Insights with InMobi: Candid Conversations with Asia’s Marketing Leaders - Elvin Rahardja, Head, Google Marketing Platform, Google
Gaming has emerged at the forefront of the entertainment sector and the explosion of mobile gaming across the globe, especially witnessed in Southeast Asia has been a trend to watch out for, paving way for unexplored opportunities for brands
In our third edition of Insights with InMobi series, Sudhanshu Saxena, Director, Supply & DSP Partnerships, Southeast Asia at InMobi is joined by none other than Elvin Rahardja, Head, Google Marketing Platform, Indonesia at Google. Join them in this interactive session as they discuss the lucrative opportunities that lie ahead for brand advertisers in gaming, strategies that brands need to implement to make the most of the wave, and many more such useful tips and tactics. You can check out their full conversation in the video below:
Sudhanshu: Many experts are stating that there are close to 2.7 billion mobile gamers now across the globe. To put things into perspective that is pretty much 70% of the world's smartphone population. From an advertising lens, what do you think is the perception among advertisers regarding the gaming opportunity in Southeast Asia?
Elvin: We have received a lot of requests and questions from advertisers who want to learn more about gaming. I think their appetite to be involved in the gaming industry is getting bigger. However, there are a couple of trends or perceptions that we can observe.
1. There are still some misconceptions about the gaming advertising industry that stand out, most prominently in two areas - gender and age. There are many advertisers who still presume that gaming is an urban, young male-dominant interest. However, based on the recent study that we have done, we found that 40% of the gaming communities are in fact, female. This is quite a substantial audience that brands can look to leverage.
2. Given now that there is easy access to data in smaller towns, we have seen that there are more audiences that live in tier-two cities compared to urban areas which is opposed to the popular stereotype. This is especially coming into play in Southeast Asia where games are being consumed more as they get more localized.
3. Despite the gaming boom, I believe that gaming advertising is still in the nascent stage. Brands are still trying to figure out how to best leverage this industry and what their game play should be. Now is the time for brand advertisers to leverage the momentum because everybody is trying to play in this area. And given the sheer size of the audience, brands should try to get there as fast, and as soon as possible.
Sudhanshu: Absolutely, I agree. What do you think a brand has to do to embrace the potential of gaming? In your experience, what do you think are the top concerns within the in-game advertising for brands that exist today?
Elvin: There are three things that I have seen that brands can do to embrace the potential of gaming. Firstly, I think we all agree that creative plays a big part in how communications are being conveyed and being received by the consumer. On our platform, we have had a couple of studies that show, what kind of creative elements work in each category. I have also seen that there are a lot of brands trying to gamify their ads, which is great. This increases not only the reach, but also in-app engagement.
Secondly, advertisers need to pay attention to the platform and placements when they are advertising, whether it is in-game advertising or built-in and so on. The other, is platforms which is where brands reach gamers. We have seen on our platform - YouTube, that 20% of our diamond creators (creators with over 10 million subscribers) are now coming from the gaming community.
Thirdly, brands need to understand that gaming is a very tight-knit community. There are a lot of gaming events happening, both at a small and a big scale which are opportunities for brands to successfully tap into.
I also believe that brand safety in this kind of environment is critical. There are a lot of steps that are being taken by many platforms like YouTube and InMobi to ensure that brands put their ads in a safe environment. It is important for brands to have these conversations with their media providers or their media agencies.
Sudhanshu: Very true. As far as brand safety is concerned, you now get all of that in mobile gaming. While we understand that gaming on mobile has arrived big time, what would it take to scale adoption of ad spend?
Elvin: In my view it is very easy to scale given the nature of the ecosystem that we have. It is essential for brands to understand game developers, supply providers, supply aggregators, and the platform. When you understand all these elements, then you can form the right strategy. We have seen how rewards-based access works in driving more engagements towards the brand, because people want to get their rewards to continue playing. Brands can also leverage the streaming platforms and in-app inventory to scale. I think this is where programmatic solutions can cater to the brand’s needs and help them scale quickly.
Sudhanshu: Well, that is quite interesting. If you had to give your top three tips to advertisers who are looking to tap into mobile gaming opportunity, what would those be?
Elvin: I would say that brands need to understand their target audience and look beyond the generic stereotypes. Brands need to identify where their consumer is and understand the potential of their audience and ultimately achieve bigger scale and impact in totality.
I also think it's very important for brands to understand their ecosystem and scale their efforts as much as possible. Gaming is for everybody. When you're sponsoring a certain tournament, or you're putting an ad in one game, it doesn't mean you reach everyone.
My last tip would just to be get started. Everyone is at the nascent stage right now, and it is critical to get ahead in the learning curve. One of the easiest ways to get started is in-app advertising, and as you build on your expertise on gaming, there will be many more avenues to explore.
To know more about the latest mobile trends, advertising best practices, and the changing consumer landscape in Southeast Asia, download our 2021 handbook, Marketing in the Era of Mobile.