Gaming: Brands as Essential Partners
IN GAMING , THE BRAND MUST BE A USEFUL PARTNER
GAMELOFT HAS JUST ANNOUNCED A SERIES OF APPOINTMENTS AT THE HEAD OF GAMELOFT FOR BRANDS AND NEW AMBITIONS FOR THE ENTITY SPECIALIZING IN IN-GAME ADVERTISING AND THE CREATION OF GAMIFIED EXPERIENCES ON BEHALF OF BRANDS. JEAN-BAPTISTE GODINOT, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND THIERRY LECAT, VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION AT GAMELOFT FOR BRANDS ANSWERED OUR QUESTIONS.
DOES THE NEW MANAGEMENT OF GAMELOFT FOR BRANDS HERALD A CHANGE OF DIRECTION?
Jean-Baptiste Godinot : The company has continued to reinvent itself since its creation in 1999 to go from a simple mobile games publisher to what we are today, an international cross-platform games publisher with a network global distribution and B2B services, of which Gameloft for brands is a part. Since 2014, this division has offered to put gaming at the service of brands, via an advertising management activity and a consulting and content development activity based on our DNA gaming. Like large communications groups, Gameloft for brands brings expertise in consulting, media, creation and production linked to video games, which is the leading entertainment industry in the world, under the same roof. The new management is part of a desire to accelerate on this subject, driven by the growing appetite of brands for this media which has been ignored for too long.
In 2022 we launched COMBO!, a premium in-game advertising network that allows brands to reach more than 1 billion active monthly mobile players in a brand safe universe. In 2024 we are extending our expertise to the PC and console ecosystems.
Thierry Lecat : The new management continues the story to which it has contributed for a long time since Jean-Baptiste and I have been working at Gameloft for seventeen and fourteen years respectively! I would like to take this opportunity to point out that this new management of Gameloft for brands is also made up of Christelle Llobet, Vice President of Operations and Hugues Ossart, Senior Global Marketing Director. Our team today has 140 talents dedicated to creation, both to reach audiences on installed games and to create new content. The new management therefore does not foreshadow change, but it does reflect new ambitions.
HAS ADVERTISER DEMAND CHANGED?
Thierry Lecat : Brands are starting to understand that gaming is a very strong medium for creating connections with targeted audiences in specific worlds. Active audiences (since they play) but also captive. Through gaming, we offer them an immersive experience where the brand can develop storytelling, but also the possibility of interacting and chatting with a community. For Ferrero and its Kinder Surprise, for example, we extended the possibility for children to play with the famous surprise by bringing it to life in augmented reality.
HOW CAN WE CAPITALIZE ON THE ENGAGEMENT OF PLAYERS WHO ARE CAPTIVATED BY THEIR GAME AND WHO THEREFORE DO NOT WANT TO BE BOTHERED BY ADVERTISING?
Jean-Baptiste Godinot : In reality, they accept and appreciate advertising when they can derive real benefit from it in their playing of the game. For example, a saving or a boost in resources to continue a course, improve a character, etc. Advertising must therefore be useful and position itself as a partner: this is what determines the user's consent!
Beyond the general consent of use in the world of games in Europe, we rely on contextual and audience studies per game to develop the most relevant media plans. We regularly question our audiences on many subjects, their consumption patterns, their perception of this or that service or trend, etc.
HOW DO YOU USE THIS INFORMATION?
Jean-Baptiste Godinot : They allow us to reassure advertisers about the image of gaming but also to go further in our proposals. In 2022, we decided to give substance to our media value proposition by creating the COMBO! brand. which aims to make tangible the possibility for advertisers to reach more than 1 billion players around the world in a safe and measurable way. We are currently working to refine this brand by developing new affinity offers, with the aim of reflecting the diversity that exists in the gaming population: a console gamer often has little to do with being addicted to Candy Crush! We aim to be able to reach all these profiles in a relevant way, both for them and for the advertiser. This is the technical but also marketing and commercial challenge that we are setting this year.
Thierry Lecat : Alongside these offers, innovation is also found in content creation. We are working in particular on the development of solutions based on AI to improve the user experience, like this project developed for one of our clients: a game in which children will be able to create the scenario in advance in a very playful by choosing a character, a place, a moral of the story, etc. These elements, from which the AI will work to build a story, will allow the brand to offer an original, personalized and therefore very engaging experience. Further upstream, AI will also allow us to improve our efficiency in production and design.
At the same time, we want to be able to go to new video game platforms such as Roblox or Fortnite to offer new branded gaming experiences allowing brands to reach other audiences.
More information on the solutions offered by Gameloft for brands here .
This article was originally published in French at CBnews.fr
