Advertising: No Attention Without Emotion
In an oversaturated advertising ecosystem, capturing attention has become brands’ new Holy Grail. To achieve this, they need environments that foster emotional engagement from audiences — a condition that makes gaming an especially strategic advertising space.
Between fragmented audiences, format saturation, and collapsing engagement rates, brands are searching for ways to stand out and capture consumer attention. Yet the effectiveness of these efforts often remains limited — or even questionable. The reason: an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms and components that drive attention.
A study conducted by Gameloft for brands and Havas Play highlights the decisive role emotion plays in advertising effectiveness within gaming environments. According to the white paper’s findings, video games generate 92% sustained attention, emotional responses 22.3% higher than traditional video platforms, as well as a +91% increase in brand recall, +29% in consideration, and +24% in purchase intent.
Qualifying Attention: The Real Challenge
“Attention alone creates neither memory nor purchase intent,” explains Romain Devichi, Head of Ad Sales Western Europe at Gameloft for brands. “One fundamental ingredient is missing: emotion. Without an emotional dimension, an ad that is seen is destined to be quickly forgotten. Decades of neuroscience research confirm this: emotion determines how the brain encodes information and guides decision-making. The real challenge is not capturing attention, but qualifying it.”
A conviction shared by Pierre Acuña, Head of Gaming & Esports at Havas Play: “To create desire, it is no longer enough to buy attention; brands must earn it at the heart of people’s passions.”
Gaming: A Unique Environment
In this context, video games are emerging as a strategic advertising environment capable of generating strong and measurable impact. Unlike passive environments, gaming creates active and sustained attention. “Video games are the only digital environment where users are simultaneously attentive and emotionally engaged,” emphasizes Romain Devichi. “Advertising is no longer simply seen — it is experienced.”
A Mass Medium That Is Structured and Measurable
And yet gaming is still too often perceived as a niche channel — a misconception Gameloft for brands is actively working to dismantle. With 1.3 billion monthly active users across its network, gaming has now become a mass medium that is structured and measurable. “Gaming excels at transforming active attention into genuine brand attachment,” adds Pierre Acuña. “This is the vision we bring to life at Havas Play alongside partners like Gameloft for brands, transforming players’ passion into growth for our clients.” And as Romain Devichi concludes: “The question is no longer whether brands should be there — but how they can afford not to be.”
This article was originally published in CB News in French. You can read it directly here.
