It is why the business opened its ad inventory direct to marketers four months ago and why it has recently started talking to them like a media owner rather than a publisher. Simply put, this shift means it no longer peddles a performance-based model based on cost-per acquisition, and instead stresses the ability to drive brand-led metrics now that it sells its own media.
It is a risky and somewhat old-fashioned approach at a time when publishers are opting to sell through networks or programmatically in an attempt to maximise their ad yield.
However, this means brands are more likely to buy blind from publishers, claimed Gameloft’s UK and Ireland country manager David Whitby. Instead, the company combines user data from either Facebook Connect or Google Play with data from its games to create what Whitby said is a “fairly good profile” with which it can sell.
To get brands onside, it is introducing a flurry of formats, from videos that play between levels to branded in-game events in the hope of giving its native media a different slant versus what’s on offer from other publishers. And while the ads are proving effective, with its videos getting upwards of 65 per cent for completed views, there is still a massive job to become an influential player in the mobile space.
“Every planner you talk to says mobile is a nightmare because they don’t know where their booked ads are running. If you didn’t know what TV ad slots you’d bought it would seem ridiculous but on mobile its considered acceptable right now for some reason,” said Whitby.
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