Everyone’s a Gamer Now: Unlocking the Full-Funnel Opportunity in Gaming with Scott Ensign

Scott Ensign, Chief Strategy Officer at Butler/Till, joins Amanda Grant, EVP, Global Head of Data and Tech Partnerships, WPP Media, and Chris Feo, SVP, Sales & Partnerships, Unity, to discuss why gaming remains misunderstood, how data unlocks its true value, and what advertisers need to do to tap into its full-funnel potential. From perception challenges to multi-screen behavior, this conversation reframes gaming as one of the biggest untapped opportunities in modern media. Takeaways Gaming reaches nearly all demographics, but is still misunderstood by brands Perception issues and legacy media habits are limiting investment Gaming environments offer highly engaged, data-rich audiences Mobile gaming plays a key role in multi-screen consumer behavior Brands should treat gaming as an audience strategy, not just a channel Full-funnel opportunities exist beyond performance and installs Data is the key to unlocking better targeting and planning Chapters00:00 Introduction to the episode and gaming opportunity 00:18 Why gaming now reaches all demographics 01:45 The gap between gaming usage and ad spend 02:38 Perception challenges holding brands back 04:08 Media buying habits and resistance to change 05:38 How data helps break gaming stereotypes 07:14 Gaming as a high-attention, “lean-in” environment 08:45 Multi-screen behavior and shifting consumption 10:06 Rethinking TV vs mobile in modern media 13:18 Performance vs brand investment in gaming 16:20 Gaming opportunities across industries like pharma 18:18 Unlocking commerce and purchase intent data 20:12 Treating gaming as an audience strategy 21:45 Favorite games and closing thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices