Mobile in-game ads

Marketers might find that in-game ads are a great way to reach mobile customers. Many mobile games are sold, and short ads with-in the game can help get your brand in front of consumers. The mobile gaming industry is still evolving, as the mobile industry as a whole is still in the evolutionary stages. Keeping this in mind will help you create a campaign that works best. Basically, the way in-game ads work is that when a player passes a certain level, completes a move, or has a natural break in play, an ad will appear. This ad can be pursued through the mobile device, or skipped. The user determines which by either clicking the ad (usually), or by clicking a button that says "skip" or "resume play". Consider your audience and if they are participants in mobile gaming, if so, mobile in-game ads might be the right marketing approach for you.

Here are some of the best practices for mobile in-game ads:
1. First, only use them if your target audience is likely to use gaming, and will engage with an ad that is run in a game. If you have had success with other gaming programs, this is likely a good choice or option for reaching more customers, and engaging your target audience. However, if not, it may be a waste of resources.
2. Choose the games you advertise on carefully. You can choose to advertise on specific games, and the gaming audiences for various games can differ in the extremes. Casual gamers, for instance, will have far different interests then those involved in games like Call of Duty, or other first-person shooter action games. So in other words, like most marketing, the best practice for in-game ads is to know your audience, and determine the best ads for that audience.
3. Start out slow. In-game ads are typically sold on a CPM basis. If you are looking to run ads in branded games, you will likely also pay a development cost. So, make sure you do not invest too much in the way of resources before you know your target audience will engage in gaming.
4. Always provide value. No matter what marketing option you choose to use, the number one thing you have to do is provide value to the consumer through interactions that appeal to them, entertain them, or provide them with something they need (such as information). You want to provide an experience that will grab customers, and make them happy that you interrupted their game with your advertisement. You can't do this if you do not provide value to them in some form.
5. Use in-game ads for branding. You can create an experience that is as entertaining as the game itself, and provides them with needed information at the same time. You want people to enjoy the distraction you provide, and leaves them feeling positively about your brand, your product, your service, or whatever the case may be.