4 Reasons Why Brands Are Getting Into Gaming Marketing
The old cliché that gamers are either male kids with no purchasing power or social misfits still living in their mothers’ basements is long outdated: we've seen a 79% increase in sponsored streams on Twitch and YouTube, and there's a big reason why.
The fact of the matter is that gaming cannot be ignored. The gaming industry is projected to reach a value of $175 billion in the United States this year, with 227 million gamers in the United States in 2021 according to a study from the Entertainment Software Association. As it pertains to the world of influencer marketing, gaming influencers are incredibly popular, with 1 in 10 adults worldwide following at least 1 gaming influencer according to a study from market research company YouGov, and amongst teens in the United States, gaming influencers are the second-followed influencer type behind music personalities.
Beyond the high usership, gaming audiences are highly engaged with the content they consume. 30 million people are tuning in to Twitch to watch live gaming content on a daily basis, there were over 800 million gaming-specific tweets in Q1 2022 alone, and the gaming spend is expected to exceed a record-breaking $200 billion this year. Across watching games, talking about gaming, and spending on games, a new kind of fan experience is being forged through this industry.
And while we are discussing gaming today, platforms like Twitch, YouTube Gaming, and Facebook Gaming have found success beyond video game live streams, with plenty of popular creators hosting cooking streams, conversational chats, and other lifestyle streaming content. The possibilities of activating within the gaming community are essentially endless.
1) Young Audience Demographic
With 38% of gamers falling between the ages of 18 to 34, the gaming space is ideal for reaching Gen-Z and young millennial consumers. It is also more gender-balanced than many assume, with 41% of gamers in the US identifying as female in 2021, meaning gaming is a great space to reach young consumers of all genders.
2) Hyper-Customization
There are significant levels of creative concepts and executions that can be pursued, especially compared to the established sponsorship formats of traditional sports, music, and film. Gaming integrations go beyond purely media and product placement, and into owned events, gamification, and experiential content.
3) Audience Engagement
Creators on platforms like Twitch have subscribers that can pay a monthly fee for access to exclusive content, meaning that they have truly opted into the creator’s content and are more likely to engage with it, including branded content. Partner with gaming influencers who have a strong subscriber base if you wish to see high engagement and conversion rates.
4) Depth of Opportunity
While streaming apps like Twitch are dominant in the world of gaming influencers, influencers in the space activate across social platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, allowing for brands to develop powerful omnichannel campaigns that reach varied audiences.