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1、Monetarizing the gaming universeHow ads in games can add to gamesIn-GameAuthorsKrzysztof Kania2023WhitepaperAdvertising(IGA)Making meaning without taking the fun out of the experience.The gaming industry has quietly grown to annual revenue of more than$200bn.According to some estimates,the gaming in
2、dustrys revenue exceeds that of movies and music combined.Outside of the interested public,however,only major deals,like Microsofts blockbuster acquisition of Activision Blizzard for almost$70bn in January 2022,make the general news.Given the size of the industry and the prevalence of gaming it is n
3、ot surprising that advertising in computer gaming has become a major industry in recent years.With the increasing popularity of gaming,companies began to recognize the potential for reaching a large audience through in-game advertising.Also,subscriptions for gaming(such as Game Pass for Xbox offered
4、 by Microsoft,which currently has about 25 million subscribers and Sonys PlayStation Pass which has about 29 million)seem to follow subscription services for TV streaming,such as Netflix,which in late 2022 announced the introduction of a basic plan with ads:Advertising with a dedicated and known aud
5、ience is too good an opportunity and too much revenue to pass up.2But does in-game advertising really work?While conclusive research has yet to supply a clear and overarching answer,it can be extrapolated that because game environments are designed to be highly engaging and immersive,and games are b
6、uilt to capture and hold attention,this level of engagement can be translated into brand awareness and recognition.In addition,specific demographics and audiences can be easily targeted and reached.The creative freedom that comes from not being constrained by the limitations of the real world of adv
7、ertising opens the door to a potentially new and effective advertising language,while still drawing on the rules and knowledge that govern advertising developed in classic reality.Due to its popularity and our 20 years of research technology experience,mobile gaming has been eye squares focus.We hav
8、e been leading research into measuring ad effectiveness in mobile environments and pioneering ways for game companies and advertisers to create positive human virtual world experiences.We do this through a unique neurosemioticresearch approach and in-context testing tools that focus on understanding
9、 whether a brand has achieved a meaningful level of attention through perceptual,implicit and explicit research methods.We also use our research technologies and experience to conduct research on desktop and console games for leading AAA developers.3In total,there are approximately 5 billion interne
10、t users,while around 3 billion people play computer games,with 77%of Millennials and 81%of Gen Z users playing regularly.Of these,55%are male and around 45%female,a surprising parity across the gaming spectrum.Most gamers view gaming as a positive experience,perhaps in stark contrast to the daily ne
11、ws,spending between 5 and 7 hours per week playing games.While its difficult to estimate the total potential audience for games,we do know that its huge:its a socially acceptable and natural form of entertainment for people of all ages,ranging primarily from children to people in their mid-forties.I
12、ts also truly global,even more so than music.Not surprisingly,93%of media buyers say they expect to buy advertising in video games by 2025.The MarketOut of 6 billion people,3 billion are estimated to play computer games77%of Millennials play video games81%of Gen Z play video games45%Female55%Male4Ga
13、ming was heralded as the next frontier for advertising in the late 1980s.This didnt materialize until only recently,as many technological barriers,such as long game development cycles;poor graphics;the lack of digital payment systems and ad placement capabilities made the entire process slow and dif
14、ficult,far outweighing the benefits that companies and gamers could gain from having ads in games.Nevertheless,some important lessons have been learnt and some channels,such as sports games(think of advertising in real-life sporting events:pitch-side hoardings,etc.),have gained some traction.Now tec
15、hnology has caught up:In-game graphics are great;ad payment systems are many and ad placement options are available.Many games played are now free and casual mobile gaming has become ubiquitous,making in-game advertising an essential part of the gaming economy.Technology51.Product placementThis invo
16、lves placing a brands products or services within the game itself,such as seeing a character drinking a particular brand of soda or driving a particular brand of car.Product placement can be an effective way to reach players because it makes advertising feel more natural and less intrusive.In 2020,M
17、cDonalds campaign in The Sims 4 successfully promoted a new home food delivery system by integrating McDelivery ads into the game,allowing players to order virtual food for their in-game avatars,with the chance to win real-world prizes.In NBA 2K,drinking a virtual Gatorade would generate virtual cur
