Social Ads Getting Bigger

While social gaming companies are making most of their money from selling virtual goods, advertising is already part of their business model. Projections from market research firm eMarketer say that ads in social games should bring in $220 million this year, up from $183 million last year. Doesn't sound like much compared to the $1.6 billion size of the industry, but it's growing. And companies like Zynga intend to help it along, in case at some point people get over buying things that aren't real. (Hey, it could happen!)

The classic banner ad probably won't be the wave of the future, though. Ad integration is becoming more creative, and we should expect to see more though on how to get advertisers mixed into the gaming experience without turning off the customers. And while getting the advertiser a suitable amount of click-throughs. Looks like game designers will have to work closely with marketers on this; companies that are creative in mixing design with marketing will reap the benefits.