OFF THE CHARTS The comprehensive AdConsole platform from Bidstack displays real-time insights and data on in-game advertising performance
Open-world games with cityscapes can deliver billboards, branded vehicles, buildings and other surfaces for virtual ads. ‘Native’ placements that don’t disrupt the gaming experience are the key. “Successful brands within in-game environments are those that don’t elbow their way to the fore, but respect the importance of in-game interactions that are appropriate to the context,” says Niklas Bakos, founder and CSO of in-game platform Adverty, on the IAB UK website. “Research tells us that unobtrusive formats are often more effective than disruptive ones, and ads that reach out of the gameplay have a unique opportunity to enhance human connection, and even fuel creativity.” Indeed, the market for such native advertising is worth an estimated $25bn, according to in-game advertising platform Anzu. BIDDING TO WIN Technology company Bidstack offers a bespoke service for brands to place ads across a variety of games. According to Yasin Dabhelia, Bidstack’s
head of automation and demand partnerships, “Our tech is built around programmatic delivery of advertising into the gaming environment. We support any sort of game, whether that be mobile, PC console, VR or AR. The ad looks and fits within the context of the game – and we’re not interrupting the gameplay.” Bidstack was founded in 2015 by CEO James Draper, who came from an out-of-home advertising background and wanted to place it in a virtual space. “At the time, no one really saw gaming as a serious media channel,” says Dabhelia. “Advertising within gaming was always thought of as being intrusive, like rewarded video, where you can’t move forward until you react or watch the ads. In the past two to three years, we’ve started to see games such as Fortnite, and the metaverse, really grow with all these new opportunities. And
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