Liat Barer on AI-Powered, ID-Less Audio Ads in Gaming

1. What do you look forward to about combining audio ads and ID-less, AI-powered audience targeting in the gaming space?

The intersection of ID-less targeting and immersive audio unlocks a powerful, privacy-first channel for brand storytelling. We’re excited about how AI models trained on contextual (like the game category, genre affinities and related in-game contextual elements) and behavioral signals (like gameplay patterns, game device type, time-of-day, and even specific game moments) can drive meaningful ad experiences without the direct need to track specific users. Audio, by design, doesn’t require screen interaction for engagement, so when it’s combined with smart segmentation, it delivers high-scale, low-friction user engagement. This is the future of privacy-aligned performance.

2. How are you going to approach the effectiveness of contextual or behavioral AI signals over ID-based tracking for achieving campaign precision?

We’re investing heavily in building solutions for our advertisers to be able to reach and understand gamers based on contextual signals for mobile games. Partnerships like the one we have launched with NumberEight is a great example for that. Being able to understand who gamers are based on what, when and why they play is what we believe to be the best way for advertisers to tap into the massive audience of gamers, without compromising on relevant audience targeting. Pairing that with in-game-session behavioral indicators like level progression, game experience and flow, session depth, and engagement rhythm will bring this capability to the next level, allowing advertisers to not only understand who gamers are, but to target them at the right moment and state of mind. 

Instead of targeting "who the user is," we focus on where they are in their experience and how they’re playing, which is more actionable in real time.

3. Which of the Audiences mentioned (e.g., Gen Z, Affluent Consumers, Sports Fans) align most closely with your brand’s current targeting priorities? 

The honest answer is - it really depends on the brand. The magic of reaching users in games, is that you can basically reach EVERYONE, since today, everyone’s a gamer. Different brands look for different audiences, and the power of being able to break down the different games based on their affinity clusters (not 3P or 1P IDs) is what makes our games-network so appealing for brands. We can today identify within our games Gen-Z’s, Parents and also Senior Citizens - and they can all be relevant for different brands, depending on what they want to get out of their campaign. 

4. How do you plan to leverage seasonal and moment-based audiences like Black Friday or Super Bowl activations in immersive channels such as gaming? 

We’re definitely leaning into moment-based audience packaging, especially for high-spend tentpole moments like Back to School, Black Friday/Cyber Week, Holiday Season, Super Bowl & other major global sporting events. 

We use general real-time triggers (e.g., device locale, device type, time of year etc.) and also game real-time triggers (what we call ‘in game E-motions’ like in-game calendar events, in-game challenges, levels and so on) to surface themed and moment-relevant creative and segment players based on their current state of mind and context - ensuring timely, relevant delivery.

What’s powerful in audio, and made possible with AI, is that we can tailor the message dynamically, like a radio spot- without any creative fatigue or layout disruption.

5. In-game audio is praised for being non-disruptive. How important is it for your brand to balance creativity with user experience in new media formats? 

It’s everything. Our entire product strategy at Odeeo is built around the principle of "audio as additive, not intrusive." We don’t pause the game or hijack the screen. That means we aim to nail the tone, pacing, and relevance of the message because users stay in the experience while the ad plays.

We work closely with brands on creative adapting, ensuring the voice, script, sound and even length fit the gaming vibe and pace. This is a huge benefit for both gamers, game developers and brands. 

I think for brands this is a huge added value. No brand wants their ads to be consumed when users are in a bad state of mind or feel like the brand ad is interrupting them, so being able to get exposure while the consumers are receptive and not intruded, is a real game changer. 

6. Your Affinity Audiences are built without personal identifiers. How critical is ID-less targeting in your company’s future-proofing strategy for privacy regulations?

It’s absolutely core to our roadmap. We’ve accepted that persistent IDs are a legacy tool, not a future asset. Regulations like GDPR, CPRA, and similar in other regions, alongside the evolving stance from Apple and Google signal a clear direction: privacy by default.

We’re building all our audience strategy to be based on non personalized IDs leaning on on-device signals, contextual intelligence, and AI models that adapt in real time. 

Get in touch with our MarTech Experts.