Dentsu launches Gaming Solution

With 3bn gamers worldwide, the gaming ad market is poised to grow exponentially in ANZ.

Today marks the launch of dentsu gaming, a global community – with deep local expertise – built to capture gaming’s explosive audience growth for clients through innovative partnerships, products and services.

The solution is designed to deliver incremental value to clients by creating and fostering relationships with game publishers, partners and platforms. It will be accessible locally through dentsu ANZ creative, CXM and media agencies, including Carat, dentsu X, iProspect, BWM Isobar and Merkle.

Through strategic investments, dentsu gaming provides clients the means to produce, develop and commercialise their IP in the form of original games, content and events – on a global scale.

Australian gaming studio SMG, a dentsu company, is front-and-centre in the global offering. The studio is currently up in lights at Melbourne International Gaming Week, showcasing their proprietary game, Moving Out.  It has just clocked up 500,000 digital sales and been enjoyed by millions of players through online subscription services.

SMG Studio Head Ashley Ringrose said this launch is dentsu putting gaming where it should be; considered in the context of more than just ad sales, launches and one-off campaigns.

“Our philosophy is that gaming is more than advertising. It’s about creating, amplifying and adding momentum to our partners and clients, our culture and the industry at large.

“It means we’re able to offer what we do as a solution, rather than just creating one-off ads that are inserted into existing formats and then living and dying at the hands of the media spend. We’re helping brands connect more authentically with consumers.

“Gaming gives brands the opportunity to be part of the experience people seek out - to be the thing that they want to play and engage in, rather than just advertising around the periphery.

“TV and film production costs and distribution are incredibly limiting, whereas gaming represents an opportunity for brands to get into the hearts, minds and homes of consumers.

“Our heritage within the Japanese gaming market gives us unmatched access to the industry, and the depth of our local capabilities allows us to deliver beyond traditional advertising.”

Dentsu ahead of the gaming curve

SMG often invest in their own IP, and as part of dentsu they understand the full picture of what a client needs, with access to insights that inform a more integrated strategy: from CXM, to creative and media.

The gaming arena is far from new to dentsu, with MKTG Sports + Entertainment, a dentsu company, recently partnering with esports tournament organiser and media company LetsPlay.Live (LPL) to deliver more gaming and esports commercial opportunities in the Australian market. 

Dentsu ANZ CEO Angela Tangas said the company is proud to “walk the walk”, investing and innovating in the gaming space as part of the wider group offering to clients.

“Dentsu has a truly integrated business model which ensures a seamless sharing of insights, deep-knowledge and specialisation to benefit our clients and deliver total experience outcomes,” Ms Tangas said.

“Bringing together exceptional talent and expertise, dentsu gaming makes it easier for our clients and partners to leverage the potential of gaming for business growth through the local dentsu brands they already know and trust.

“Just as we saw with the onslaught of AR and VR, experience is key. All immersive technologies extend the reality we experience by blending the virtual and real worlds or immersing the user. Gaming is simply another means for customers to experience a brand in very real terms.”

About dentsu gaming

Dentsu gaming brings together advisors and gaming experts to navigate complex ecosystems and connect a range of professional services – spanning media, creative, and customer experience – to provide clients a flexible, modular approach.

Through its network of agencies and teams worldwide, dentsu provides these core gaming capabilities:

• Bespoke game and IP development
• In-game advertising
• Consumer promotions
• Native game integrations,
• Augmented Reality (AR)
• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Talent activation
• Esports and experiential.

For more information about dentsu gaming, please visit www.dentsu.com/sg/en/dentsu-gaming.