re watching “Get in the Game: Why Interactive Entertainment Is the Next Big Play for Performance and Engagement”, a Beet.TV Leadership Series, presented by Zynga Ads. For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
