How playable ads create lasting memories and increase positive brand awareness for advertisers.
John Bauer— Gameloft
Originally posted at Medium.com May 14, 2018 · 4 min read
Guest post by Casey Campbell, Senior Director of Advertising at Gameloft North America. Originally posted on his LinkedIn.
The goal of advertising is to introduce a brand and its message to interested users. Making sure users remember the ad and the brand’s message is how advertisers achieve that goal. The logic is simple: The best ad in the world means nothing if no one remembers the brand behind the message.
Measuring this concept of brand awareness is how advertisers effectively use advertising, and the importance of accurate metrics is magnified in the cluttered digital ad space where any given creative will be competing against billions of others.
An ad in the digital ad space has to be able to stay in the minds of users and catch their attention, but standing out is never enough. A highly creative and memorable ad that users cannot identify with a brand has no value.
Advertisers in the digital ad space have the difficult job of not only making sure a creative stands out, but that it creates a solid association with the brand, verifiably increasing brand recall.
Brand Recall and Playable Ads
Creating positive brand associations ensures a lasting impression on users by improving brand recall. The idea is that with a strong positive memory of the creative, users will more easily remember the brand.
One increasingly popular way to engage with users on mobile is through playable ads, or “minigames” featuring recognizable elements of the brand presented in fun, accessible gameplay. The tangible interaction with the brand that is only possible on tactile platforms like mobile has shown to increase unaided brand recall by 28% (The Power of Touch in Media, 2014).
With a gamified format like playable ads, the positive brand association is created at every point of the ad. The format invites users to interact with the brand in a fun and engaging environment. This gamified association then has the ideas of playful fun at its core and is what gives branded minigames such a leg up on the competition.