Gaming and esports have long since become mainstream. Despite certain challenges, they offer an excellent marketing environment.
Rise to mainstream culture
It used to be a somewhat nerdy hobby mostly enjoyed by young men. But now gaming and esports have become mainstream. The COVID-19 pandemic has further reinforced this trend. Contact restrictions and the lack of shared leisure activities have led to a veritable video game boom worldwide. In Austria, 5.8 million people play video games and immerse themselves in digital worlds via PC, console, or smartphone—not just to pass the time, but also to stay in touch with family and friends.
Experience video games live
But it's not just gaming that has gained in popularity; video game and esports broadcasts have also become more attractive. The live streaming portal Twitch now has around 100 percent more viewers in Austria than in 2020. Although the hype will subside somewhat as more leisure activities become available, the gaming and esports industry will continue to grow at a higher user level.
An underestimated entertainment giant
Even before this boom, gaming and esports had become one of the trending topics in marketing. A gigantic content market has emerged around the world of video games, with editorial environments, successful content creators, and steadily growing social media and community platforms. This offers countless opportunities for brands. From a brand perspective, however, it is important to understand that gaming is not a “channel” but a form of entertainment around which unique consumer behavior has developed.
Attractive target groups
Of course, games and esports offer good opportunities to connect with young people between the ages of 10 and 29, who are already difficult to reach via traditional media and will be even more difficult to reach in the future. According to a study by gaming analytics company Newzoo, video games are among the most popular leisure activities of Generation Z. Gaming has even overtaken social media activities: Gen Z spends a quarter of their free time playing video games, while 18 percent is spent on social media and 17 percent on streaming video content. The same applies to millennials, for whom video games account for 21 percent and streaming for 19 percent of their total leisure time.
Gaming as a marketing environment
Gaming competes with other media for the time and attention of numerous target groups and is also an excellent marketing environment: Attractive target groups that are difficult to reach in other media, high multiplier effects in strong communities, and, last but not least, unique spillover effects in a dynamic and innovative scene help brands achieve their communication goals.
At the same time, marketing in gaming environments can only be successful if a high level of market and target group understanding is combined with the right strategic, media, and creative implementation. The market is too complex for experimentation, and the target groups are demanding.
Gaming and esports at the House of Communication Vienna
At the House of Communication, we have created an interdisciplinary offering to advise you on all issues relating to games and esports marketing. Our experts are not only communications professionals, but also passionate gamers themselves with many years of experience, so they know the scene inside out.
With an extensive range of workshops, creation of gaming touchpoints, high-reach media packages, and esports engagement collaborations, we offer clients the opportunity to immerse themselves in the industry in a tailor-made way and take the first steps toward authentically incorporating gaming and esports into their own communications mix.