If you haven’t heard, where have you been? Gaming is the next big thing for marketers, so that means one thing – it’s-a game time! Arke recently attended the 2021 Mobile Gaming Summit, leveling up our knowledge of the gaming world and its marketing opportunities along the way. 

Today we’re revealing a few of the easter eggs we put in our basket whilst attending the seminars. Let’s dive into mobile gaming and its ecosystem for marketers. 

Gen Z: How Brands tap into mobile to access young audiences 

Jonathan Chambers and Luke Garden of Generation Media revealed some interesting stats about Gen Z and their interactions with mobile devices.

According to their insights, 40% of all Gen Z are regular mobile gamers, with millennials and Gen X not far behind. Though Gen Z may be leading the battleground, this doesn’t mean other generations are not vital in gaining traffic. Through Giraffe Insights, they found that 64% of Gen Alpha are gamers and prefer to play games on their mobiles rather than consoles.

Why is this? One factor could be that the mobile gaming environment is integrated smoothly into your device (for example, the App Store on iOS). The ability to click, download and play takes no longer than checking Facebook. Additionally, mobile gaming removes the extra step of learning a controller layout for a console; it’s all in the fingers. 

If this trend continues, there’s no doubt that mobile gaming will be a mainstream media channel. You’ll also be gaining the attention of other audiences who might not even know what a “Fortnite” is, as 54% of parents with 6-12-year-olds prefer buying into brands their children favor.

The engagement with mobile gaming will only increase if companies continue to bring the big brands to the small screen. Call of Duty, for example, has made waves in gaining a mobile audience, which is impressive when you take into account the franchise has previously been on home consoles and PC only. 

A fantastic addition to mobile gaming for marketers across the world is pop-up ads. These ads are prominent in apps that are “free-to-play”, which are monetized through sponsorship or in-game currency. A great example of how these ads are implemented would be Candy Crush, which offers users to purchase a “1 UP”, which lets you keep playing if you watch an ad. 

These ads are essential for the commercial side of mobile gaming. 69% of the Gen Z population spend more than 2 hours daily on their mobile phones; 59% of that time is spent in a gaming app. So if your target market is under 24 years old, there’s massive potential.

Get good with your ad creativity! 

The ads that play through mobile gaming apps should be unique and not just dragged and dropped from another platform. They can be, but they’ll likely not work or engage your audience.   

66% of Gen Z say that they prefer short-form content (they are the TikTok generation after all), so keep it short – we recommend under 30 seconds, and you’ll notice engagement soar. Additionally, getting creative with your ads could potentially increase leads. Interactivity creates consistent engagement with your audience, and we’ve seen this with brands that you wouldn’t correlate with the video-game world. 

A Game-Changer 

A shockingly unsurprising (yet still vital) statement that came out of the summit is that the marketing environment for mobile gaming is constantly changing. 

Oscar Clarke of Fundamentally Games broke down the impact of operating systems on the mobile gaming market. Apple’s new update, IOS14.5 and its privacy protection implementations (which you can read all about in our blog here) will only increase the barriers between users and ad placement. 

These data protection policies are radically affecting the mobile gaming world, as only 20% of users are signing in and accepting ads on mobile games. These changes will only increase as online data protection continues, meaning marketers will need to rethink several factors to keep ahead of these challenges. Here are some options to consider:

• Double down on creative design so that people feel inclined to watch your ads.
• Target user interest groups. 
• Integrate campaigns – Unified multi-channel messaging will get the awareness of your brand out there. 

The key takeaway? Mobile gaming is massive right now and has opened all-new creative avenues for you to get your ads on! Just remember; keep those ads short and with the platform in mind whilst rewarding your audience. Would you like advice with the ever-changing world of privacy, or are you looking to elevate your advertising strategy and get your brand seen in new places? Contact our marketing gurus today.