SALISBURY, CT — The gaming industry has seen an unprecedented surge – but it’s not just about the games anymore.
The participatory generation is setting new expectations around media experiences, and brands must evolve to meet them.
That’s according to Sarah Stringer, EVP, Head of US Media Partnerships, dentsu Media.
The Shift in Gaming and Advertising
“The growth of gaming (among advertisers) right now is due to the accessibility of formats for advertisers now to take advantage of in games,” says Stringer in this video interview with Mike Shields for Beet.TV, highlighting how the gaming industry, traditionally focused on creating amazing games, has begun to embrace the advertising potential within games.
“We’ve really started to see the shift because it’s just become easier for advertisers to buy.”
This shift has been facilitated by the rise of third-party technologies, allowing developers to concentrate on their gaming experience while providing advertisers access to their live experiences.
Why Gaming May Change All Aspects of Advertising and Media: dentsu’s Sarah Stringer
The Rise of the Participatory Generation
The younger generation, growing up in a world where participation in media is a norm, is setting new expectations for their media consumption.
“Media experiences aren’t passive anymore,” Stringer points out. “They aren’t used to experiencing TV on someone else’s schedule. They aren’t used to experiencing social media where you just get a passive feed that’s not tailored to you.”
Brands, traditionally used to pushing messages, now have to adapt to this audience that expects interactivity. “Brands need to work through their own participatory strategies,” Stringer advises. “What does your brand footprint feel like if you don’t just get to passively see it or see a logo, if you get to experience it and have a conversation with it?”
She thinks AI will play a significant role, allowing brands to create personalities and set rules for interactivity at scale.
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Reality of the Metaverse
In the context of the metaverse and its associated hype, Stringer suggests brands should focus more on creating immersive experiences on a per-platform basis.
“I think really this idea of an interoperable metaverse is something that people are slowly backing away from,” Stringer explains.
“But I don’t think it should slow down brands thinking about how they should show up in an immersive environment.”
You’re watching coverage of Beet Retreat Berkshires, our latest Retreat in Salisbury, Connecticut — presented by Magnite, KERV & TransUnion. For more videos from this event, please visit this page.
