PART I | Get into the Game: If you’re not in gaming, you’re behind the curve
As the industry faces declines in linear TV, surges in ad-free entertainment, and increasingly fragmented user engagement, why do some brands and agencies still overlook one of the most obvious opportunities for audience engagement – gaming?
In this two-part deep dive, PHD strategy director Zac Kelly does more than just bang the drum of gaming as a valuable channel. He explores the various, often misunderstood, opportunities within the space and explains why ignoring these could spell game over for brands.
Gaming is a foreign space for brands. But it shouldn’t be.
Gaming is the second most popular activity in Australian homes (BOND University 2022), trailing just behind streaming. Australians spend an average of 9 hours a week playing games — three more hours on average than podcasts. Surprisingly, more brands and money are consistently invested in podcasting.
At its simplest, advertising is about reaching people with motivating messages where they are spending time. With an increased amount of time being devoted to gaming, brands should take notice. But they aren’t. Gaming is set to become the most underinvested mass media moment of all time.
Has to be done cleverly, otherwise you’re at the mercy of getting cyberbullied by the “How Do You Do, Fellow Kids” crowd. But it’s been done before and it can be done again. Some brands are already doing it – Temu x Red Dead Redemption 2 is the main one that comes to mind, because everyone was mad that RDR was releasing partnerships without releasing expansions or content patches. Stardew Valley had some random alignment that made no sense and I’ve already forgotten it.
TV is finally getting gaming right with Amazon leading the charge with TLOU and Fallout and listening to the growing audience of complaining streamers, chatters and gamers. I’ve been watching and waiting for 15 years for someone to do gaming right. Some people are too scared. Some people don’t listen to gamers.
Still waiting for the breakthrough.