The mobile game strategy is part of a bigger initiative that introduces a new advertising model focused on monetizing content and improving the return on investment for its media spend. Mondelez previously saw success with the Oreo Twist Lick Dunk mobile game, which has been downloaded 7 million times. 

?Building on the success of the Oreo Twist Lick Dunk game, we?ll be rolling out a suite of highly engaging branded games with the aim of being commercially viable amongst not just branded apps, but other mobile games,? said Laura Henderson, global head of content and media monetization at Mondelez International. 

?Mobile continues to be an important part of our media strategy and will be key to our new media monetization model,? she said. ?Specifically, our mobile game suite will focus on bringing our brands to life through mobile games and apps.?

Mondelez plans to roll out a suite of commercially viable branded mobile games over the next 18 months. 

Games are one of the most popular activities on mobile phones. While a number of brands have launched mobile games, they typically do not involve the same level of investment as other games and are not expected to engage consumers beyond a few minutes.

However, a well-designed mobile game can drive ongoing engagement for a brand.  

Mondelez reports that its Oreo Twist Lick Dunk game has not only been downloaded 7 million times, but it has also seen 5.1 billion virtual cookies dunked and an average time spent in the app of around 40 minutes. 

Oreo Twist Lick Dunk is free to play but contains in-game ads and offers some game items for purchase. To play, users must twist and lick as many cookies as possible as they fly through the air. 

Mondelez previously reported that the Oreo faltered until a game developer was brought in (see story). 

Mobile games are one area of content development Mondelez will invest in as it looks to improve the return on investment of its global media spending. The new monetization model will focus on forming new media partnerships to acquire, develop and distribute content that will build the company?s brands while also generating revenue. 

Besides branded mobile games, the company announced two additional initiatives as part of its media monetization strategy. 

One is a live event and broadcast for which Mondelez is an executive producer. The Heaven Sent skydiving jump will be presented by Stride gum and available through broadcast, online streaming and pay-per-view. It is part of a national campaign to support the brand?s new Mad Intense gum targeting teens. 

Additionally, Mondelez is partnering with BuzzFeed to create content for its brands, such as food and recipe content on platforms such as Tasty. New original content focused on well-being will also be co-created by both companies. 

Content marketing has been a growing focus of brand marketers as consumers spend more time on their mobile phones and other environments where they have more control over the experience and can skip ads. Mobile is an environment that is not always conducive to traditional ads because they end up interrupting the user experience and struggle to make an impact because of small screen sizes. 

However, most brands? content strategies are focused primarily on building brand awareness and affinity. Revenue generation is more removed and comes from the expectation that the content will drive sales. 

Mondelez is taking a different approach and looking to drive revenue directly from content. The company plans to make additional investments behind its biggest brands to acquire, develop and distribute content that is commercially viable and can produce incremental revenue streams. The goal is for up to 10 percent of the company?s global media investments to break even or turn a profit by 2020.

While mobile is not the exclusive focus of Mondelez?s new monetization model, it is a key element. 

By investing in content that people will want to watch, Mondelez hopes to offset costs and make its media spending more sustainable. 

?Mobile has completely transformed the way people consume media,? Ms. Henderson said. ?It?s made it easier for people to consume content anywhere at any time. 

?We are focused on creating content that earns attention across all screens,? she said.