In-game ads Archives - Page 2 of 2

Singapore – As more brands are now engaging and putting up ad space inside in-game environments, computer software company Oracle has announced the launch of a new ad measurement technology to measure ad performance within 3D game environments.

The launch was done in line with Oracle’s update of its Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience (CX) suite, which include impressions delivery and general invalid traffic (GIVT) measurement for PC, mobile, and web-based gaming environments in Oracle Moat Measurement.

Oracle Moat, part of Oracle Advertising, helps brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms solve their biggest media measurement challenges across digital and TV. The measurement suite includes solutions for ad verification, attention, brand safety, advertising effectiveness, and cross-platform reach and frequency.

“As the gaming industry continues to grow and become a key area of investment for advertisers, it’s crucial that advertisers can measure whether an ad was served to a human and detect any fraudulent ad activity inside games,” said Derek Wise, chief product officer at Oracle Advertising.

Oracle’s ad measurement tool launch best responds to the exponential growth of the gaming industry, expected to grow by US$56 billion in 2024, according to recent data from analyst firm Omdia. Advertisers can engage new audiences with this fast-growing channel, but it can also be a target for advertising fraud.

“Today’s industry-first announcement represents an important step forward in understanding ad performance in 3D in-game environments. We’re proud to be able to equip advertisers with the confidence and tools they need to make more informed buying decisions to reach these highly engaged audiences,” Wise added.

Oracle Moat works closely with other in-game advertising platforms such as Anzu, Bidstack, Adverty, and Frameplay, and enables advertisers to effectively measure impressions and GIVT to determine whether an ad was served to a human and to avoid ad spend on invalid traffic or fraudulent activity. By measuring impressions and GIVT, advertisers can make more informed decisions around their investments and better protect ad spend.

Shanghai, China – In-game advertising solution Anzu has announced that it is now entering the Chinese gaming market, and has sought Chen Zeng to lead its expansion in Mainland China as its strategic partner for China.

Anzu’s expansion speaks for its previous goal after it concluded its US$9M series funding last February this year led by WPP and Sony.

In regards to Zeng’s background, Zeng is an industry professional with more than 15 years of experience in the IT industry and an impressive track record of building technology-focused advertising brands in China. Before joining Anzu, Zeng spent five years as the General Manager of mobile ad tech Glispa China. He was also the head of sales at mobile marketing company MobPartner China, as well as leading InMobi China’s business development team.

Speaking about the partnership, Zeng said, “I am beyond excited to assist Anzu with its expansion into the region. Anzu’s unique and creative platform is a game-changer and Chinese advertisers and game developers will be eager to tap into the power of this disruptive technology. I am committed to seeing Anzu’s operations in China succeed and have no doubt that success is only moments away.”

Anzu has always ramped up its global presence prior to its China expansion, as it has forged partnerships with companies such as Eskimi and AdColony to bring in-game advertising to a greater reach, as well as with game developers like those of the game World Cricket Championship.

“Anzu has been operating in the APAC region for some time, but expanding to China specifically brings us one step closer to becoming a company with global operations. As the number one gaming market globally, China is overflowing with opportunities, and this partnership helps circumvent the Great Firewall,” said Itamar Benedy, co-founder and CEO of Anzu.

He added, “I’ve known Chen since the days of Glispa and am thrilled to be working with him again on this joint venture which promises exciting synergies for the local gaming industry.”

Australia – In-game advertising platform Frameplay has partnered with Livewire, the global game technology, entertainment, and marketing company, to provide in-game inventory to marketers across the APAC region.

The partnership will see Livewire offering Frameplay’s advertising inventory to the market at a preferred partner rate, helping brands expand their audience through buying strategic in-game advertising, which is an effective cookieless alternative. It will also enable advanced insights into diverse gaming communities at scale.

Livewire will be offering the exclusive inventory to advertisers in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as the Philippines, and India, among others, allowing brand exposure to targeted geographic or global audiences. Furthermore, the partnership with Frameplay enables Livewire clients to have access to over 190 million daily impressions and premium game inventory across millions of mobile, PC, and console devices.

According to Scott Linzer, the senior vice president of business development at Frameplay, the platform’s product launching in 2020 allowed several global brands like Pizza Hut and Energizer to experience their brand lift benefits.

“We are excited to bring this same opportunity to APAC advertisers through our strategic partnership with Livewire, which is a leading global gaming marketing company for brands,” said Linzer.

Indy Khabra, the co-founder and CEO at Livewire, commented that they are thrilled to add Frameplay as an exclusive partner to their growing gaming client base and extend Livewire’s APAC footprint as a leading game technology company.

