LAS VEGAS – How do you reach an audience that’s actively engaged without becoming an unwelcome intruder?
The answer, according to one media strategist, lies in understanding that gamers aren’t just consumers – they’re participants in carefully crafted worlds they care deeply about.
“Brands can show up in gaming without disrupting the experience by leading with respect,” said Samantha Lim, svp, gaming strategy and innovation, Publicis Media, in this video interview with Beet.TV at CES.
Three pillars of respectful brand integration
Lim outlined a framework built on three distinct forms of respect that brands must demonstrate.
1. Respect the game
First, respect the game world itself, understanding that a modern brand placement in a medieval fantasy setting will feel jarring and unwelcome to players.
“If a brand is trying to be within a fantasy RPG, it may be off-putting to see a lot of modern brands in there,” Lim said. “There are other ways to partner with that game.”
2. Respect the player
The second pillar involves respecting player agency. Unlike passive media consumption, gaming puts players in control of their experience. Brands that interrupt that control risk alienating their target audience entirely.
“Give them something optional, whether it’s a quest or a reward, something that lets them feel like they’re in control,” Lim advised.
3. Respect the culture
The third pillar, respecting gaming culture, requires brands to invest time in understanding the community’s unique language and norms before attempting to participate.
Why gaming demands a different mindset
The gaming advertising market is projected to reach nearly $10 billion by 2029, according to eMarketer, though advertisers have yet to fully match their spending to consumer attention levels.
The distinction between gaming and other media channels comes down to attention quality. Television viewers scroll their phones, radio listeners multitask, ut gamers are locked in, making decisions that affect outcomes they care about.
“With gaming, what is very different about the mindset is that it is active participation rather than this lean-back experience,” Lim explained. “The focus actually becomes that gaming device or monitor or screen, and that’s where people are paying attention to because the decisions that you make impact the rest of your gameplay.”
This leaned-in engagement translates to measurable value for brands. While gaming delivers across awareness, engagement, and performance metrics, Lim identified engagement as the channel’s distinctive strength. “That’s one of the key areas that I think stands out for gaming that other channels can’t compete with,” she said.
From experimental to essential
Gaming budgets remain inconsistent across the industry, with no standardized approach to how brands allocate spending. Some treat it as experimental; others have made it a core line item. But Lim noted a clear pattern: brands that test gaming tend to stay and expand.
“When brands are in gaming, they are measuring success and they are finding success, which means that they’re continuing to renew and even in some cases expand those programs,” she said. “That is why gaming is moving from experimental to essential.”
Lim identified three trends shaping gaming’s future:
- generative AI enabling more immersive storytelling and dynamic non-playable characters.
- creator-driven platforms where users build, create, and monetize their own worlds.
- cloud gaming’s potential to expand accessibility across devices.
“With that, we anticipate that it will make it easier for people to play and if it’s even possible, increase the amount of time people are playing games,” Lim said.
You’re watching “Where Play Meets Purchase: Gaming as the Next Frontier of Retail Media, a Beet.TV Leadership Series at CES 2026, presented by Best Buy Ads” For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
