• 26.6 million US consumers tune into esports and gaming streams every month.
• That audience represents a big opportunity for advertisers to reach Gen Z and Millennials.
• Insider identified the top 31 execs in this space.

Advertising in and around video game content is both a nascent opportunity and one with vast potential.

In the US, 26.6 million people tune into esports on a monthly basis, and there are 177.7 million monthly gamers, according to Insider Intelligence. 

Brands are now pouring billions of ad dollars into in-game advertisements,

streaming

ads, and sponsorships. Research and advisory firm Technavio predicts in-game advertising alone will grow to be a $3.54 billion market by 2025.

However, many corporations aren’t sure how to navigate this exploding space, so a new generation of ad execs is rising — professionals with the gaming expertise and marketing backgrounds to guide advertisers through this unfamiliar territory.

The past couple years have seen a slew of non-endemic brands launch gaming and esports campaigns. For example, in November, Nike created a virtual world inside Roblox, a gaming platform with hundreds of millions of players. And State Farm introduced “Jake from State Farm” into the video game NBA2K in September.

Insider identified the top 31 execs who are working to find new opportunities for advertisements in video games. They come from ad agencies, new startups, video game developers like Roblox, and brands like Chipotle and Bud Light. 

We chose these individuals through our own original reporting and nominations. In compiling this list, we considered what kinds of brands they work with and if they were able to demonstrate success with tangible metrics. We did not consider execs who work exclusively in mobile gaming environments, as app advertising is well established.

Scroll down to read the full list below.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/top-advertising-executives-in-gaming-and-esports-2021-12