IAS and Anzu Deliver In-Game Ad Quality Measurement
US mobile gaming ad revenue is expected to climb 14% to nearly $6.3 billion this year and continue growing by double digits annually through 2024. But as with all digital advertising channels, gaming will require solutions to ward off fraud and ensure ads are actually making an impact by assessing viewability and audience reactions.
Integral Ad Science and in-game advertising platform Anzu are partnering up to deliver measurement tools to the sector. IAS will provide advertisers Invalid Traffic (IVT) measurement and reports on viewability through its Signal platform. The company will also help advertisers assess brand safety and suitability.
“Anzu’s new partnership with IAS is the next step in standardizing in-game viewability and performance in the mobile gaming industry, which is projected to reach $136 billion worldwide this year,” said Itamar Benedy, co-founder and CEO of Anzu. “This new partnership means advertisers can now get enhanced visibility into the effectiveness of their campaigns.
Mobile game advertising has struggled with many of the same measurement challenges other digital ad sectors have faced. An array of mobile device types and platforms makes it difficult for advertisers to easily visualize how their mobile in-game ads are performing. This can in turn make it difficult to calibrate in-game ad spend in relation to other channels.
By providing stronger measurement, IAS will hope to fuel Anzu’s business and the mobile gaming ad industry as a whole. If advertisers are assured of mobile in-game ads’ effectiveness, they’ll be incentivized to invest more, keeping the flywheel turning.
The partnership could also help mobile advertisers and publishers overcome some of the tracking changes related to Apple and Google’s privacy policies. Apple threw a wrench in mobile measurement last year with its App Tracking Transparency policy, which forced developers to get explicit permission to track users across apps. By lending greater clarity to in-game ad performance, IAS and Anzu may be able to provide some performance detail on a channel where it has otherwise faded.
