How Marketers Are Using Gaming Platforms to Reach New Audiences

You can pull at the heartstrings of your potential buyers by using gaming to cement a genuine brand-consumer connection in their minds.

A growing number of marketing executives are connecting with consumers on their smartphones rather than using traditional advertising channels.  With more than 2.4 billion people using smartphones in 2019 – and many of them playing games on their phones – the use of gaming apps as an advertising channel is a no-brainier for marketers.

Today, developers and marketing veterans recognize the power of using gaming to reach new buyers. They use engaging ads that are unavailable across other marketing verticals. Now, in-game advertising is easier than ever before.

The Hottest Advertising Real Estate Around: Gaming Apps

With over 70% of Americans playing video games every day, cell phone screens are the hottest real estate available in marketing circles, according to HubSpot. Furthermore – AR, live streaming, mobile gaming and VR could push the marketing channel even further toward the top.

Twitch, for instance, is the number one content streaming platform. It boasts millions of members that take advantage of the company’s video feeds to showcase themselves playing games. Also, many smartphone owners play multiple games using the platform every day. In this environment, there’s a game or platform for everyone.

The e-Sports vertical generates $700 million every year. Video games are no longer a hobby – they’re a billion-dollar industry. Brands such as Coca-Cola and Gillette leverage the channel by offering lucrative sponsorship opportunities.

For instance, the eSports field attracts an audience of 385 million fans. By 2020, marketers expect this figure to grow to $1.49 billion and revenue. This revenue includes $655 million in sponsorships as well as $244 million in advertising take. As the money flows in, top eSports figures are not just getting rich, they’re becoming household names and even people are even gambling on who will win these games.

Gaming Apps: The Advertising Cash Cow of the Future

To date, there’s no end in sight for the gaming industry. As each day passes, new innovations roll out, and the public eats them up. At the same time, marketing professionals are growing increasingly aggressive in marketing using gaming advertising channels.

Now, mega-corporations around the world are leveraging in-game marketing like it’s going out of style. Although brand awareness has always been the same, it’s flourishing in the gaming space.

What’s more, the future of the gaming advertising channel is presenting more than the obvious digital opportunities. It’s enabling marketers to leverage this consumer-facing avenue to boost awareness of well-established brick-and-mortar brands.

Primarily, the gamer audience consists of millennials. Increasingly, they influence – if not make – a full range of purchase decisions. Among the older gamers in the group, they can buy or lease high-value products that range from the latest smartphones to vehicles.

There are more video games released than one person could ever hope to play. However, the millennial demographic is responding to nostalgic tendencies. For example, Nintendo Switch was a popular choice among millennials – a platform that mirrored the popular 1980s Nintendo gaming system.

Making Meaningful Connections With Millennial Consumers

Millennials possess billions of dollars in buying power. It’s estimated that millennial gamers spend three and a half hours playing online games every week.

It pays to ask yourself, “Is your agency doing what it can to get in front of and engage gamers?” However, you should know that gamers aren’t your typical consumer. In true millennial fashion, gamers are elusive thanks to their predominant use of mobile devices. Also, they’re very passionate and very gaming community-oriented.

To capture their attention, you’ll need to make use of campaign prelaunch data. For example, most eSports platforms have an option allowing you to integrate your own data management technology to target your ideal consumers. By merging this management technology with gaming platforms, you can capture invaluable insights and place their brand messages in front of gamers in the right place and at the right time.

You can also leverage third-party ad servers for enhanced post-launch data. Using a resource such as Nielsen Ad Ratings, you can track individual campaign performance as well as marketing return-on-investment.

Making Your Marketing Dollars Count

Don’t think that the only thing that you need to do is create a memorable advertisement to make your brand stand out. Keep it simple. However, make sure that you evoke emotion.

Make them laugh, make them cry or touch their heart. These are the qualities that you need to think about when developing an eSport brand marketing campaigns intended to capture the millennial gamer audience. Most of all, think about the single impression you want to leave with your audience after they view your content.