Zynga's advertising director leaves
Manny Anekal leaves after two years to join start-up.
Zynga’s global director of brand advertising Manny Anekal has left the social gaming company to become COO of rewards start-up Kiip.
Anekal joined Zynga in April 2010 after almost three years at Electronic Arts, where he progressed from senior in-game advertising manager to global director of advertising operations. At Zynga he oversaw deals to allow companies to offer branded products in games such as Farmville, helping boost the company’s core revenue stream of in-game purchases.
As global brand director, he helped Zynga achieve advertising revenues of $74.5m in its full-year figures for 2011 “ a 226% year-on-year increase.
Technology blog Tech Crunch reports that Anekal has joined startup company Kiip, which offers players rewards for achievements in online and mobile games, helping games developers establish partnerships with leading brands. The company, run by 20 year-old CEO Brian Wong, has reportedly secured US$4.3m in funding to develop its business.