One perfectly valid outcome for an ad is simple awareness. If I go to McDonalds, I know the McRib is on their menu because a billboard said it was. The billboard didn't make me buy one, but I know it's an option. When I go to the store, I see a dozen brands of soda. I know Pepsi and Coke are popular choices because of the number of ads I see for them. I've never seen a Mr Pibb ad, so that brand seems kind of weird to me. For that matter, I know McDonalds is a popular restaurant simply because they run advertisements.
The goal of many ads isn't to make the consumer say "wow I need to buy that now!". It's so when the consumer is presented with a handful of choices, they say "yeah, I know this brand." And is certainly is measurable, in brand awareness studies.
I'd say so, yes. Even seeing the name being repeated helps. I've never played Game of War nor do I know what the core gameplay is like, but I've seen enough ads to know the name and tell you it's a mobile medieval combat game that's free to play.
The hardest part of relying on brand awareness in ads is you have to repeat the ads over and over and over, and hope people start to recognize the name before they get sick of seeing the ad.
The goal of many ads isn't to make the consumer say "wow I need to buy that now!". It's so when the consumer is presented with a handful of choices, they say "yeah, I know this brand." And is certainly is measurable, in brand awareness studies.