In-game ads on Anzu captured attention for an average of 3,442 seconds, outperforming traditional online ads’ benchmark of 1,416 seconds per thousand audience impressions. The on-screen visibility rate for Anzu ads was 99%, above the usual 87% for online video.
But brand recall, outside of streaming on Twitch, was below average for gaming compared to other media Dentsu has measured.
“In gaming environments, there’s a lot going on,” said Kevin Villatoro, director of global media partnerships for Dentsu Media U.S. “If it’s a shooting game or racing environment, things are moving pretty quick.” Not all video ads are optimized for those environments, he said, which he believes accounts for the disconnect between above-average viewability and attention but below-average brand recall.
Overall, gaming came in with an “attentive cost per 1,000 impressions” or a CPM, of $3.38, which is more efficient than overall Dentsu norms. In part, the efficiency comes from much of the inventory being bought programmatically, Villatoro said.
Twitch, on the other hand, “considers themselves a pretty premium video environment, so they demand a higher premium,” he said. “But, if you look at the attention, brand recall and brand lift, you’re OK. Now, all of a sudden, the price kind of makes sense.”
“These results reinforce what we’ve been saying to the industry for a long time—that gaming is one of the most engaging and impactful media channels for brands,” said Jordan Shlachter, head of research for Activision Blizzard, in a statement.