Gamesforum Barcelona 2025 Recap: Optimizing Ad Monetization with Ad Diversification, Ad Quality and More

At the recently wrapped Gamesforum Barcelona, ad diversification, ad quality, and user segmentation dominated the ad monetization discussions. Let’s dive into some key insights and best practices for app publishers, and how InMobi Advertising can help drive impact.

A. Ad Diversification with Brand Ads

The growing role of brand ads for ad diversification was a major theme, highlighted across two panels, Gamesforum Unfiltered: Monetization and Changes to Templates: Ad Experiences & Quality. Panelists from LoopMe and PubMatic emphasized that brand ads are essential for creating a well-rounded and immersive user experience in games, especially when introduced early in the user journey as players are already familiar with major brands.

Srivatsa Narasimhan, General Manager and Vice President at Scopely, shared how Marvel was a perfect brand fit for Monopoly, showcasing the potential of well-aligned brand placements in games. However, not all publishers were convinced. Some stated that brand ads must go beyond just being a buzzword and simply inserting banner formats won’t cut it. Most importantly, for brand ads to gain traction, their ARPDAU and eCPMs must be competitive to become a sustainable revenue stream for publishers.

B. Optimizing Ad Quality for Maximum Impact

The importance of rendering more thoughtful ads resonated strongly throughout sessions, with a shared belief that long-term impact matters more than short-term attention. Testing effective ad content also remains a challenge for publishers due to ever-evolving APIs, limited publisher control, and seasonal fluctuations in ad content.

InMobi Advertising enables ad diversification for publishers through its network of 400K+ advertisers and 180+ DSPs, delivering a mix of brand and app install ads. Watch Kunal Nagpal, Chief Business Officer, InMobi Advertising, discuss how a full-funnel approach enhances ad quality, engagement, and more, with MobileGroove.

C. Effective User Segmentation and Signal Utilization

On user segmentation, there were discussions on leveraging more signals to deliver relevant ads. Start.io explained how for new users, signals can be initially limited to demographics and location, but as engagement progresses, additional signals emerge that can help improve campaign ROI for advertisers.

InMobi Advertising hosted a panel on Leveraging First-Party Signals for Ad Monetization, using signals beyond segmentation and analytics use cases. The group showcased how publishers can pass existing signals to convey user value to buyers, unlock premium brand ad spend, and enhance bidding strategies. These signals require no consent pop-ups or new addendums, only signals that add value.

Božo Jankovic, Head of Ad Monetization, GameBiz Consulting shared a publisher’s perspective on the need for standardization of these signals and more clarity on the expected revenue impact.

InMobi Advertising is running a closed beta with three casual gaming publishers to test its first-party signals feature. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or write to supply@inmobi.com for more details.