In-Game Advertising Startup Brings in Industry Pioneers to Help Push Mobile Advertising to New Heights
CHICAGO – Tap.Me, creators of the gaming industry’s revolutionary game-first advertising platform, announced the founding of an advisory committee led by five top advertising executives with world-class agency and in-house experience. The Advertising Advisory Board represents a powerhouse dream team that will provide counsel to Tap.Me.
The Advertising Advisory Board brings a wealth of forward thinkers to the table with deep marketing and gaming experience. This power-packed bunch bring years of advertising know-how, intimate familiarity with current and budding trends, and strong connections with key brands and potential partners.
The advertising gurus joining the ranks of Tap.Me’s Advertising Advisory Board include:
Brandon Berger, Chief Digital Officer, Worldwide at Ogilvy & Mather
Brandon Berger is the worldwide head of Digital for Ogilvy & Mather. Berger is one of the pioneers in the intersection of brands and video games having founded the Digital Innovation Group at Ogilvy, which leads all gaming efforts for the agency. Formerly at MDC Partners, where as VP of Digital Innovation, he was responsible for all digital investments, acquisitions and partnerships for the network, growing the digital capabilities of the holding to where they are today. Berger is also co-founder of wireless technology company, Qwikker (formerly WideRay Corp), and is a board member and advisor to many of the top adtech companies in the space.
Tim Harris, Co-Founder, SVP and Managing Director, Denuo; and Founder, CEO, Seven Lights
Harris is the guiding force of Denuo, Publicis Groupe’s creative innovations arm. He was also co-founder of Play, the industry’s first and most recognized agency unit dedicated to leveraging game mechanics for marketing and games themselves as a consumer contact channel. Harris serviced clients such as GM, P&G, LEGO, Miller and Allstate, eventually integrating the Play offering into a seamless part of Denuo’s broader creative expertise. Harris is also Founder and CEO of Seven Lights, a company that specializes in the creation of customizable online entertainment. In bringing games like The Continuum to market, Harris has filled the roles of game designer, community manager, marketing/promotions director and producer, and continues to innovate in multiple areas of game development. He was named as one of the iMedia25 Class of 2010, recognizing the key influencers in interactive marketing.
Dave Knox, Chief Marketing Officer for Rockfish Interactive
A seven-year veteran of Procter & Gamble, Knox was instrumental in the digital turnaround that led to P&G being named to AdAge’s Digital A-List. As Brand Manager for Global Branded Entertainment, Knox led the strategy for new business models in venture investment, digital media and original content. Knox’s knowledge of the space and influential voice has landed him in the iMedia 25 Class of 2010, created by AdAge, as “1 of 25 Media People You Should Follow on Twitter” and Media Industry News as a “2010 Social Media Superstar.”
Saneel Radia, North American Head, BBH Labs
In addition to his current title at BBH Labs, a cutting edge research and development arm of BBH, Radia is Director of Innovation at BBH NY. He is an atypical hybrid talent, spanning both a Creative Director and Media Director positions, servicing a wide client base form Google, Kellogg, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Procter & Gamble, Nintendo and Miller. While previously at Publicis, Radia co-founded Play, the industry’s first and most recognized agency unit dedicated to leveraging game mechanics for marketing and games themselves as a consumer contact channel. He’s also been recognized as an Internationalist “Agency Innovator” (2009), an Advertising Age “Twentysomething” (2005) and as MediaWeek’s “Media All-Star.”
Tom Weigman, Partner, The NextGen Marketing Group
Weigman’s background as both an operating executive and consultant is in helping businesses integrate effective marketing solutions into their established operations. At NextGen he is currently developing strategic marketing plans for clients in the wireless, internet and new media arenas. Weigman has a strong operating background, as former CMO and President of Sprint’s consumer business, as EVP of Wireless Services for Aircell, and driving key marketing initiatives at Mars and Procter & Gamble. As a consultant, he has provided strategic services to the likes of Quaker Oats, Duracell, Kraft, Japan Telecom, Ralston Purina and many others. He has also been a member of the Boards of Directors of Sprint PCS, MDC Partners, Upoc Networks, and On2 Technologies.
“We’re thrilled with the Dream Team assembled for the Advertising Advisory Board,” said Joshua Hernandez, CEO of Tap.Me. “Our ability to attract key industry leaders is a vote of confidence from the advertising world. The Advertising Advisory Board recognizes that Tap.Me has a unique platform for in-game advertising that is non-disruptive and actually enhances the game play experience for the player. Our goal from the beginning was to build a truly scalable platform that not only provides a great experience for gamers and advertisers, but makes buying into in-game advertising simple and effective. Our all-star Advisory Board has played a key role in making sure that we have a product that they want to buy because of its flexibility across mobile, social and local marketing efforts. ”
“Gaming offers a huge opportunity for brands, yet most ad platforms are limited to in-game signage with no targeting,” said Saneel Radia, Director of Innovation at BBH Labs. “Tap.Me’s ability to target actions in games offers a more authentic and effective approach that capitalizes on the very reason advertisers want to be in games: a highly engaged, happy audience.”
The key to Tap.Me’s success is streamlining the process to offer real rewards to coincide with innovative and captivating gameplay. Having launched its platform during GDC 2011, the Tap.Me team has been tapping into their developer network for feedback on creating a gameplay-first mobile in-game advertising platform. Tap.Me’s platform allows brands to reach a critical mass of mobile gamers in an unobtrusive, fluid and engaging way for users of all levels. Developers meta-tag in-game content which advertisers can sponsor and apply their brand attributes in a way that makes sense in the context of the game, putting gameplay and content first – where it belongs. The benefit for the player is an extended gameplay experience with in-game and real-world rewards — something that goes well beyond traditional ad impressions and banners.
For more information, please visit Tap.Me’s homepage at http://tap.me/wp/.
About Tap.Me
Based in Chicago, IL, Tap.Me is a new startup focused on reinventing the in-game advertising space with the introduction of the industry’s first in-game advertising platform. Founded in 2009, Tap.Me is channeling the founding team’s game development roots and experience in advertising and game design to build and offer a set of products that will disrupt how advertising has traditionally been applied both in video games and in mobile game apps. For more information, interested parties may visit http://tap.me.
