SXSW Sydney: Marketers need to learn gaming is ‘as big a social platform as TikTok’
Gaming is a new, innovative space, and is the greatest opportunity for brands to connect with the Generation Z audience, according to TotallyAwesome’s head of data, research and insights, Alice Almeida.
Speaking on a panel at SXSW Sydney last week, Almeida was joined by Nico King, ECD at Chaos Theory Games, Harry Kaloyirou, product director, Web3 at Dept, and paediatric psychologist and brand consultant Amanda Abel.
(L-R): Panel moderator Joan Westenberg with King, Almeida, Abel and Kaloyirou
“I remember having this similar conversation over 20 years ago, where I was convincing brands to be online,” Almeida said.
“It was unknown, it was risky, it was dangerous, all of those things. But I’m now having this conversation with gaming. If you want your brand to be where the future is, if you want to be where the future consumers are, you’ve got to be in gaming.”
According to Almeida, 93% of kids and teens are gaming: “It’s now a social platform that is as big as the likes of TikTok for this generation.”
Abel said if brands are able to “capture” the Generation Z audience now, “then they’re more likely to stay with them longer term”.
“Even if its not traditionally a kid-centric or teen-focused brand, marketing in gaming is a way to really excite this audience, keep their loyalty and keep their engagement long term,” she said.
Kaloyirou agreed, and said: “We’re at a really unique time in the cross section between branding and games, especially when you look at the Gen Z interaction with things like Fortnite and Roblox.”
“This is a relatively untapped area,” Almeida continued. “So anything brands do on there at the moment is pretty bloody amazing, to put it bluntly.”
King also stressed the importance of utilising gaming creators and streamers.
“I think involving people who have expertise in games in your discussion, in your brainstorming exercise, is how you can avoid a tone deaf entrance into one of these markets,” he said.
“That’s a community that really understands what is going to work, what users enjoy. You need to have that voice in the room when you’re designing these things.”
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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topics
Alice Almeida
Amanda Abel
Dept
gaming
gaming marketing
Harry Kaloyirou
Marketing
Nico King
SXSW Sydney
TotallyAwesome
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