Advertising in Mobile Games

Did you know that…
Almost 150 million Americans play mobile games and the best way to reach them is through rewarded video ads?

Mobile games and their use in the US is more common than you would think. About 65% of American adults play video games, and the majority use their smartphones to do this. 

If you thought gamers were only 14-year-old teenage boys, you thought wrong. The use of mobile games has risen in recent years, and will most likely continue to grow, reaching a wide audience, from Boomers to Millenials. Mobile gamers actually make up almost 90% of digital gamers, which now encompasses all genders and generations, shifting beyond the younger audience to people of all ages. And they are, surprisingly, especially popular amongst women; in fact, almost half of today’s gamers in the US are women. What might also take you by surprise is the fact that mobile gaming is massively engaging users with brand ads, and what’s more is they are being positively received by the gaming community. 

So, with such a wide target audience, the key is for advertisers to know how to address them. Tapjoy’s recent research, titled “The Modern Mobile Gamer: Advertising Preferences Revealed” helps brands create a strong mobile gaming strategy for their adverts, by helping them to understand their target audience and reach out to them through appropriate games and apps. The report gives insight into the profile of modern US mobile gamers, their habits and their wants and needs. The trick to engaging with mobile gamers is to identify, not only the right games to use as an advertising platform, but also the right style of advert that is welcomed by gamers. Results showed that rewarded ads are the most popular, since they enable users to unlock premium content and free upgrades. Out of all rewarded ads, videos are their favourites. Funny videos and adverts for ‘Movies & Entertainment’ are among the most favoured content, followed by ads for ‘Food & Restaurants’, ‘Retailers’, ‘Fitness & Healthcare’, and ‘Local Services’; while ads displaying sexuality or celebrities definitely seem to be a no-go for gamers. 

Rewarded video ads are now extremely valuable not only for app developers, but also for brand advertisers and even for gamers themselves. The engagement rate of these ads definitely stands out and confirms this, showing that they may well be the best form of marketing strategy to consider in future for engagement with mobile users.