Can mobile ad networks succeed beyond gaming? A recurring objective for mobile gaming advertising networks has been to expand to non-gaming clients. The allure is obvious: broadening the scope of both supply (advertising inventory) and demand (bids on inventory) beyond gaming could materially grow the revenue opportunity for these companies. A valid question to ask in considering the viability of a mobile gaming network expanding to non-gaming verticals is why it hasn’t happened at an appreciable scale yet. I believe three peculiarities of the mobile gaming advertising market — reliance on context for targeting, the ability for non-paying users to nonetheless be engaged, and the diversified strata of genres with mutual appeal — are clarifying when considering why mobile gaming advertising networks haven’t seen significant traction with non-gaming advertisers or publishers.
I'd add also how non mobile games marketing teams buy advertising - a lot more brand driven. Gabrielle Heyman has done a great job with this at Zynga - but I have yet to see programmatic non gaming buys really scale as you mention. It seemed like a missed opportunity when Facebook deprecated FAN.
Ken Harlan
1mo
MobileFuse is not yet at the scale of the large game ad networks, BUT we have the growth rates and momentum that may eventually get us there. You are totally right about the different metrics and measurement and how this is totally different. Once you have the agencies and platforms integrated, combined with the right mix of publishers and a relevant SDK for brand marketers, the upside is significant.
BoardActive
2w
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A bit late to comment but even during the heydays of AdColony (I’d argue was the best at this for a time) it was a nearly impossible challenge to balance gaming UA with brand ads. We had a great product for both but they operate on different paradigms. Times have evolved (M&A, ATT) but I think the challenge remains to where brands prefer brand-safe DSPs running traditional campaign-style rich mraid/rm ads through agencies and games supply is a clusterf$&@ of rewarded video ads and spam banners from aggressive perf marketers. Mobile marketing is fragmented.
Sony Joseph may be where ads, gaming and social overlap 👆
Independent analyst & investor. Proprietor of Mobile Dev Memo.
1moCan mobile ad networks succeed beyond gaming? https://mobiledevmemo.com/can-gaming-ad-networks-scale-non-gaming-revenue/