In a recent announcement, Simulmedia Playerwon Pcsfischeraxios announced that it has created playerWON — an ad platform that lets developers offer gamers the ability to watch 15- or 30-second ads in order to receive in-game perks.
I wanted to take a few minutes and tell you what playerWON is all about, why this might be something you’re interested in, and how it can benefit your company as well.
The PlayerWON ad platform, which is currently in beta, allows developers to reward users for watching video ads. PlayerWON’s CEO Simulmedia explained that “Game developers are continually looking for ways to make advertising more relevant. In a world where advertisers pay a premium for advertising in games, it’s important that brands are unobtrusive and add value to the consumer experience.” He added, “PlayerWON lets consumers have the experience they choose by giving them the option to watch an ad for in-game rewards or skip. The viewer decides if the viewing experience — ads or gameplay — is what they want. Our goal is to provide advertisers with the most effective way to drive ROI by providing brands with measurement and insight into ad views and engagement.”
In a recent survey of over 1000 players, they found that 50% of the respondents thought that in-game ad placements make it more likely to purchase a game in a store vs. streaming on demand or direct order (34.8%, 25.5%, and 30.6%, respectively). The same survey found that, “On average, players saw three (3) in-game ads during a 30-second video of gameplay.”
In order to be able to offer ads while they’re playing their games on consoles or PCs, players need to run an app on their device. This is why many gamers view the ads as intrusive.
Those numbers clearly show that if a video ad is being viewed while they’re playing their favorite game, the ad needs to be interesting, relevant, attractive and — most importantly — unobtrusive. Simulmedia is producing ads that are just as entertaining as the games themselves.
The key differentiator for playerWON’s platform is that, by offering a player a choice in whether to watch an ad for in-game rewards or skip it and continue playing the game, gamers are getting the experience they want. This is the holy grail for advertisers.
Most video ads viewers have to sit through an ad with no option to simply skip it, if they don’t find it relevant.
Another significant benefit for advertisers is that playerWON lets companies see statistics on how many times their ads are viewed, and whether or not the players choose to watch an ad or continue playing their game without viewing it. This way, developers can work with brands to show them which ads are the most effective (and adjust on the fly as necessary).
And finally, the in-game rewards can be created in order to draw specific demographics to the ads. This is a highly precise way for advertisers to get their message across — and even introduce a new product or service (pens, anyone?) to the gaming community.
The playerWON beta is free and easy for developers. As you can see from this short video , it’s as simple as installing an app, then adding playerWON’s inventory source into their ad server. The entire process takes under an hour, and developers can start viewing statistics on the number of views, whether the player chose to watch an ad or skip it, and even offer rewards to players who watch in-game ads.
But that’s not all — playerWON’s platform also has a wealth of analytics for developers and brands looking for more information about their audience.