Brands Are Spending in the Wrong Places

What happens when attention moves… but brand budgets don't?
This week, Nic Hill and Morgan Pomish sit down with Zoe Soon, Head of Creator and Gaming at the Interactive Advertising Bureau. 

Zoe unpacks why outdated assumptions about "gamers" are still shaping brand decisions, why interactive media hasn't yet earned the measurement standards it needs to unlock serious budget, and why creators are better understood as media ecosystems than sponsorship line items. The bigger question running through all of it: will advertising catch up to where culture already is?

Also in this episode: The week's biggest news, including Meta's 10% workforce reduction, Webtoons and Genies bringing AI characters to mobile, Porsche's move into League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Roblox increasing creator payouts by 42% for 18+ content.

And in the Real-Time Review, Nic heads into Fortnite to break down the Star Wars activation and content drop! A fascinating case study in UGC, creator tooling, and what entertainment IP feels like in a playable world. 
If you are liking the show, give us a follow. We break down how brands, platforms, and creators operate inside gaming, UGC Platforms and Immersive media.

The Brands In Play Episode 65 is now live on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and everywhere else!

Chapters:
Intro - 00:00 
Announcements - 02:03
News - 03:41
Star Wars on Fortnite - 19:57
Zoe Soon Interview - 29:43
Subscribe - 47:39

Follow Zoe Soon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-soon/

Follow The IAB - https://www.linkedin.com/company/iab/


Follow Us:

Co-Hosts:
Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
Morgan Pomish-  https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganpomish/

Producer / Editor 
Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/

Creative Director 
Ben Caro https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroprofile/

Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/

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