Key Highlights
- Maybelline collaborates with Zynga for playable ad integration that shows it is exploring mobile gaming to drive sales and awareness.
- It could see a payoff as many are betting on social gaming recently.
The playable ad activation of Maybelline, the first across Zynga’s hyper-casual games, shows the beauty brand exploring mobile gaming as a path to drive awareness and sales. The move could see a payoff as many are newly betting on social gaming with platforms such as TikTok, also a partner to Zynga, exploring mini-game pilots.
“Maybelline Mascara Merge,” which the brand dubs as a hybrid between shoppable ads and mobile gaming, requires players to match like-icons to reveal one of three Maybelline mascaras. Each revealed mascara is connected to a product review, and once all icons have been matched or time runs out, players will see branded video content and a link to an Ultra Beauty landing page where they can purchase the product.
The ad game will be available on hyper-casual titles of Zynga, allowing Maybelline to tap into global audiences who have already downloaded the games. Rather than traditional playable ads interrupting gameplay, “Maybelline Mascara Merge” enables deeper engagement as players earn valuable points in the game.
By taking a hands-off approach to the gaming community, the brand has the potential to sway consumers in less direct ways while still driving awareness.
A rise in mobile gaming could represent a resurgence of traditional efforts by Zynga. In 2009, the video game developer, who launched FarmVille, caught the eyes of marketers for its work with Facebook.
While mobile gaming seemingly lost ground during the years, today, that arm of Zynga’s business offers a potential upside for brands. According to the company’s first-quarter 2022 reports, Zynga reported 40 million daily active users through mobile formats in the first quarter of 2022, which was up 3% over the same period last year.
Snapchat announced it would be axing its mini-game arm, a move that could jolt the industry for marketers contemplating similar activations.
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