Mobile game developer opinions on advertising as a revenue source have shifted drastically in the past year. A survey by deltaDNA found that 49 percent of free-to-play developers view in-game ads as “an important monetization opportunity” and 21 percent claim that ads “enhance player progress,” almost double from last year. Just one year ago, 51 percent saw ads as a “necessary evil,” marking an almost complete turnaround.
The research also finds that rewarded video ads are now the most used format at 58 percent of all games, with standard video ads and banner ads lagging behind at 38 and 34 percent, respectively.
A new survey by Innovid indicates that marketers are grading themselves harshly when it comes to their video advertising efforts. Just 6 percent characterized themselves as innovators in video ads, despite 80 percent expecting an increase in their video advertising budgets in the coming year.
“Many marketers seem to be coming down hard on their own video marketing efforts, but it is also clear that there is so much untapped potential and optimism about video marketing and its impact on consumers to be harnessed in the year to come,” said Beth-Ann Eason, president of Innovid.
According to Innovid’s analysis, the three major factors holding brands back with video ads are limited budgets, lack of internal experience and lack of prioritization of the format.
Global smartphone shipments are expected to reach 1.5 billion units in 2018, according to new research by Digitimes, growing 5 percent annually. Much of this growth is expected from emerging markets in Southeast Asia, South America and Africa, with phone shipments projected to increase by 60-to-70 million units per year through 2022.
(Editor’s Note: This post will be updated until Friday, December 1.)
