Global in-game advertising platform Anzu.io on Wednesday announced a deal with Nielsen Connectivity to bring ad measurement, optimization and real-time brand-specific metrics to in-game ad campaigns.

The collaboration with Nielsen Connectivity will enable media sellers to measure the performance of advertising campaigns running on digital properties.

Nielsen Connectivity supports brand awareness, resonance, and ad recall measurement within console and mobile video games.

Anzu.io, a marketing and advertising company, is backed by BITKRAFT Esports Ventures, WPP, and Axel Springer Digital Ventures with a $6.5 million investment. It recently saw an increase in game play during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Verizon has reported a 75% increase in gaming traffic since the COVID-19 outbreak. Anzu has seen similar numbers. This has increased engagement rates across the gaming inventory and total sessions played by 180% and impressions by more than 160%.

Anzu works with many brands and game developers. Examples of public collaborations include an in-game ad campaign for the Swedish transportation company SJ, as well as in-game campaigns for Rakuten and Stimorol by Mondelez.

Many campaigns are running on the Anzu.io platform simultaneously. The company has more than 50 live games, including exclusive partnerships with Toplitz and Vivid Games. There are more than 100 integrations.

The integration with Nielsen Connectivity enables more effective in-game advertising.

Itamar Benedy, co-founder and CEO of Anzu.io, believes that advancements made through the partnership will aid advertisers in reaching consumers as social distancing guidelines continue.  

Another important distinction, Anzu.io only runs brand awareness campaigns that do not allow clicks, which can disturb the gaming experience. The engagement comes through customized, interactive ads that the company creates depending on the advertiser and the game. The platform measures effectiveness from a different perspective than click-through rates.

This is why Nielsen’s brand lift measurement tool is important in providing advertisers with accurate data about campaign performance, including targeted insights about brand memorability, brand recall, and brand affinity.

Another way to prove effectiveness is by measuring ad viewability.

A recent campaign with cybersecurity company Cheq showed a 23% increase in the viewability of in-game ads compared to traditional digital advertising.

The collaboration with Nielsen will allow Anzu to offer customers the combination of ad viewability and campaign effectiveness measurement.