Levelling Up Marketing: Why Gaming is the Next Frontier for Advertisers

Gaming has evolved into one of the most dynamic and immersive spaces for marketers, offering unique opportunities to engage with highly attentive and engaged audiences.

But it’s a broad field, and navigating the complexities of advertising here can be daunting, given the myriads of formats, platforms, devices, audiences, and ecosystems. That’s why many brands stick with what they know.

But if you’re looking to explore the richness of highly attentive, multi diverse gaming audiences to your media plan, here are the questions brands most frequently ask me and my advice.

Why should advertisers prioritise gaming audiences in their media mix?

Advertisers want to connect with audiences who are fully immersed and emotionally invested in what they’re doing, not those passively scrolling. And this is precisely what gaming audiences offer.

A study from Activation Blizzard Media shows that gamers report feeling 57% happier and 67% more engaged during gameplay compared to consuming other digital media. That level of focus is gold for advertisers.

That’s why gaming audiences aren’t just a good addition to a brand’s media mix but a strategic move. If you want to foster deeper connections with consumers and build loyalty in ways your other channels can’t, advertising to this valuable data set must be part of your media planning.

What makes gaming audiences so valuable for advertisers?

Think about someone completely immersed in a game. They’re focused, excited and committed to solving the challenge. This level of engagement is rare. Gaming audiences aren’t just spectators; they’re participants. They’re deeply involved in their experiences, making deliberate decisions and forming emotional connections with the content they are wrapped up in. They are also very much at home in digital environments; they understand the value exchange of digital-first products and services in their world and are familiar with making purchases online.

For advertisers, this means an opportunity to connect with people who are already primed to pay attention and transact. A well-placed, thoughtful ad becomes part of their journey. Gaming audiences don’t just consume. They experience. This makes them uniquely receptive to brands that align with their world.

What’s critical is ensuring this alignment takes into consideration the individual, their interests, and their purchase intent. Getting this right means personalisation moves to the heart of every interaction, and it’s this relevance that gets you noticed.

What channels and formats should I be considering for gaming campaigns?

Effective campaigns extend far beyond traditional in-game advertising. While in-game ads are important part of the eco-system, brands must also consider the diverse opportunities to connect with audiences across multiple touch points. For example, sponsorship of major esports events or live streams associate you with highly visible moments of excitement and community engagement.

Alternatively, consider using high impact or dynamic ads, they capture attention quickly, resonate emotionally and leave a lasting impression. This creates meaningful connections that last beyond gameplay, whilst demonstrating that a brand considers each interaction with its intended audience to be considered driving consumer action and brand loyalty in an increasingly cluttered media landscape.

Finally, a multi-channel strategy not only amplifies reach but deepens audience engagement. Navigating multiple platforms for campaign activation often results in budget inefficiencies, overlapping audiences, and weakened messaging. This is where unified solutions become essential. By frequency capping at the user level, and tracking customer journeys over time, brands can achieve efficient media spend while building stronger connections with consumers ensuring every campaign becomes a seamless part of a player’s experience.

What role does programmatic advertising play in reaching gamers?

Programmatic advertising shouldn’t be just about serving ads. It must let you weave a persistent, meaningful communication thread between a brand and consumers. This makes it essential to use an identity framework that allows you to connect with gamers across the digital ecosystem – from mobile devices to Connected TV – and create a cohesive experience wherever they are.

Whether it’s a targeted display ad based on purchase behaviour or an audience extension from Linear to Connected TV, each campaign element must ensure precision and consistency. Only then can you maintain a single, unified conversation with gamers that reinforces your brand message and ensures relevance at every touchpoint. It all comes down to accessing the best data – both online and offline – so your campaigns don’t just reach your audience but resonate with them, programmatic is merely the vehicle to deliver the message effectively.

How should I navigate the diverse ad inventory available in this environment?

Take the classic marketing approach. Don’t focus on the format or the environment alone. Instead, focus on reaching your gamer audience throughout their entire journey, online and offline.

Gamers are a diverse group with varied interests, and their engagement with gaming extends far beyond the screen. Casual mobile gamers, for example, have different behaviours and preferences to hardcore console or PC players.

Success here comes down to working with the right partner. Only then can you bring together all the key elements, including essential consumer insights, access to the right inventory and channels with the ability to understand, reach, and engage with gaming audiences across the entire ecosystem, whenever and wherever they may be.

How should I be measuring my campaigns?

Get to know your customers at an individual level. Instead of relying on surface level metrics like clicks and views, that only tell a part of the story and don’t provide actionable insights, focus on achieving a holistic understanding of your customers in three key areas:

1. Cross Channel Behaviour allows you to track how your audience interacts with content across platforms to uncover buying behaviours.
   
2. Device Usage allows you to understand where and how your audience engages – mobile, desktop, console and CTV.
   
3. On and Offline Spending will connect online behaviours with offline purchases to see the complete impact of your campaigns.
   

By integrating these data points you’ll gain a full picture of your audience’s journey, enabling better marketing attribution and sharper decision-making.

How can Epsilon help me navigate the challenges of such a cluttered media landscape?

The gaming landscape alone can feel like a maze, but we will be your map. From understanding the nuances of player types and intent to strategic audience insight and efficient, multi-channel performance, we can guide you every step of the way.

Take the findings from the IAB State of Data Report (2024).This highlights fragmentation as a top challenge. Our end-to-end solution lets you focus on crafting those compelling stories that connect with audiences at an individual level using the power of the CORE ID whilst our tech stack handles the complexities of cross device and cross channel delivery to reach in market consumers. It is our robust identify solution that delivers cost efficiencies by frequency capping at the individual level.

So, if you’re looking to take advantage of a highly engaged, audience, capture their attention wherever they are in the digital world, discover new audiences and stand out in this fast-paced and competitive arena reaching them in innovative ways, contact me at chris.cairns@epsilon.com, and we can discuss your challenges.