Study: In-game ads pushing engagement

Most in-game ads are considered rewarded advertising - a gamer chooses to watch an ad within their game to gain extra lives or open extended content.

"These findings provide a clear indication of what many of us in the industry already know -- that by integrating rewarded ad experiences into the mobile games that consumers love, brands are able to achieve a significant lift in nearly all important branding metrics," said Julie Howell, Mobile Director - Carat. "These types of ads are so powerful because they put consumers in control, allowing them to choose which ads to engage with, at which time, in what way, and as a result they help forge a much deeper connection between brands and consumers than brands are able to establish through any other types of ads."

Some interesting findings from the report include:

• Aided awareness increased 7.6x (vs. mobile norms)
• Mobile ad recall increased 2x
• Message association increased 5.3x
• Brand favorability increased 3.3x
• Liklihood to recommend increased 1.4x
• Purchase intent increased 2.3x

"The mobile ad market is growing quickly, but many advertisers are still trying to find the right formula to meet their branding and overall advertising goals," said Steven Millman, SVP, Research at comScore. "This study with Tapjoy shows that mobile ads, when integrated into mobile games at contextually relevant moments with the right rewards, can deliver strong branding results that help advertisers meet or exceed their objectives. As more brands prove out the efficacy of their mobile ads campaigns, we should see this segment of the digital ad market realize its full potential."

Tags: advertising trends, comScore, in-game advertising, mobile game trends, mobile marketing, Tapjoy