Go where

the audience

goes

Let’s say you’ve designed a new backpack. A revolutionary backpack. Makes all the kids look cool, without ruining their backs. What’s not to like? But how will anybody ever find out about this magical backpack? Well, you might want to consider setting up shop in Fortnite. Or Minecraft. Or even Choices. These are all games. If you knew that already: good. Because the days where gaming was the niche for thirty-something slightly obese boys still living in their mom’s basement are gone. Everybody is a gamer now. Only a minority isn’t spending their free time in virtual worlds. In marketing, it’s a rule that if you want to reach somebody, anybody, you’d best go where they are. So if you haven't already, now's a good time to start gaming.

As Is

We’ve long passed that moment in time when angry moms were protesting Nintendo because it corrupted their sons’ innocence. Those sons probably make tons of money gaming by now. Today, according to Accenture, over 80% of Gen Z & Y are gamers. That's close to everybody. This means there is a whole universe where people spend most of their free time—even their money. How do you plan to sell your magic backpack if you’re not there?

The big challenge with gaming is authenticity. As a brand, how can you infiltrate this alternative universe without being called out? Answer: you have to make a true connection with your target groups. Make it worthwhile or you’ll be cast aside in a heartbeat. This universe is one with strong roots, guiding principles and a lot of unwritten rules. You have to know the language if you want to talk to anybody. And leave your bias at home, please. When conquering the metaverse make sure you at least know somebody in the Gen-Z age group.

could be

There is no such thing as ‘the’ gamer. There are as many different types and characters in the virtual world as in the brick-and-mortar one. So if you're convinced there’s potential in discovering new realms, please do take it seriously. The gaming industry is bigger than the music & film industry combined and beyond mature. So are its residents by the way. It’s a world within a world, not another medium. This means gaming can’t be compared with a social media channel. If anything, it’s comparable to the internet as a whole. And you don’t just send one unified message to the whole web, do you? No. There’s traditional press, blogs, Facebook, Twitter… All with their own demands and specifics. Same goes for the world of gaming.

Looking at the younger generations, you can see the metaverse coming to life. They talk about the buys they just made in Fifa while changing for a real football match with pub friends. They are as human online as they are offline, and that is exactly the way you should approach them. Integrally. As human beings, in an artificial world that is artificial, yet very meaningful to many. Not as one uniform blob. From the ten-year-old grooming her online pets to the forty-year-old out on his Final Fantasy adventure, they are all human, and want to be treated as such.

For brands, it will be a long road. No instant gratification. No easy money or low hanging fruit. And still, it will be worth your while. If in ten years time you haven’t maneuvered yourself into the virtual realm, you will be worth half of what you are today. It takes some bravery and patience to start your gaming journey as a brand, but we believe it’s inevitable. So maybe the key is to enjoy yourself while trying. Like some smart guys said some decades ago, a good life is a process, not a state of being. Gaming is a direction not a destination.