We saw this play out in our recent campaign with Australian-founded food delivery service, Menulog, who enjoyed a staggering 788% increase in engagements, alongside 93.5% rewarded video completion and 85.9% in-game audio completion. Those results illustrate a simple and urgent truth for brand teams planning 2026 budgets: attention is the outcome that matters, and gaming is where attention compounds fastest.

That kind of lift doesn’t just happen. It came from pairing value-exchange formats with moments when players were most open to them - and by measuring active attention rather than stopping at exposure metrics such as impressions. When the creative, context, and format align, the audience engages, and wasted spend drops away.

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From seen to chosen

Most brands want to show up where they actually relax and spend meaningful downtime, like in games, yet the path is rarely straightforward. Players hate interruptions, the ad space is fragmented across different environments, and attention vanishes fast if the ad format doesn’t fit the play state. The key is to plan around what players are doing and feeling - not just who they are - then use attention metrics that tie back to results.

That’s exactly what we did with Menulog. We activated around-the-game rewarded video, in-game audio, and PC game-mod video to meet audiences wherever they were in their play sessions. Rewarded video delivered an average of +76% lift in active attention and a +24% lift in completion and versus benchmarks - a clear sign this approach works.

Timing matters

Attention changes throughout the week - and even within a single gaming session. For Menulog, rewarded video engagement peaked on Thursdays and Fridays, while active attention was strongest on Fridays and Sundays. In general, weekends are when people slow down and watch longer, whereas weekdays are better for short, sharp reminders. Think of timing and context as tools - use longer stories when people linger, and snappier messages when intent is high.

Format matters too. In-game audio engagement was 23.2% higher on weekdays than weekends, showing that sound works best when players are focused and steady. In short, audio fits into the flow; while rewarded video grabs attention during breaks. Whatever the format, keep it player-first: be respectful, make the value exchange clear, and design for clarity at a glance. Then measure what matters - attention, completion, recall - and use those insights to guide where you invest next.

The next wave: playables, CTV, and immersive worlds

Building on Menulog’s success, the next wave is creative that guarantees attention through interaction. Playable ads, CTV integrations on the biggest screen in the home, and immersive executions in platforms such as Roblox can convert passive impressions into active exploration. The goal is zero-waste active attention, with every second contributing to awareness, recall, and action.

This is where iion’s platform really shines. We give brands one place to reach gamers across their journey - plus an in-house studio and measurement that focuses on outcomes. It means you can test fast, scale what works, and cut what doesn’t. When attention becomes your north star, creative gets sharper, media cleaner, and results easier to prove.

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