CANNES — Andrea Hopelain, general manager and SVP of global marketing at Electronic Arts (EA), announced the launch of EA Advertising during a panel discussion at Cannes Lions 2024. The panel, co-hosted by ADWEEK House and Seedtag, focused on the future of advertising within gaming environments. EA Advertising launched the week prior to the Cannes Lions event.

During the discussion, Hopelain explained how in-game player behavior can inform real-time, personalized advertising. She stated, "If you've got a player that's rage quitting because they've just lost four matches in a row, you can infer that they may need something right in that moment." Hopelain also described gameplay as a form of communication, asserting, "Play is a language."

Identity tracking has dominated digital marketing for two decades. As an example of in-game brand integration, millions of players in The Sims world have used virtual Coach handbags. Will Lee serves as the CEO of ADWEEK. Rebecca Stewart is the brand editor at ADWEEK, and Ryan Joe is the editor-in-chief of ADWEEK.