Comscore Tackles Measurement of In-Game Ads With Expanded Anzu Pact

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Comscore said it expanded a partnership with Anzu, a company that specializes in in-game advertising, in a pact the company expects to help advertisers measure videogame advertising with more granularity.

Anzu nis known for its ability to create ad units for gaming audiences and place them inside premium titles. The company is backed by WPP, Sony Innovation Fund, Emmis, NBCUniversal, Samsung Next, and PayPal Ventures and other investors, Anzu has run campaigns for clients including Samsung, PepsiCo, and Procter & Gamble. “We have a lot of interesting conversations going on in the gaming space,” says Steve Bagdasarian, chief commercial officer at Comscore, in an interview, adding: “We feel and have strongly felt that gaming is a totally underrepresented part of the ecosystem that is incredibly important.” When it comes to considering gaming platforms, he said, “you can’t look past it.” Total in-video game ad spending is predicted by Emarketer to reach $8.5 billion in 2024 and increase to more than $10 billion by 2026.

Advertisers are eager to test any number of new media platforms, but need measurement systems in place to give them feedback on how their investment performs. “Anzu’s selection of Comscore Campaign Ratings enables us to validate the reach of our audiences and showcase the incrementality of that reach against other channels on behalf of brands,” said Itamar Benedy, CEO and co-founder, Anzu, in a prepared statement.