Reaching gamers the right way: a brand advertiser’s guide to in-game ads

Mobile games reach a broad, engaged audience, yet many brand teams still treat them as a channel for app install campaigns only. That leaves a lot of attention on the table, and it also leads to poorly planned buys that annoy players. This guide explains who you actually reach in mobile games, which formats respect players, how to keep campaigns brand-safe and how to measure what matters to a brand.

Who plays mobile games

The stereotype of the gamer as a narrow demographic does not survive a look at mobile. Casual puzzle, word, trivia and simulation games draw adults of many ages and backgrounds, often playing in short sessions throughout the day. Strategy, sports and competitive games attract their own dedicated audiences.

For planners, the useful point is that “gamers” is not one audience. It is many audiences defined by genre, play style and moment of the day. A word game played on a commute and a strategy game played in the evening offer different contexts and different states of attention.

Plan by genre and context rather than by the single label “gaming”:

• Casual and puzzle games: broad reach, short sessions, frequent natural breaks.
• Simulation and lifestyle games: longer sessions, strong affinity with themes like home, food, fashion or travel.
• Sports and racing games: natural fit for sports, automotive and energy brands.
• Strategy and competitive games: highly engaged players with strong opinions about interruptions.

Why opt-in formats suit brands

In games, the best brand formats are the ones players choose. Rewarded video is the clearest example: a player opts to watch an ad in exchange for something useful in the game, such as an extra life or a bonus.

That exchange changes the viewing context. The player started the ad, expects it to run and has a reason to watch to the end. For brand advertisers, that means the message is delivered to someone who agreed to see it, rather than someone trying to skip it.

Other formats have a role too:

• Interstitial video at natural breaks, such as between levels, can deliver full-screen impact when paced sensibly.
• Native and display placements in menus and level maps can support reach and frequency with little disruption.
• High-impact display can carry strong brand creative when placed at pause moments rather than during play.

As a rule, the more a format interrupts active play, the more likely it is to create negative associations with your brand.

Creative that works in a game environment

Players are in a specific mindset: focused, playful and often on a short break. Creative built for other channels does not always translate.

1. Make the brand clear early. Even with opt-in formats, show the brand and core message in the opening seconds.
2. Design for sound off and sound on. Many people play with sound off; others play with headphones. Use captions and strong visuals.
3. Shoot or cut vertical versions. Most mobile games are played in portrait, and vertical video fills the screen naturally.
4. Match the tone. Light, energetic creative tends to fit game environments better than slow or serious spots.
5. Keep it honest. Avoid gimmicks that mimic game interfaces or trick players into clicking. They cost trust and can breach platform policies.

Brand safety in games

Brand safety concerns in gaming are real but specific. The usual risks are not news content or user comments, but the quality of the game, its audience and its legitimacy.

Questions to ask about any game inventory:

• Is the game itself appropriate? Some titles contain violence, gambling mechanics or mature themes that do not fit every brand.
• Who is the audience? Games that attract children fall under stricter rules and are unsuitable for many categories. Confirm how child-directed inventory is identified and handled.
• Is the app legitimate? Low-quality apps built to farm ad impressions exist. Curated supply from known publishers reduces that risk.
• Is the seller authorized? Check that inventory is verified through app-ads.txt and sellers.json, the IAB Tech Lab files that confirm who may sell an app’s ads.
• Is traffic real? Ask about pre-bid and post-bid fraud checks. Game inventory is not immune to invalid traffic.

Curated game environments, with known publishers and transparent supply paths, address most of these concerns before the campaign starts.

Measuring beyond the install

App install metrics dominate game advertising, but brand campaigns need different measures. Build a plan around what the campaign is meant to achieve:

• Attention and delivery: viewability and completion rates, reviewed by format and placement.
• Brand impact: brand lift studies run through a measurement partner, comparing exposed and unexposed groups.
• Reach and frequency: unique reach within the target audience and how often each person saw the ad, managed alongside other screens.
• Downstream outcomes: site visits, searches or sales, measured with privacy-safe methods.

Be careful comparing game inventory to other channels on click metrics alone. Players mid-session are often not looking to leave the game, which lowers clicks without lowering brand impact.

How to buy it

Most brands buy game inventory programmatically. Private marketplace (PMP) deals and curated deals give access to selected titles with agreed quality standards. Programmatic guaranteed deals suit campaigns that need committed volume. Open programmatic can add reach, with more attention needed on supply quality.

Ideally, game inventory sits in the same plan as your web, in-app and CTV buys, so frequency and measurement stay consistent.

Vortex Media gives advertisers access to curated game apps alongside web, in-app and CTV inventory, with transparent supply paths and brand-safe environments. Learn more on our advertisers page.