18、rency that players could then use to buy in-game items-the increased brand awareness resulted in increased product sales.Nike has also extended its relationship with the NBA into the gaming world,ensuring its clothing features prominently throughout NBA 2k.Advertising ChannelsGenerally,there are dif
19、ferent means to connect ads and games:62.SponsorshipThis can involve a brand sponsoring a gaming event,such as a tournament or streamer,or a brand working with a game developer to create a branded game.This can be effective as it allows the brand to be associated with the gaming community and can cr
20、eate positive associations with the brand in the gamers minds.Musician Marshmellos Fortnite concert in 2019 attracted 10 million players,generating revenue throughvirtual album and merchandise sales.Mercedes-Benz works extensively with Microsoft on Forza Motorsport,launching new car models in the ga
21、me ahead of real-world premieres.Mercedes-Benz is also a sponsor of the ESL e-sport league,coming in second after Red Bull,who sponsor most League of Legends real-world events.3.In-game purchases.This can include items such as skins,weapons or other virtual items that can be bought within the game.T
22、hese purchases can be used to generate revenue for the game developer and can also be used to promote a brand or product.Gamers spend an average of$219 per year on digital assets(such as in-game purchases and virtual upgrades,real estate,and non-fungible tokens).Candy Crush is one of the most effici
23、ent games that generate millions by selling more lives,levels and power-ups to players,leading to a$5.9 billion takeover of the games developer King by Blizzard Activision.League of Legends,a free game that generates all its revenue solely through in-game purchases,is currently one of the most profi
24、table games in the world,with lifetime revenues at$1.9 billion between 2009 and 2020.4.In-Game-AdvertisingThis is advertising within the virtual world of the game.For example,billboards,posters and other forms of in-game advertising that can be easily placed within the game world,making them part of
25、 the game environment and adding to the realism of many of these games.The key to the system is that the content is displayed as an overlay during a game,without having to add features to the game itself,which would be costly and a greater burden on game development teams and brand teams.It can be a
26、n effective way of reaching players as it can be less intrusive than other forms of advertising.This is the form of advertising that seems most promising.It is generally well received by gamers and easy for a media buyer to use assets that have already been created for the brand.Its therefore a key
27、area of research for eye squares clients who want to understand its potential to attract meaningful attention from gamers.Energy drink manufacturer Red Bull extensively uses arena billboards in the vehicular combat game Rocket League the cooperation is so successful that Red Bull now also advertises
28、 on the games real-world e-sport events.7eye square has been testing ads in games around the world for over a decade and has one of the largest databases of ad attention in the world,with data from over 320 studies involving 340,000 participants.We run a dedicated in-game advertising research stream
29、 and test hypotheses about in-game advertising developed by our gaming tribe.eye square is also a research partner for some of the biggest gaming companies in the world,including Tencent.eye square research suggests that,as with other media,ad attention(and attention spans in general)in games is sho
30、rt.Attention in games seems to be more meaningful than in other similar media channels;perhaps due to the novelty of the concept,or the relatively focused attention to on-screen elements that gamers have whilst playing.Our Gaming Research8eye squares analysis of in-game advertising projects over the
31、 past decade found that attention to in-game ads tends to vary quite a lot but tends to last between 1.1 and 3.9 seconds,averaging 3.5 seconds:Social media ads hold attention for about 2.5 seconds,and open web ads for about half of that.The analysis suggests that for well-designed in-game ad placeme
32、nts,all players will pay attention to the ads at least once if there are repeated exposure opportunities within the game,as is the norm for many in-game ad placements,such as pitch-side hoardings in sports games.The vivid and repetitive nature of many of these placements means that an advertised bra
33、nd can show a lasting foothold in players memories.eye squares analysis showed that,as with all forms of advertising,there can be a wide variation in the impact of in-game advertising on recall and recognition of the advertised brand.The data suggests that the effectiveness of in-game advertising is
34、 in line with other similar advertising formats,with averages for aided recall and recognition of 29%and 49%respectively.9These findings match well with other studies on this topic.The Journal of Advertising Research study showed that participants pay more attention to in-game ads than TV advertisem
35、ents,and that games reach a wider and more diverse audience.Research by Lumen has shown players viewing in-game ads for an average of 2.9 seconds,with TV ads being viewed for 1.5 seconds.Nielsen found that in-game advertising can be more effective at capturing attention than traditional advertising.
