WPP and Anzu to Bring Common Standards to Gaming Sector

WPP and in-game ad platform Anzu have partnered, to bring commonly accepted ad standards - including ad viewability and brand lift measurement, fraud detection and user privacy protection - to the esports and online gaming sectors.

Anzu develops technology that uses creative advertising elements such as images, banners, videos, and HTML5 ads, and then adds them into games without disrupting the user experience and gameplay. Through the partnership, standards that are currently applied in digital advertising, will now be available for in-game advertisers. According to the firms, this collaboration will make in-game advertising as 'simple and accessible' as other commonly used channels.

WPP (which last year contributed to Anzu's Series A round of funding) and its agencies will use Anzu's in-game programmatic technology to reach gamers across all gaming platforms - including mobile, PC and console. The partnership also encompasses an in-game advertising solution for esports tournaments, reaching gamers outside the home. Advertisers will be able to track, report and audit viewable impressions in real-time, and adtech vendors will also be integrated in-game.

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, says that delivering these new standards will not only bring gaming and esports to the forefront of mainstream digital media channels, it will also support the wider gaming ecosystem by increasing monetization opportunities for developers and enabling more games to be made. Itamar Benedy, co-founder and CEO of Anzu, adds: 'This partnership builds confidence in the value of in-game media, as marketers will be able to engage with an audience of over three billion gamers worldwide.'

Web sites: www.wpp.com and www.anzu.io .