Tap Me, Inc. launched the industry’s first in-game advertising platform this week. This platform gives designers the ability to place ads that are in context with the game being played, rather than disrupting it.

Gamers will no longer have to get rid of banner ads or pop ups in order to continue or start their games. Ads are incorporated on the screen in a non-obtrusive way.

This platform enables brands to engage with gamers in a way that enhances the gaming experience while the game is being played. For example, according to Josh Hernandez, the company's CEO, if a gamer is using a running action in a game, the ad that appears on the screen is from a company like Nike or a similar maker of running shoes. But this ad doesn't disrupt the game and is not prone to accidental clicks that take the gamer out of the game.

Although the market size is anticipated to be $50 billion, a 2011 mobile trends report recently published illustrates the spotty performance of mobile ad revenues in this industry. The one area of growth that advertisers are looking at in is in the “gamification of mobile apps," because developers and brands can grow the ad campaign during the game developmental stage.

Tap Me has opened up the beta to their iOS integration library and its web based management tools. Both iPhone and iPad app developers are able to use this platform and download its integration library for iOS and get support documentation. Android support will be available shortly, as well.

The company's current testing shows that players are choosing "sponsored power-ups" with rates as high as 20%, and in some games above 50%. Although these are early returns, they are much higher than those of traditional banner ad click-through rates, which are generally below 1%.

According to Tap Me, game developers can:

• Add their games, categorize content, create sponsored leader boards and
obtain performance metrics on how Tap Me’s platform is working at a
granular level in their games.

• Meta tag and classify game content, such as for “endurance” or “speed,” so
content can be sponsored by relevant advertisers.

• Create new real estate for advertising that can be used along side other ad
platforms, such as iAd or AdMob, or integrated into virtual goods or currency
systems.

• Use both a turnkey solution for developers to drop into their games as well as
an API that allows for custom GUI integration.