Zynga ad chief Anekal bolts to join mobile rewards network Kiip

Zynga global director of brand advertising Manny Anekal has resigned his post to join mobile rewards network Kiip as chief operating officer.

Kiip delivers branded offers and rewards at precise moments of mobile gaming achievement--e.g., reaching a higher level or completing a puzzle challenge. In addition, the solution allows marketers to match higher value rewards to higher difficulty achievements, boosting customer retention and engagement in the process. The Kiip solution is integrated into dozens of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android applications; brand partners include Dr. Pepper, Carl's Jr., 1-800-Flowers and Sephora. Last April, Kiip announced the close of a $4 million Series A financing round led by investors Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and True Ventures.

VentureBeat reports Anekal will oversee the growth and operations of the Kiip rewards network. At Zynga, he led brand integration and ad efforts across social games like FarmVille and CityVille. Prior to joining Zynga, Anekal led global ad operations at Electronic Arts.

Last week Zynga posted a $435 million loss during the fourth quarter of 2011, its first period as a public company. Zynga nevertheless reported quarterly revenues of $311.2 million, a 59 percent year-over-year jump and a 1 percent sequential increase--online revenues grew 51 percent over the fourth quarter of 2010 to $283.9 million, and advertising revenues soared to $27.3 million, up 230 percent compared to a year ago. Zynga added that mobile daily active users increased almost five-fold in 2011 to 15 million.

For more:
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