Anzu.io Archives - MARKETECH APAC

Mumbai, India – In-game advertising platform has forged an exclusive deal with the newest installment of the World Cricket Championship (WCC) 2 game franchise in order to bring its in-game advertising solutions in the game, done through the game developer Next Wave Multimedia, a subsidiary of gaming company Nazara.

Through the exclusive deal, Next Wave Multimedia will leverage Anzu.io as its advertising platform of choice as it provides game studios with a monetization method targeted at enhancing the stadium ambiance to further replicate a live real-world match.

Furthermore, the blended advertising format that the collaboration brings will help advertisers reach their audiences in a seamless manner, without disrupting user experience, while integrating a brand’s message in the game’s environment.

In addition to providing native ad placements with blended in-game banner ads across the game on Android and iOS devices, Anzu.io will provide WCC2 with ad viewability, brand lift measurement, audience verification, data enrichment, and fraud detection in partnership with industry leaders such as Moat, Comscore, Kantar, and Nielsen.

“We are glad to be able to bring more value to brands. We believe this collaboration will help us serve users and advertisers better by taking gaming and digital advertising a notch higher for enhanced experience,” said Next Wave Multimedia Co-Founder and CEO P.R. Rajendran.

Meanwhile, Anzu.io’s CEO and co-founder, Itamar Benedy, remarked, “Every region is seeing a growth in gaming, and advertisers realize that in-game ads can help them connect with a once-elusive audience. We are thrilled to partner with such a well-established studio and help them achieve their goals while opening up the in-game advertising market for advertisers across India.”

As Anzu.io’s newest deal entails a larger presence in the Indian subcontinent, its clientele base will have greater exposure, including the APAC arm of ad platform AdColony, to which they signed a deal last year.

“Gaming has transformed from an underground pastime to mainstream entertainment, and it is rivaling the reach of social media. Advertisers need to take note of this and treat gaming as an equal if not a more effective channel for communicating with consumers. Placing in-game ads in games like WCC 2 will allow advertisers to reach their desired audiences,” Amit Rathi, AdColony’s Country Manager for India.

The recent exclusive deal of Anzu.io comes right after its recently concluded US$9M funding for global expansion, with the help of various venture capital groups such as BITKRAFT, Sony Innovation Fund and other angel investors.

Tel Aviv, Israel – In-game advertising platform Anzu.io has announced the conclusion of its funding series, successfully raising US$9M to aid the company’s global expansion of its in-game advertising platform, with the help of venture capital groups BITKRAFT Ventures and HBSE Ventures, as well as marketing services organization WPP and Sony Innovation Fund, the corporate venture capital arm of multinational conglomerate Sony.

The funding series has also seen the participation of venture capitals Alumni Ventures Group and Goal Ventures, as well as angel investors Marc Merrill, co-founder, co-chairman, and former co-CEO of Riot Games, and Dylan Collins, co-founder and CEO of SuperAwesome, a kid-safe ad platform recently acquired by Epic Games.

Anzu.io’s funding series coincides with the increasing popularity and market ‘boom’ of the gaming industry. Statistics from market intelligence group Mordor Intelligence estimate that the gaming industry’s value is expected to be around US$257B by 2025.

“Gaming is one activity that has exploded over the past year and increasingly an important advertising channel. In partnership with Anzu, together with our agencies, we can make it simpler for them to reach the growing audience in the esports and gaming space,” said Mark Read, CEO of WPP.

Through the accumulated funding, Anzu.io will be pushing its presence globally starting with the United States, followed by Singapore and China, and other core locations to be announced. With partner brands including game publishers Ubisoft, Lion Castle, and Nacon and global brands Pepsico, Samsung, American Eagle, and Vodafone, Anzu.io will feature advertisements of partner brands through programmatic technology blending of real-world ads into video games, esports tournaments, and live streams, enhancing games’ realism and transforming game objects into valuable advertising opportunities.

“Anzu has been delivering the technology they promised and growing their industry footprint. We are excited to join this funding round and support Anzu, entering a new phase of growth in in-game advertising. The company’s gamer-first attitude will enable developers to access new business models and bring advertisers closer to gamer audiences without disturbing gameplay,” says Gen Tsuchikawa, CEO and chief investment officer at Innovation Growth Ventures, Sony Innovation Fund.

Meanwhile, Itamar Benedy, co-founder and CEO at Anzu commented, “We are proud to have global leaders in advertising, entertainment, gaming, esports, and venture capital invest in Anzu’s next stage of growth. These trailblazers are the perfect combination of strategic partners to help us maintain our dominating position as we enter 2021.”

For Jens Hilgers, founding general partner at BITKRAFT, their recent participation at Anzu.io’s funding series means redefining the aspect of modern in-game advertising.

“Since our initial investment, the Anzu team has built the most sophisticated platform to deliver blended in-game advertising at scale in the higher-end games segment. The impressive line up of game integrations combined with brands executing unique campaigns on the platform has validated Anzu’s market position and technology,” Hilgers commented.

Singapore – A new exclusive partnership has been formed between ad platforms AdColony and Anzu.io, which entails AdColony to offer Anzu.io’s in-blend advertising solutions across both video and display to brands and agencies within the Asia Pacific.

The new partnership now allows seamless advertising to games such as custom-paint Formula One race cars or virtual perimeter of an in-game football studio, where brands can now create deeper levels of engagement with the gaming community.

Screenshot from Samsung in-game advertising campaign inside Axis Football (Credit: Anzu.io)

Alongside the partnership is a suite of industry tools, which includes campaign effectiveness measurement, fraud prevention, and ad verification for the first time to bring to fruition the in-game advertising integration.

According to their press release, more than 1.5 billion consumers in Asia Pacific are gamers, where70 percent play games daily on their mobiles. Furthermore, 40 percent claim to play more games since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Screenshot of an in-game ad from 7-Eleven mobile campaign in Gravity Rider Zero (Credit: Anzu.io)

“We passionately believe that gaming is the new and improved social media for marketers in terms of connecting with consumers at scale. This opportunity has been accelerated in recent months with the pandemic, and 2020 has seen an enormous uplift in the demand for new solutions for brands to reach gaming audiences,” said Tom Simpson, AdColony’s senior vice president for APAC.

He also added, “This partnership allows AdColony’s expertise in APAC markets to combine with Anzu’s global-leading blended in-game ad technology to offer a unique solution for brands to connect with consumers seamlessly in and around their favorite games. We look forward to pioneering new marketing offerings for our clients and delivering great work across APAC.”

Anzu’s CEO and Co-founder Itamar Benedy commented, “APAC is really the epicenter of worldwide gaming, and Anzu is thrilled to bring the combination of our programmatic in-game advertising experience with AdColony’s offerings to the region. This partnership represents a major opportunity for advertisers who are ready and eager to reach these ultra-engaged audiences.”