Connected TV (CTV) marketplace Media Pulse, a Blue Ant Media company, has signed an exclusive Canadian partnership with Anzu, a global in-game advertising platform. Media Pulse will exclusively represent all of Anzu’s in-game inventory for Canada, covering popular gaming titles across platforms.
Non-intrusive in-game advertising lets advertisers connect with hard-to-reach, highly engaged audiences. The platform enables the integration of brands into gaming experiences through Anju’s partnerships with companies such as Ubisoft, Socialpoint and Gameloft.
According to Anzu, 23 million Canadians play video games, representing 61% of the population. In-game ads also target a diverse age demographic, since generations of adults have been part of the gaming ecosystem and are now introducing this activity to younger family members.
Deborah Gurofsky, co-founder and VP partnerships for Media Pulse, says audiences range from core 13-to-24-year-olds that use their free time playing games, but there’s also a wider spectrum of audiences that range all the way up to 50-plus casual gamers playing on their phones to console or PC gamers.
Gurofsky says that Media Pulse can take standard IAB display formats, or standard video formats, and build them into the fabric of the game. “If you are playing a soccer game in a stadium, we can brand that stadium with a digital display banner. There are creative tools that are built into the platform so that the banner starts to become texturized within the game. It really feels natural.”
Designed to bring a sense of realism and immersion into the gameplay experience, in-game ads reflect real life marketing by appearing in locations where gamers would expect to find ads such as billboards, bus stops or on the side of vehicles.
“We’re constantly being bombarded with messages and it’s almost like we’re underwater and need to come up for air. As an advertiser, it’s becoming increasingly important to make sure that your message is not only reaching people, but that it’s resonating with people as well. Gaming is a place where people are going to be more susceptible to absorbing your ad content. This is a place where people actually enjoy seeing your ads.”
