Discord Global VP of Advertising Adam Bauer joins Next in Media to reveal how the platform is expanding beyond endemic gaming with self-service ad tools, opt-in rewarded Quests, and native community activations built for three billion active gamers worldwide.
Discord Global VP of Advertising Adam Bauer breaks down why marketers must stop treating gaming as a niche vertical and start targeting it as an active consumer behavior. Discover how Discord's new self-service Ads Manager, real-time PlayQuest+ rewards, and community-led brand servers are reshaping digital advertising for Gen Z.
🎮 Treat gaming as an active habit people lean into, not just another passive channel on a spreadsheet.
🚫 Gen Z blocks and skips forced ads, so reaching them requires optional perks with a clear give-and-take.
⚙️ Self-serve ad tools make it easy for mainstream brands to launch, track, and scale rewarded video campaigns.
⚡ Real-time SDK integrations drop rewards directly into a game the second a player hits their goal.
🔄 Rewarded gameplay challenges give players who haven't logged in for a month or more a real reason to come back.
🛠️ Building custom assets for one virtual world lets you reuse them across platforms like Roblox and Fortnite to save budget.
🔗 Adam Bauer on LinkedIn
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00:00 Intro
4:19 Identity resolution for cross-channel marketing
4:52 Discord’s deliberate, opt-in advertising strategy
8:36 Self-service buying and the expansion beyond gaming
11:10 PlayQuest+ and real-time in-game rewards
13:47 Why in-game advertising is gaining renewed momentum
15:20 Gaming budgets, participation, and measurement
18:25 Gaming as an essential consumer behavior, not a vertical
19:55 e.l.f. Cosmetics as a nontraditional Discord community example
21:35 Discord’s upcoming products and immersive Mission activations