作者：Ari Brandt

社交游戏是社交平台、移动设备与网页上最迷人且最热门的活动。随着移动游戏使用量的快速增加，社交游戏如野火般迅速蔓延。eMarketer预计，到2014年，将有一半以上的社交网络用户体验社交游戏，在美国，将有1.41亿用户在移动设备上体验游戏，1.01亿用户体验在线休闲游戏。

同时eMarketer还表示，游戏内置广告收益额将伴随用户数量的增加而大幅增长。拥有一位忠实用户无疑代表着一个强大的全新推广商机，这也将重新定义电子媒介中品牌广告的运营含义。那么营销人员应对游戏领域有何了解？以下是社交游戏领域的6个显著趋势，以及它们对打算利用跨平台社交游戏力量的营销者的启示。

in-game-ad(from 1adt.com)

1.游戏内置广告要有100%的可视性以及新创意

目前围绕IAP推动电子广告行业采用“可视效果”的探讨是个热点话题。该模式迫使我们打造出可获曝光度、富有吸引力广告。游戏内置广告保证所有广告均可视。你曾在社交游戏或移动应用的不显眼位置看到广告吗？没有？因为它们从不这样做。

此外，社交游戏还为营销者提供了一个全新平台。Harris Interactive最近调查显示，60%的智能手机用户与72%的Facebook用户更乐意看到具有身临其境之感的交互式广告，而不是静态横幅广告。也就是说，玩家希望开启全新广告模式。现在我们应致力于此目标。

2.人人都玩社交游戏

现在，电视不再是与目标用户联系的最佳媒介。社交游戏横跨各年代用户，触及各界人士。Newzoo相关数据指出，社交媒介与在线休闲玩家年龄在10-65岁不等。同样，eMarketer发现移动游戏广受大规模用户欢迎，甚至还有老年人。而这证实了游戏为营销人员提供了一个巨大商机，方便他们接触所有用户，正当地吸引他们，尊重用户体验，比如在关键部分或“救援时刻”中断便是个反例，即使他们已沉浸在游戏体验中。

3.社交玩家覆盖所有设备，广告也应该跟上步伐

大多数时候，玩家都是在跨平台与跨设备上体验游戏（尤其是在移动设备上）。eMarketer相关数据显示，智能手机用户会花将近39%的时间玩游戏，平板电脑用户则会花67%的时间。鉴于几乎每天都有新设备面世，包括横跨智能手机与平板电脑玩游戏的情况，显然游戏品牌应保护自身完整性，确保用户体验的一致性。找到理解HTML5、CSS3及互动设计功能重要性的开发商与广告平台是提供一致、沉浸体验的关键。该技术支持营销人员在每个平台上采取同种创意模式，借此减少创意审核过程，削减将近一半的成本。

4.社交游戏已进军移动平台

某些趋势表示社交游戏在Facebook平台已经趋于饱和，但社交游戏玩家仍有网页（例如Zynga游戏门户网站）和移动平台可供选择。eMarketer报告指出，由于用户跨屏幕体验游戏，移动游戏数量正大幅增长。预计到2015年有望增加两倍，并成为美国手机与平板电脑用户的最热门活动。这也证实了跨平台游戏具有发展商机，同时显示游戏仍有极大发展空间。为了利用日益增长的用户规模，营销人员必须了解如何驾驭社交游戏的复杂形势。拥有一个合适的行业合作伙伴，有助于最大化你的广告营销效果。

5.游戏内置视频广告为“必须选项”

Juniper分析师Charlotte Miller在最近报告中阐明：“创造沉浸娱乐的体验来吸引用户，是营销者充分利用日益增长的应用使用率的关键。”那么哪类应用最受欢迎？答案无疑是游戏。游戏内置视频广告为游戏营销人员提供了运作创意性跨平台的最佳渠道。此外，分析师报告还指出，移动视频是增长最快的移动广告模式。因此营销人员可以尝试将游戏内置视频与整个营销战略结合。

为了确保用户获得最佳体验，营销者还应考虑到与预取技术公司合作，即在游戏开始前预先加载视频广告。预取技术不会占用宽带速度，保证视频广告即刻下载，无缓冲阶段。

6.吸收视频广告的价值交换理念

社交游戏会在玩家间催生出积极情感、强烈社交关系与成就感。除此之外，社交游戏还具有其它性能。如今你可以进一步利用这种积极氛围，通过基于奖励模式的视频广告为社交玩家提供价值。比如，如果他在玩《Song Pop》需要帮助时，玩家通过观看推广信息可消除两个答案，这样便可缩小猜测范围，玩家会继续留存（且增加整个体验的价值）。Harris Interactive最近调查显示，有一半以上的Facebook用户与智能手机用户表示，比起前置广告，他们更喜爱新型广告形式，比如用户自主型或价值交换广告。基于上述原由，你应支持视频广告的价值交易，同时丰富玩家体验。

在2013年，社交游戏广告仍是个巨大看点。它保证营销人员能挖掘出早前电视尚未发掘的忠实用户。如果你还未涉入社交游戏领域，那就赶紧行动吧！（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

2013 Social Gaming Trends and What They Mean for Marketers

by Ari Brandt

Social gaming is one of the most engaging and popular activities on social platforms, mobile devices and the web. And with the rapidly increasing adoption of mobile games, it’s spreading like wildfire. According to eMarketer, by 2014, over half of social network users will play social games, 141 million people in the U.S. will play games on mobile devices and 101 million people in the U.S. will play online casual games.

