Esports In the Limelight; Junk Food Faces UK Digital Ad Ban

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Help E, Help You

Most brands haven’t touched esports advertising, including many advertisers that are early investors in other emerging channels such as DOOH, streaming audio or connected TV. Unlike with those other mediums, advertisers still consider video games and esports ads too risky. Too many teenage boys and too much raucous commentary. But the gaming audience numbers have tilted towards more general market appeal considering the scale of viewers, especially as teens become twenty-somethings with more consumer appeal. And the potential long-lasting brand sentiment gains are enticing. A survey by MediaHub found that video game ad placements were ranked the second-most impactful channel, after YouTube. And more than any other channel, video gamers reciprocate support for brands they see because those companies are supporting the category, Adweek reports.

Snack Attack

Junk food ads could be banned online in the United .Kingdom. if a current government directive is confirmed. The rules apply to High Fat Sugar and Salty foods (HFSS), and are part of a new wave of regulations and policy directives aimed at stemming obesity rates, The Guardian reports. HFSS brands are already prohibited from advertising online or on television before 9pm. The IAB UK said in a response that an online ban for such brands would be a ”draconian and unexpected” measure, especially considering TV, where audiences can’t be specifically segmented out of campaign targeting, could still carry the brands. But digital isn’t the only channel that could feel the hit. The UK government may also ban candy and chip displays at checkouts, a staple for shopper marketing budgets.

Trouble Down Under

Australia’s competition watchdog is seeking a fine against Alphabet “in the millions” for allegedly misleading consumers in order to secure consent for targeted advertising, Reuters reports. Specifically, the Australian government accuses Google of not informing users or getting explicit consent in 2016, when it combined personal information from Google accounts with cookies from the DoubleClick display business. Google claims the change was optional and that it gathered proper consent from users through prominent notifications. In 2016, Google made a slight tweak to its privacy policy, dropping a statement about not combining users’ personal data with cookies. “This change … was worth a lot of money to Google,” according to the filing by Australian Competition and Consumer Division Chairman Rod Sims. “We allege they’ve achieved it through misleading behaviour.”

But Wait, There’s More!