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<ul><li>Sandeep Balani - Head of India - outbrain writes how marketers can use new behaviour to draw people into their advertising in a Cookie-less world. </li><li>He highlights how marketers and brands will need to work harder to know their users personally, and to find out what type of engagement works best through testing this new landscape.</li></ul>The great fear for many marketers as we head boldly into 2021, after a year that threw a lot of spanners into the works, is the upcoming removal of cookies from <keyword id="182214" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Chrome">Google Chrome</keyword>, the last of the web browsers to support that collection of <keyword id="8669862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Third-Party-Data">third party data</keyword>. This change to how we track users is going to cause shockwaves through the industry – it is estimated to be used by around three billion people globally. But that doesn’t mean this update will be a bad thing. Cookies made everything straightforward. It was easier to address audiences at the right time and harvest that third-party data. Now we have to get creative to make up for that signal loss. Consequently, we’re heading into a Cambrian Explosion of new types of targeting and storytelling. It’s a very different world we’re about to enter into, but luckily we have time to plan and prepare. We can expect there to be two paths we take following the deprecation of cookies: We as an industry need to go deeper on first-party data. Data collected from emails in the meantime is going to be the most important to harvest. I expect we’re going to see a lot of new technical solutions surrounding how you implement data across your different marketing channels. Testing and learning will be crucial when there isn’t anything we can do to identify users precisely. In light of that, we can expect more A/B testing and experimentation with solutions using second-party data and seeing what results we get back. From there we will start to see what’s important to look for following the removal of cookies and what isn’t. I also think we’re going to see a big step up in native’s role in advertising. Storytelling is now becoming much more important as it won’t be as easy to find users at exactly the right time. Now we’re going to have to pull the user into our story, which means we will have to look at presenting it in different stages of the user journey and ensure the message is relevant. The reality is that we have had some time already to prepare for this change, and luckily COVID-19 has pushed away this transition a bit. But the main issue is that we don’t know what the world is going to look like when these changes do happen in 2021. It’s key to look at how the technology providers will integrate new approaches, but there is still mass uncertainty around what that will look like. This means flexibility is vital. We now need to be very attentive, see what is actually happening and where it’s happening. From there we can take advantage of this opportunity quickly, which will drive innovation for the next year. One exciting development over the last year, for example, was New York Times offering a different type of contextual targeting than we were used to. It started targeting readers with emotion-based targeting, which was appealing to advertisers looking for better ways to target readers. Labeled ‘Project Feels’, it is a product that matches ads to people based on emotion, which The New York Times knew it had a big space to exploit because of the breadth and depth of its content. Users lingering on a certain categorised emotion of a story, such as ‘confident’, ‘inspiring’, ‘sadness’ or ‘hate’ would then be matched up with an advertisement that fit into those categories. The New York Times is using this new technology to push the envelope and extend the definition of contextual targeting. It is trailblazing to target attributes that have never before been possible; emotions, controversy and social engagement. Now with proper storytelling we can target users based around emotions and feelings, such as a live sports event or concert, and see whether these particular pieces of content make people more enthusiastic about the future, or more careful. Looking forward, we know users are less likely to click on ads that don’t make sense or don’t mean anything to them. This means the behaviour of the user on publisher sites is going to be much more of a focus in future. This includes how fast users are reading articles and dwell time on certain sites, as this shows a level of engagement marketers will now be looking for. This new type of targeting based on behaviour that happened immediately before the ad is served is going to be fascinating to watch. Cookies might have provided a scattergun approach to targeting audiences, but now we look forward to a different future. One where marketers and brands will need to work harder to know their users personally, and to find out what type of engagement works best through testing this new landscape.

Cookies were a sugar fix for marketers, but now it’s time for some real nourishment

