Nintendo continues to push its Switch hybrid console and its party-pleaser game, Arms. And you’re seeing this all over your TV.
GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention and conversion analytics from 10 million smart TV screens, to bring you a monthly report on how gaming brands are spending. The results below are for the top five spending gaming industry brands in June.
Advertising spend slipped again in June for the gaming industry, down to an estimated $22.4 million from $23.6 million in May. Sports and animated comedy shows reigned supreme when it came to allocated dollars, although King in particular spent big on daytime shows including The Chew and The Bold and the Beautiful. In total, 33 brands ran 69 spots over 10,600 times and generated over 1.4 billion TV ad impressions.
Nintendo led the industry with an estimated $6.6 million in spend for seven spots that aired over 2,500 times and racked up 283.3 million TV ad impressions. The commercial with the biggest budget by far was “Arms: Answer the Call to Arms,” a new game for the Nintendo Switch. Although the brand spent big on ads that aired during the 2017 NBA Finals, it also targeted a younger, comedy-loving audience with budget allocated across Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, and Comedy Central.
PlayStation takes second place (for the second month in a row) with $3.7 million in estimated spend for five spots that aired a mere 494 times but generated 147 million impressions. Most of the brand’s budget was allocated to the 2017 NBA Finals, although it did spend also across animated comedy shows such as Family Guy, American Dad, and South Park. The ad with the most spend was “Days of Play: Sunshine Day” (estimated at $3.4 million).
Although it only aired two different ads in June, Bethesda Softworks took third place for total industry spend (estimated at $2.2 million). The commercials ran over 1,300 times and generated 155.6 million TV ad impressions. “The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Super Bowl 2017: Fire and Ice” had the bulk of the budget (over $2.17 million, est.). Bethesda Softworks prioritized spend across BET, Comedy Central, and Adult Swim, as well as during programming such as Why Did I Get Married?, South Park, and Fear the Walking Dead.
At No. 4 is MZ, the only brand that focused solely on sports-related programming. It spent an estimated $1.9 million on three ads that aired only 48 times, but generated 56.5 million impressions. “Game of War: Fire Age: Office Army” was the commercial with the most spend (an estimated $1.1 million). The top networks for spend were Fox, CBS, and Fox Sports 1, while the programming with the most spend included the 2017 U.S. Open Golf Championship, NASCAR, and PGA Tour Golf.
King closes out the chart (taking fifth place for the second month in a row) with an estimated $1.4 million in spend for six ads that aired over 1,600 times and generated 212 million impressions. Marketing Candy Crush remains a priority for the brand, as can been by the ad with the most spend: “Candy Crush Saga: Special Event: Candylicious Rewards” (an estimated $674,000). King spent across a variety of networks including ABC, Investigation Discovery, and CBS, as well as during shows such as The Chew, The View, and The Bold and the Beautiful.