36、The study showed that in-game ads were noticed by players 63%of the time,compared to TV ads,which were noticed 45%of the time.What is clear is that although these in-game ad moments are relatively short compared to,say,TV advertising,where youre forced to watch the whole ad as it takes over your TV-
37、watching experience,they are valuable because they can be effective even when they are short.All of eye squares research has shown that even in a digital environment full of competing stimuli and challenging mental tasks,people pay attention to in-game ads.This fleeting attention can be meaningful i
38、f the players brain is focused and processing,and the creative design fits the context and situation.10Ensuring this in-game fit is important,as on average around 50%of gamers were negative about any type of ad integration in the games they played(including sponsorship and banner ad formats).However
39、,when it comes to well-integrated in-game ads in mobile games,the analysis showed that around a quarter of all players were positive and the rest were relatively indifferent.The smoothness of ad integration(organic placement)is therefore especially important.The biggest challenge with in-game advert
40、ising seems to be the medium itself-a virtual world becomes harder to advertise in the further it moves away from our reality.On the other hand,realistic games such as sports games are an excellent platform for smooth ad integration and a much more cost-effective way of buying audience attention tha
41、n advertising within the live sporting event itself.The same problem of fragmentation and diversity of the gaming ecosystem that we see on the user side also applies on the supply side.Each game is a unique coding environment and standardised user paths are almost non-existent.This makes data analys
42、is and benchmarking difficult.However,as major game publishers and console manufacturers such as Microsoft and Sony introduce advertising into their product ranges,some form of measurement for accountability/predictability will need to be built into code development-and will probably bring about a d
43、egree of standardisation.11Preliminary ConclusionsIn-game advertising works best when it mimics real-world ad placements This makes sports games and games taking place in a“real”world a good platform for in game advertising.Games need to be prepared for in-game advertising from the get-goOrganic ad
44、placement can minimize negative user sentimentMobile is a“must”.Consoles are a“can”Freemium mobile games generate excellent ROI and are more accessible.Context countsFinding the right context to introduce ad placements is vital.Implementing ads into games that were not developed with this in mind is
45、 far more difficult and can be a lost opportunity.Especially important is that ad serving does not coincide with moments of“intense action”,instead appearing when action level has ebbed,ideally with a positive outcome for the player.12Advertising effectiveness and meaningful attention can and should
46、 be measuredWell help you in deciding on the best approach and methodology.We are the experts choice for scientific marketing and behavioral research in the electronic entertainment industry.eye square specializes in global research,working simultaneously across the world and adapting methodologies
47、to local cultural,business and technical challenges.Our methodologies range from in-depth qualitative interviews and desk research to implicit methods using the latest eye-tracking technology.Moderators and Research Managers are experienced electronic entertainment professionals,able to steer the pr
48、ocess towards stated goals and work efficiently directly with internal game development and marketing teams.Contact us to find out more!level-up your in-game ad performance with eye squareContactAssociate DirectorGaming tribe lead+48 534 417 294kaniaeye-Krzysztof KaniaDirector UK&Partner+44 77 29478
49、753tuckeye-Gareth TuckChief Revenue Officer&President eye square INC+1 917 523 0007bandereye-Jeff Bander13Imprinteye square GmbHBerlin,London,New York,Hong Kong,Tokyo,Kerala Schlesische Strae 29-30 D10997 Berlin T.+49 30 69 81 44 0 F.+49 30 69 81 44 10 E.eyeeye- www.eye- 2023 eye square GmbH,Berlin14Images are from Cyberpunk2077Real ads from Coca-Cola&Techniker Krankenkasse