Advertisers have opportunity to lean into gaming and connect with audiences

A recent BSI blog on the opportunity in gaming spoke to the rise of newer, more engaging formats for gamers as we approach a Web 3.0 metaverse. This gives us pause to think about advertisers need to understand how to meet those opportunities head on by getting involved and pushing the envelope now. What is the opportunity worth? In order to get a clearer picture, let’s look at some newer stats. 

The Digital Marketing Institute claims, “the gaming industry will be worth $257 billion in 2025. 2.5 billion [people] around the world playing games, across all demographics.” Furthermore, USA Today has illuminated why the gaming industry is something the digital advertising community can no longer afford to treat as a mere option. It is clear from several sources that during the pandemic, gaming served as stress relief, distraction, connection/socialization, and education for people who did not have the opportunity to connect in real life. Advertisers have an opportunity to insert themselves in this increased gaming activity, as long as it is in a contextually relevant manner.

Integral Ad Science recently released figures from their research around how gamers feel about ads in their space: 

-69% of gamers are open to non-disruptive in-game ads 

-61% of gamers prefer to see ads that are related to the content of the game they are playing 

-44% of gamers say they are likely to avoid purchasing from brands that advertise near risky gaming content.

Advertisers have an opportunity here, to connect with a wide spectrum of audiences across platforms. The industry just has to seize that opportunity, and use the data to make informed steps in the right direction.