Also according to eMarketer, in-game ad revenues will grow right along with audiences. With such a captive audience, it’s no surprise that this presents a powerful new marketing opportunity — one that will redefine what it means to run brand advertising in digital mediums. What should marketers know to get into the game (pun intended)? Below are six notable trends and their implications for those who want to truly harness the power of cross-platform social gaming.

1. In-game ads are 100-percent viewable and offer a new creative canvas

The current debate around the IAB’s push for the digital advertising industry to adopt “viewable impressions” is a hot topic and rightly so. The approach forces us to hone in on highly engaging advertisements that actually get seen. In-game advertising ensures all ads are viewable. Have you ever seen a below-the-fold ad on a social game or in a mobile app? No? That’s because they don’t exist.

What’s more, social gaming offers a new canvas for marketers. According to a recent Harris Interactive survey, 60 percent of smartphone owners and 72 percent of Facebook app users prefer to see immersive, interactive ads versus static banner ads. These results prove that gamers are asking for and open to new ad formats. Now we must deliver.

2. Everyone plays social games

Not since television has there been a better way to build a relationship with your target audience. Social gaming spans generations and touches people from all walks of life. According to Newzoo, casual gamers online and on social media range in age from 10 to 65. Similarly, eMarketer found that mobile gaming is popular across a broad range of demographic groups, even older adults. This proves that gaming offers marketers a tremendous opportunity to reach all audiences and engage with them in a respectful way that honors the user experience – for example during key game breaks or “rescue moments” (more on this later) – while they are already engaged in game play.

3. Social gamers are on all devices — your ads should be too

Social gaming represents the most time spent cross-platform and across devices, especially on mobile. According to eMarketer, smartphone owners spend almost 39 percent of their time gaming and tablet owners spend 67 percent of their time gaming. As more devices are launched seemingly every day, including those that are a bridge between smartphones and tablets, it becomes ever more clear that for brands to protect their integrity, they have to ensure a consistent experience for consumers where ever they are. Seeking out game developers and advertising platforms that understand the importance of HTML5 and CSS3 with responsive design functionality will be key for providing consistent, immersive brand experiences. This technology will allow marketers to run one set of creative units per platform, thus cutting creative approval processes and costs nearly in half.

4. Social gaming has gone mobile

Some trends may point to a flattening of social gaming on Facebook, but there are other outlets cropping up for social gamers on the web (such as Zynga’s games portal) and across mobile devices. According to eMarketer’s report “Gaming for Marketers,” mobile gaming is undergoing significant growth as users are playing across screens. Mobile gaming is predicted to grow by double-digit figures through 2015 and is the most popular activity for mobile and tablet owners in the U.S. These points prove the potential for cross-platform gaming, all the while revealing that gaming has yet to reach critical mass. To capitalize on this growing audience, marketers must know how to navigate the complex social gaming landscape. Having a partner with the right industry relationships in place to manage this complexity will surely help you maximize your campaign results.

5. In-game video ads are a “must buy”

Juniper analyst Charlotte Miller recently stated in the report Messaging, In-App and Mobile Internet Strategies 2012-2017, “Creating immersive and entertaining experiences to attract the attention of the consumer is essential for marketers wanting to take advantage of the massive increase in app usage.” What is the most popular category of app? Games, of course. In-game video ads offer brand marketers one of the best ways to run engaging, immersive creative cross-platform. Plus, analysts report that mobile video is the fastest-growing mobile ad format. Don’t get left behind. Think about in-game video as a part of your social gaming strategy and overall marketing mix.

To ensure the best user experience for consumers, also consider partnering with companies offering pre-fetch technology, which preloads video ads onto phones before they’re served. Pre-fetch technology won’t eat away at consumers’ bandwidth and will ensure video ads load immediately so there is no buffering.

6. Embrace value exchange video advertising

Social gaming produces positive emotions, stronger social relationships and a sense of achievement among users that any brand can be part of. But wait, there’s more. Now you can further utilize the positive vibe by offering value to social gamers with reward-based video ads. For example, if a social gamer is playing Song Pop and needs help guessing a song, your brand can offer the player the chance to watch your marketing message in exchange for taking away two of the answers, thus, narrowing down the guessing options so the player can stay in the game (and add value to the overall experience). According to a recent Harris Interactive survey, more than half of Facebook app users and smartphone owners say they prefer newer video ad formats such as user-initiated and value exchanged ads to pre-roll ads. For these reasons, you should embrace value exchange video ads, all the while enriching user experience for players.

In 2013, social gaming advertising will continue to be an exciting one to watch. For marketers, it guarantees a truly captive, engaged audience that hasn’t been found since the early days of television. If you haven’t run a social gaming campaign yet, what are you waiting for?(source:adotas)