“The region is a very important market strategically, especially for mobile gaming and it’s great to be launching with the premium game inventory. The partnership with Frameplay works side by side with Livewire’s vision to meet the growing demand for inventory that is brand safe, viewable, and unintrusive to the next generation of consumers, while still being highly measurable for brands and marketers,” said Khabra.

Israel – Anzu.io, the global in-game advertising platform, has partnered with the full-stack programmatic and data platform Eskimi, to increase opportunities for brands to access the exploding gaming market through in-game advertising.

Anzu provides fully blended in-game ads in recognized IAB standards, making the platform fully aligned with the programmatic standards and bringing scale to in-game advertising, while Eskimi is a full-stack programmatic platform that helps advertisers reach global online users utilizing innovative and creative solutions.

Through OpenRTB integration, the partnership aims to create opportunities for brands to programmatically reach diverse, engaged, and lucrative gaming audiences via display and video ads across mobile, PC, and console platforms. The targeted regions of the partnership are Africa, Asia, and CIS, as well as Europe, and MENA.

Yaniv Rozencweig, the director of business operations at Anzu, said, “Anzu’s blended ads enhance games’ realism and transform game objects into valuable advertising opportunities, all while respecting gamers by not disrupting the gaming experience – crucial for game developers and brands alike. We are pleased to partner with Eskimi to reach even more advertisers across hot gaming geographies who are excited about the potential of in-game advertising.”

Meanwhile, Monika Poškutė, the head of marketing at Eskimi, shared that they are constantly working on improving their services and innovation, as well as the user experience in the world of digital advertising.

“Our partnership with Anzu brings the best of in-game advertising solutions to our clients across the globe. We look forward to working with Anzu to educate clients about the capabilities and benefits of gaming as a mainstream digital advertising medium,” added Poškutė.

Singapore – Mobile ad platform AdColony has announced that it has struck a sponsorship deal with the popular mobile game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang through a partnership with Mana, a Singapore-based gaming and esports brand consultancy firm.

The partnership entails AdColony to offer brands in Southeast Asia a streamlined approach to sponsorship and advertising in esports alongside their investment in gaming. In addition, brands who wish to amplify its presence with mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) esports can turn to AdColony as a one-stop shop, powered by its comprehensive expertise and offering in in-app advertising.

Furthermore, AdColony’s integrated advertising technology platform allows targeting and retargeting of consumers between esports and gaming properties, meaning brands can reach audiences at multiple different points of the marketing funnel, across different ad types and formats, even bringing e-commerce into play.

For Tom Simpson, SVP at AdColony APAC, their recent sponsorship deal will allow them to be “hyper-focused on connecting brands with consumers across gaming and esports”, noting that “this partnership is an important pillar for 2021.”

“Mobile Legends is one of the key games to unlock the esports market in Southeast Asia. This partnership with Moonton enables us to help brands interact more easily with the growing passionate and engaged mobile esports audience alongside their ongoing investments in broader gaming-focused advertising and communications,” Simpson said.

Such sponsorship deals speak to a larger demand brought by the esports industry nowadays. It is estimated that by 2023, it is expected that the number of frequent viewers of esports worldwide will hit almost 300 million, a vast increase from the 173 million in 2018. In addition, a report by consultancy firm McKinsey addresses the monetary growth in the esports industry as it has gone from $950 million in industry revenue in 2019 to an expected $1.1 billion after 2020.

AdColony notes that mobile tech and handset manufacturers, male grooming, soft drinks, and snacks are the most common and active brands in esports at the moment, and price wars have been prevalent in markets such as Vietnam and Indonesia for premium esports rights, as brands are willing to pay a premium to lock out their competitors for extended periods.

“AdColony aims to simplify this process of esports rights and sponsorships price discovery and sponsorship for brands,” Simpson said, noting that many of these esports sponsorship opportunities get locked out due to competition.

Esports tournaments are still in demand, and have migrated online due to the offset of last year’s pandemic. According to Moonton, the game developer behind Mobile Legends, viewership levels in 2020 have set a record level in Indonesia, peaking at over 2.8 million concurrent viewers with over 67 million hours watched in total. The Philippines MPL also reportedly had a peaked viewership of over 757,000 concurrent viewers and over 21 million total hours watched.

“This partnership with Moonton comes hot on the heels of the news that AdColony and Mana, the Singapore-based gaming and esports brand consultancy firm that connects brands with the gaming and esports industries, has teamed up to help brands simplify the way they can get involved in the global gaming and esports ecosystem”, commented Jamie Lewin from Mana.

In November 2020, AdColony also signed an exclusive partnership with global in-game advertising platform, Anzu, to offer Anzu’s market-leading blended in-game advertising solutions across both display and video to brands and agencies in Asia Pacific.

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.”