When it comes to marketing, we’ve heard it all before: go where your audience is. The thing is, we already know where they are… on their mobile phones! But how do we as marketers reach them in a tumultuous landscape made up of millions of applications? We’ve inundated consumers on social and traditional media, but mobile games represent an opportunity for a fresh start. And with over 203 million Americans spending thousands of hours monthly with mobile games, why aren’t more brands taking advantage of these brand-safe and “lean forward” environments?
Mobile gaming is bigger and more popular than most people realize. In fact, mobile games eclipse Hollywood global box office revenue ($50bn compared to $40bn). And yet, branded ad-spend on mobile games makes up a tiny sliver of the digital advertising pie.
Simply put, mobile games are misunderstood. For most, even the word “gamer” evokes images of youths playing console games in their parents’ basement. But that stereotype no longer holds true. Today at least 60% of U.S. “mobile gamers” are women. They also have considerable spending power: 37% of them make over $75k a year. So how do we address this sizeable chunk of the population—the people who are playing brain teasers, trivia games, and coloring apps, and include women and people of all ages?
Industry leaders have adopted a new term to better describe this diverse and massive demographic: “MOCA,” an amalgamation of “mobile” and “casual.” More than just changing our terminology, understanding this audience, their habits, and composition, is key to succeeding in an increasingly mobile-first world. To learn more about how brands are discovering new opportunities with mobile games, check out the infographic here.
To dismiss the mobile gaming space would be to dismiss the opportunity for premium, brand-safe, and high-performing inventory. With better understanding of this burgeoning landscape, brands and marketers alike will be empowered to tap into and engage with consumers living in an increasingly mobile-first world.