<ul><li>The gaming industry has been very responsive to the shifting consumers needs which has led to a widening of its consumer base.</li><li>Gaming is no longer just for kids, and this presents a huge opportunity for marketers.</li><li><keyword id="7705644" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sandeep-balani">Sandeep Balani</keyword>, Head of India, <keyword id="1817861" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Outbrain">Outbrain</keyword> writes about some of the <keyword id="6684484" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="biggest-trends">biggest trends</keyword> in the gaming industry and gives a few tips to marketers to make the most of this growing trend.</li></ul> Trends change the face of industries, but hardly any other has been as digital and responsive to shifting consumer needs as the gaming industry. The effort has certainly paid off, as interest in games isn’t ‘just for kids’ anymore. In fact, while physical game distribution has been on the decline for years, the industry has expanded its reach and made itself closer to the <a href="https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/newzoo-games-market-numbers-revenues-and-audience-2020-2023/">2.7 billion</a> gamers worldwide. Digital business models have not only changed who buys or the way people buy, but also the content of the game itself. As a result, it has created opportunities to optimise marketing and build stronger customer loyalty for brands. We look at the most important trends in the industry and give tips to marketers. 1. It’s not just the launch that counts In the past, big budget games were rushed to meet their release dates and make a return on investment. Marketing was carefully timed for the point of launch to make the most impact, as the majority of a game's revenues were generated in its first few weeks. Today, however, many publishers and developers incorporate <a href="https://scalexm.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-games-as-a-service-gaas-model/">Games as a Service</a> (GaaS) to continuously supply new content, as game revenue in the first few weeks after launch now account for only a small percentage of its total. In fact, the majority comes from in-game content; Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V, originally released for the Playstation 3, is the classic example with its spin-off version GTA Online. Seven years after the original GTA V release, it has become the most popular entertainment property of all time, thanks to its add-on content that makes up <a href="https://www.superdataresearch.com/2019-year-in-review/">78% of its $1.4 billion total revenue</a>. Still capable of topping the charts, the game is set to be re-released for <a href="https://blog.playstation.com/2020/06/11/grand-theft-auto-v-coming-to-playstation-5-in-2021/">Playstation 5</a>. What this means for marketing: Ideally, marketers not only promote the game through advertising, but are also involved in product development from the outset. The challenge is to find the right balance between long-term monetisation and an engaging gaming experience, because players will turn away if monetisation is the core of the game -- <a href="https://www.ccn.com/2k-gambling-children-nba-2k20-teaser/">NBA 2k20</a> being the most recent example. Visiting in-game shops should be an option to incentivise players to unlock special skills or benefits, not be the only way to advance in a game. 2. Earn money with a free-to-play model $1.8 billion in revenue, from a game that's free? Fortnite did just that last year as the highest earning game. Through this model, revenue comes primarily from in-game purchases, where players buy additional content for real money. Fortnite might now be a well-known game, but there’s a reason for that and it isn’t an isolated case. In fact, the four best-selling free-to-play games had a turnover of <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/fortnite-highest-earning-game-2019/#:~:text=Global%20phenomenon%20Fortnite%20retained%20its,staggering%20%241.8%20billion%20in%20revenue.">$6.5 billion last year</a>. <keyword id="9998643" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="popular-game-apps">Popular game apps</keyword> are in no way inferior, as the sales of <keyword id="1739317" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Candy-Crush-Saga">Candy Crush Saga</keyword> and Pokémon GO have now generated over <a href="https://gamedaily.biz/article/1432/report-candy-crush-soda-saga-breaks-2-billion-in-revenue-sensor-tower">$2 billion and $3 billion in lifetime revenue</a>. A mobile market where new app games are produced daily makes it all the more impressive that these publishers (and marketers) know how to get players to spend. What this means for marketing: Surprisingly only a small percentage of users make in-game purchases, with estimates ranging from 5% to 18% depending on the region. This makes it crucial for marketers to identify higher lifetime value customers, because it's not just the download that matters, but the revenue that a customer generates over time. Doing so depends on targeting ‘high-spenders’ over those who may download but move on to the next app that intrigues them. Marketers should test several channels, including social networks and advertising on the open web, in addition to App Store platforms. Secondly, invest in the gaming community to feed enthusiasm for your game over a longer period of time. Lastly, there’s the type of purchase; while some apps favour a subscription model, others rely on a one-off payment, for example to unlock additional levels. This can be of benefit, as players are introduced to in-game purchases without having to subscribe right away. 3. Time in the game is crucial In a game’s development phase, care is taken to ensure that customers play as much as possible to increase the probability of in-game purchases. This is done by implementing frequent daily rewards or time-limited events, under the notion that the longer players spend time on a particular game, the greater the probability that they will spend money. What this means for marketing: Marketers should learn from subscription apps, where the strategy includes a long-term plan that combines in-game content with ongoing marketing efforts, not just a plan for launch. The most successful game apps launch different "seasons" of a series following a release, thereby offering new content. This is communicated to gamers over a longer period of time, which can be done via earned and owned media. In-game events, or cross-promotions, can provide additional attention. 4. <keyword id="1615130" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-Distribution">Digital distribution</keyword> is becoming increasingly important While there are still holdouts who <a href="https://nomorepeter.com/2020/01/24/the-reasons-why-some-gamers-still-prefer-physical-games-in-a-digital-world/">prefer to buy physical games</a> for reasons such as technical superiority or the personal desire to create a physical collection, the number of digital sales continue to rise. In the U.S., 83% of all video and computer games were sold digitally. Did you know the current <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/consoles/xbox-one-s/all-digital-edition">Xbox One S</a> even has a cheaper, all-digital version? Yes, without a drive. Sony also has something similar in the works for its upcoming Playstation 5. What this means for marketing: As games move swiftly to digital, so must its marketing and communication, and why not when it only takes a few clicks from seeing an ad on the web to downloading and testing a game? Moreover, there are ad formats that perfectly replicate, and even enhance, the in-store feel for customers to get a sense of what a game is all about. Some game publishers also rely on digital launch events with additional incentives, or use crowdfunding simply to generate more attention, even when financing is already secured. 5. Stream or play? Tyler Blevins, the gaming streaming star also known as "Ninja", earned up to $30 million per year just to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/23/21299479/mixer-closure-streaming-talent-war-ninja-shroud-twitch">exclusively play games on Microsoft’s Mixer over rival streaming platforms</a>, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon’s Twitch. That alone should say enough about how important the streaming market has become to the gaming industry. What this means for marketing: Streamers are important because of their impact as influencers, but they are only affordable for a few gaming publishers. Focusing on certain niches and streamers with a smaller but loyal fanbase can be just as worthwhile. Ubisoft’s Hyper Scape video game took the combination of streaming and gaming to the next level in increasing viewership before the big reveal, as players could earn early access to the beta by watching Twitch streamers play with hopes of being the next randomly selected to join the game. Such collaborations can then be expanded via other media channels, which in turn attracts even more attention and brings other streamers onboard. Marketing within the gaming industry has become increasingly challenging because most games want to occupy the limited time customers have, for as long as possible. It means marketing should already be factored in during a game’s development, and be continued at product-level after its launch. Leveraging a long-term plan and relying on a mix of channels and collaborations are as important as ever for marketers to lead their brand to success.

A new player in the game: How 5 developments in the gaming industry influence marketing

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Cookies were a sugar fix for marketers, but now it’s time for some real nourishment

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A new player in the game: How 5 developments in the gaming industry influence marketing

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