Beyond Gamer Stereotypes: How Brands Can Win with In-Game Advertising

Highlighting the power of reward-based opt-in engagement and video game advertising with Unity’s Ari Brandt

Think “gamer,” and you might picture a headset-wearing, console-wielding player. But here’s the reality—your mom playing Words with Friends or your partner swiping through Candy Crush are just as much a part of the gaming world​. Gaming isn’t a niche—it’s mainstream, spanning all ages, devices, and demographics. So why are advertisers still struggling to see its full potential and get in on the action?

To win in this space, brands must expand their approach. In-game advertising works best when it’s additive, not intrusive. Rewarded ads, for example, create a triple win—advertisers see higher engagement, developers retain players, and users get rewarded for their time​. During DISQO’s Playing to Win with Cross-Media Plans and In-Game Advertising Webinar, Ari Brandt, Global Vice President at Unity Grow Programmatic Solutions, unpacked the playbook for brands looking to integrate gaming into their media mix, proving impact with smarter, identity-based measurement.

Q: How have gaming audiences evolved in terms of demographics and engagement?

First, we need to reframe the way we think about gaming audiences. The term "gamer" is outdated, especially for mobile players. Traditionally, "gamer" was used to describe console players, but that’s not who mobile gamers are today. A subset of mobile users fits that mold, but most mobile players don’t identify with that term—and that’s a critical shift advertisers need to recognize. 

Take my mother, for example—she plays Words with Friends regularly but wouldn’t call herself a gamer. My wife plays Candy Crush and Two Dots, but again, she wouldn’t consider herself a gamer either. This is the reality of mobile gaming today—it reaches a massive, diverse audience across all demographics.

With over 1.5 million games in the App Store, there’s a game for everyone—whether it’s puzzle games, first-person shooters, or anything in between. DISQO’s In-Game Advertising report shows that 70% of U.S. adults play on mobile devices, making this a highly engaged and valuable audience.

Beyond social and TV, gaming is where consumers spend their time—often in multiple sessions per day. It’s no longer a niche activity; it’s a mainstream media channel that should be a core part of any advertising strategy.

Q: What are the biggest misconceptions brands might have about gaming audiences?

First, one of the biggest misconceptions about gaming audiences in general is that gaming is a passive activity—it’s not. Playing a game is an active, lean-in experience, which makes it an incredibly valuable space for advertisers. Compared to watching Netflix or other streaming services—viewers often lean back with their phones in hand, spending more time looking at their mobile screens than the TV itself. Gaming is different. When people play, they are fully engaged with their devices, making it one of the most powerful and high-attention media environments, which is a huge advantage for advertisers. 

Another misconception is that gaming is only for certain demographics. The reality is that gaming audiences are incredibly diverse. Whether you’re advertising a men’s grooming product, a feminine care brand, or anything in between—you can reach a highly engaged audience in mobile gaming. The key is delivering the right ad experience, as gamers are receptive to advertising when it’s relevant and well-integrated into their experience.

Q: How can advertisers create non-intrusive, engaging in-game ad experiences?

To start, let’s agree on one thing—no one likes to be interrupted, which is especially true when someone is fully engaged in playing a mobile game. That’s why rewarded advertising is the gold standard for opt-in value exchange that benefits everyone involved.

For those unfamiliar with rewarded ads, it’s exactly what it sounds like—the player chooses to watch an ad in exchange for in-game rewards. I call it a triple win because multiple things are happening at once. First, the advertiser gets higher engagement because the player actively chooses to engage with their content. Second, the game developer benefits because the player stays within the game loop, which is critical for retention. Third, the player is rewarded for their time and attention, making the ad experience feel valuable rather than disruptive.

The data backs this up. A Pocket Gamer study found that four out of five mobile players prefer rewarded ads, and eMarketer reported that 76% of players favor rewarded ads over mandatory or interstitial ads.

So, to answer the question, advertisers can create nonintrusive, engaging experiences by making relevant, rewarding, and thoughtfully integrated ads into gameplay. Strategically placed ads should feel like a natural part of the game—not a disruption but an enhancement to the player’s experience.

Q: What are some best practices to ensure advertising enhances the gameplay experience?

The best ad formats are playable and interactive—no question about it. Ads should engage the user and mimic as much of the gameplay as possible, integrating seamlessly with mobile functionality.

