Gaming, entertainment and mobile channels are converging in new ways that are breaking video advertising out of the TV screen. For mobile gaming, this means it’s prime time to capture more video advertising, by offering a more engaging experience to users already receptive to accessing entertainment on a cellphone screen.
“I would argue that in today’s day and age, mobile has turned into the first screen,” says Gabrielle Heyman, vice president of global brand sales & partnerships for Zynga, the parent of blockbuster games such as Words with Friends and Match Factory. Consumers today spend an average 4 hours and 37 minutes per day on their phones – over 6 hours daily among the Gen Z public – and games are so engaging and interactive, it makes mobile gaming an obvious media buy.
“The concept that you put video on video channels is antiquated. You can put video in gaming channels,” she said. “Mobile gaming has huge reach in the U.S. and Globally, and it should be considered a must-buy.”
Marketers still consider mobile gaming largely as an experiment, but it is ready for a prime-time slot, said Heyman. It offers a brand-safe environment, and it has inventory, especially in an election year, when the scatter market for TV ads will be tight with political advertising buying up all available time.
“I think that brands are still playing catch up when it comes to gaming, because there is a legacy perception that video is only purchased on video platforms,” said Heyman. Mobile gaming is “cordoned off as its own little thing.”
To be sure, most adults are still consuming most of their entertainment on the larger TV screen, but Heyman noted “the advantage of mobile gaming is it does give you flexibility in terms of what time, when, and how you’re reaching this person throughout their consumer journey during the day.”
Gaming is ascendant and mobile gaming in particular lends itself to video advertising in a way that gives other video channels such as CTV a run for their money. It’s no coincidence that video streaming services such as Netflix are prominently displaying games among their entertainment offerings. Even the New York Times has found more engagement in their games than on their new articles. Brands have started to take notice, leading the IAB to launch an annual Playfronts presentation for media buyers three years ago, to showcase the opportunities for brands in gaming.
“All of these companies have layered on gaming as a way to increase engagement and keep people on their property,” said Heyman. “That should give brands a clue to where they should be allocating their budgets—to channels that still have that deep attention and deep time-spent environment.”
The profile of mobile gamers does not match with the gamer stereotype: the audience skews female, many are over 35 and have children; they are tech-savvy, early adopters and Shopper Moms. Research conducted profiling Zynga’s gamer audience found that 90% are entertainment consumers, 63% go out to restaurants and 78% shop online (Source:YouGove Active Mobile Gamer Study 2024).
Consumers carry their phones with them and return to their games multiple times per day, giving mobile gaming an advantage over TV. Additionally, consumers are already tuned into video on the go—via social media, streaming apps and other platforms.
Fun & Interactivity
“There’s a reason why almost every single platform has gamified the experience, whether it’s the streamers or whether it’s apps like Duolingo or MyFitnessPal,” said Heyman. “Gaming is engaging and it drives results because of the interactive environment.”
The users are already ahead of the media buyers in engaging with ad messages on mobile gaming. YouGov also found that 73% of Zynga gamers feel the in-game ads offer a unique way to learn about products and brands and 58% feel more connected to brands when they see an ad in a game they’re playing.
Zynga has leaned into the interactivity to create “playable ads,” bite-sized games that serve to engage gamers, which also include a video message. It created a simulated scratch-off game to introduce players to a trailer for Jackpot, a Prime Video movie with a lottery plot, and a makeup game to lead into a video for a beauty brand’s mascara line.
“Fun and interactivity is paramount to nailing it inside gaming,” said Heyman. “We leverage the attention and engagement of consumers that’s found in mobile gaming to advertising experiences. To bring more attention and time spent with the brand’s message ultimately drives the KPIs that brands are desiring.”
Creatives may have their doubts about the ability to make compelling ads for a smartphone screen, but Heyman said that proximity–and the fact that consumers carry them through their day–can be an advantage on its own.
“Your TV is 12 to 15 feet away from you. Your phone is six to eight inches away from your face,” she said. “With aspect ratios and depth perception, what really is the bigger screen?”
For media buyers, mobile gaming offers a landscape that is still relatively uncrowded, as opposed to other video channels. The market is dominated by two players, Zynga and rival Activision. Much like the days of three broadcast TV networks, media buyers are not faced with a fragmented selection and don’t have to choose one over the other when allocating their budgets. There is very low duplication in audiences between the two, Heyman noted: “So brands should be putting both of us on their plans to reach audiences.”
Additionally, as the nation races to the final weeks of the 2024 election, mobile gaming has inventory available for brands that are being crowded out of other traditional TV channels. Zynga has an extensive list of ad blockers, which includes political advertising, to protect the player experience in-game. While local and national broadcast and cable inventories are running low due to election media buys, mobile gaming offers “a safe space” said Heyman.
The challenge ahead for mobile gaming is to educate brands and agencies about the evolution of video in gaming as part of the main plan. “Zynga wants to eventually participate in the video upfronts and become an integral part of the media plan for brands, not an experiment”, said Heyman.
So will 2025 finally be the year Mobile Gaming becomes a must have for Video buyers? You tell us.