The goal is to allow a brand to share its attributes without forcing the message in front of the user. A great example would be a word search game designed for an automotive brand—let’s say Lexus. In the game, words like “sleek,” “fast,” and “efficient” could be featured, so while the user is playing, they’re also organically learning about the brand.

That’s the ultimate objective—the user should have fun, learn something about the brand, and walk away with a positive attitude. When done right, in-game advertising doesn’t feel like an interruption—it becomes part of the experience.

Q: How does Unity's data improve media planning and drive better ad performance?

First and foremost, contextual targeting is critical. At Unity, we use genre-based targeting, leveraging demographic insights tied to specific game types to ensure ads reach the right audience. With Unity powering games on over 5 billion devices globally, we have access to a massive amount of first-party data, giving us deep insights into player behavior, cross-device activity, and engagement patterns.

Right now, first-party data is more important than ever. With the deprecation of IDFA and Google’s Ad ID, advertisers are losing access to traditional tracking methods. That’s why Unity is doubling down on privacy-first, contextual solutions that allow advertisers to reach users effectively without relying on outdated identifiers.

Unity Vector, announced by our President and CEO, Matthew Bromberg, during our latest earnings call, is a big part of this shift. This is a huge step in fully leveraging the power of our first-party data to help advertisers target, optimize, and measure their campaigns in ways that weren’t possible before. By leaning into contextual targeting and first-party insights, we’re giving advertisers a future-proof way to reach players in a privacy-compliant, effective way.

Q: What key metrics matter for measuring in-game ad success, and how do ad formats affect measurement?

First and foremost, it all depends on the advertiser’s specific goals and KPIs. At Unity, we have thousands of companies and campaigns running, and the KPIs vary greatly depending on what the marketer is trying to accomplish.

That said, the industry, including mobile gaming, still largely focuses on legacy KPIs like click-through rates, video completion rates, and viewability. These are table stakes and shouldn’t necessarily go away, but we can’t evaluate a campaign's success solely based on those metrics.

That’s why we work with DISQO to measure deeper impact metrics like brand lift, purchase intent, and awareness. These net promoter score-type metrics are critical for validating a campaign's success—they go beyond surface-level engagement and show what’s resonating with consumers. We can then return to a brand and say, "Look, purchase intent is up, awareness is up." This resonates with the CMO, and it’s critical for us. 

Different ad formats also play a vital role in measuring success. Time spent and engagement are critical, and we know that running ads in mobile games leads to high time spent and engagement rates. Those are the key indicators of success that advertisers should focus on. At the end of the day, while traditional KPIs still have a place, brands should look beyond clicks and impressions.

Q: How has DISQO's identity-based measurement improved full-funnel ad effectiveness for your team?

We work with DISQO for many reasons, but one of the biggest advantages is the ability to showcase the full impact of mobile gaming campaigns. It’s about measuring reach and understanding how these campaigns drive brand lift, shift consumer perception, and generate tangible business outcomes.

With DISQO, we can go deeper into engagement data, analyzing how users interact with custom ads and, more importantly, how those engagements lead to meaningful actions down the funnel. This level of insight is essential for proving the effectiveness of mobile gaming as an advertising channel.

Additionally, DISQO helps us identify how specific audiences over-index and scale within mobile gaming, providing valuable guidance on where to optimize campaigns to improve performance. These insights allow us to deliver stronger results for brands, making our partnership with DISQO an essential part of our measurement and optimization strategy.

Q: How does DISQO's measurement platform enhance your in-house capabilities and fill gaps for Unity?

One of the biggest gaps DISQO fills is real-time reporting and pulse checks, which allow us to make smart mid-flight optimizations based on live data—something we couldn’t do without DISQO. This ability to adjust campaigns on the fly ensures we’re constantly refining performance and maximizing results.

Another key value is how DISQO’s data complements our own, creating a valuable feedback loop that helps us refine best practices, particularly with custom creatives. Understanding what’s driving real business outcomes allows us to continuously improve campaign effectiveness.

And finally, one of the most important aspects of our partnership with DISQO is its role as an unbiased third-party measurement provider. As a platform like Unity or Zynga, it’s difficult to grade your own homework, so having a trusted, independent measurement partner like DISQO validates the true impact of our campaigns. It ensures we get an objective view of performance, giving us and our advertisers greater confidence in our results.

Q: How does DISQO's partnership enhance Unity's offerings to brands?

First off, we love the partnership with DISQO and do everything we can to leverage a DISQO study with every campaign we run. Of course, we take full advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate how gaming drives brand connections and influences consumer behavior.

This is critical because we’re not looking for one-off advertisers—we want repeat customers. And to build that trust, we need data to prove gaming’s impact. Measurement isn’t just about one campaign—it’s about helping brands see where gaming fits into their larger strategy. Over time, we can show trends, optimize based on insights, and leverage the volume and DISQO to deepen client relationships.

Another major benefit of the DISQO partnership is the level of detail we get from their measurement. We’re not just reporting on campaign performance—we’re helping brands understand how to invest in gaming as a long-term part of their media strategy. 

Q: As gaming monetization evolves, how do you balance advertising with maintaining a positive player experience?

Understanding how users’s receptivity to ads is critical. Everything starts with the user or player experience—if we want our message to resonate, it has to reach them when they’re open to receiving it.

I’ve always liked the saying, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” Just because you can serve an ad at any moment doesn’t mean you should. That mindset applies to ad placement and ad cadence, ensuring that advertising enhances the experience rather than disrupts it.

Whether it’s through contextual targeting or other data-driven strategies, it’s all about delivering the right ads to the right people at the right time. This requires constant testing and optimization. At Unity, we use Level Play mediation, which allows publishers and developers to A/B test ad placements to ensure they drive engagement without causing players to leave the game.

Ultimately, this is why we work with DISQO—their measurement helps us understand how ads resonate with consumers and ensures that advertising in games remains effective and player-friendly. 

Q: What in-game advertising innovations will emerge in the next two to three years?

One of the biggest innovations we’re seeing is the rise of shoppable and e-commerce integrations in gaming. We already work with many retail media networks, and we believe there’s a huge opportunity for gamification to merge with shoppable experiences.

Whether you call it immersive, intrinsic, or interactive advertising, the ability to create shoppable moments within native gameplay will be a game-changer. With over 1.3 million games available, there’s massive potential to integrate products seamlessly into the gaming experience.

Another major shift is happening with data and addressability. Advertiser access to user data is becoming more challenging, so first-party data—captured in a privacy-centric way—will be critical. We want to be at the forefront of that transformation, ensuring that brands can reach their audiences effectively while maintaining consumer trust.

One important point is that mobile as a medium deserves a complete mindset shift. Forget about gaming for a second—mobile isn’t the second screen anymore. It’s the first screen. From time spent to attention levels, mobile is the dominant platform, and it’s time we see that reflected in media budgets.

Looking beyond mobile, I also see a growing opportunity for gaming within CTV. The technology isn’t quite there yet, but companies are already working on ways to bring mobile and casual games to big screens. It’s an area to watch as the hardware evolves.

Finally, I think AR and VR are having a second coming. When Oculus first launched, there was a lot of hype, but the technology wasn’t quite ready—it was too expensive and too cumbersome. Now, with better hardware and more investment in the space, AR and VR gaming are making a comeback. That opens the door for new advertising opportunities within these immersive environments, and it’s an area where Unity is already involved.

Q: How can advertisers connect brand lift to actual consumer actions like site visits and purchases?

More and more of our advertisers are running brand performance campaigns—meaning they are branding campaigns with a performance element. This directly ties into site actions, purchase intent, and other down-funnel behaviors.

We spend a lot of time focusing on down-funnel metrics, and this is the future of advertising. CMOs today aren’t just accountable for running awareness campaigns—they need to prove their impact on business outcomes. That means bridging the gap between brand awareness and actual consumer actions like site visits and purchases is more important than ever.

Q: What's one thing you wish more advertisers understood about in-game ad measurement before launching their campaigns?

There are two key things I wish more advertisers understood. First, stop using the word "gamer." We’ve talked about this from the beginning, and while it’s not directly tied to measurement, how we address this audience matters. Calling them “gamers” reinforces an outdated stereotype that doesn’t reflect today's diverse and engaged audience playing mobile games. Marketers need to shift their perception and recognize mobile gaming as the mainstream media channel that it is.

Second, work with DISQO. Advertisers are just starting to realize the full value of mobile gaming ads, and DISQO’s measurement solutions are proving their effectiveness in ways many brands didn’t even realize were possible. The more campaigns we run using DISQO’s services, the more brands see firsthand how mobile game advertising can drive real impact.

Want to dive deeper? Watch the full discussion to learn how to maximize the impact of your in-game advertising!  

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this content are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of Unity. References to third-party products, services, or organizations are for discussion purposes only and should not be considered an official endorsement by Unity.