With the incredible growth of the industry, gaming has also become an avenue in which brands and organisations have invested to deploy new marketing campaigns to reach new communities and communicate with their audiences in innovative and more meaningful ways. Beyond in-game advertising which interrupts the entertainment of game players, many brands have developed bespoke games for their audiences to engage with their brand through a fun, immersive experience in order to drive brand affinity and promote understanding of their brand’s story and mission.
We’ve implemented purpose-driven gaming projects across several sectors. From teaching tweens how to be money-wise on Roblox for a prominent bank, to sensitive storytelling games that promote healthy decision-making for a pharmaceutical company. While retailers all have different objectives, the value of impact games lies in their ability to harness the interactive power of gaming to draw people into deeper brand experiences than any other type of marketing.
Why games?
One of the key reasons why games are so powerful in this space is because, by their very nature, games offer lean-in experiences rather than lean-back experiences like other forms of entertainment (and marketing).
People also interact with games voluntarily – giving their money, time and attention in return for a fun and rewarding experience that lasts several minutes (or sometimes even hours) every play session. For brands competing for fractions of seconds of engagement on other digital platforms like Instagram and Facebook, the significant active engagement time that brands can directly achieve through bespoke branded games is hugely valuable. Moreso, it’s also a great opportunity for brands to build meaningful relationships with their customers, nurture their communities, communicate their values to their customers and promote their brand equity.
Doing good is good for business
The need for brands and organisations to connect with their customers around shared values and a higher purpose has never been greater.
In the United Kingdom, more people are making decisions based on the practices of the businesses they’re buying from. Sustainability, for example, is a major concern for shoppers. According to research by Accenture in 11 countries, 83% of respondents think it’s important for companies to design products that can be reused, recycled and never go to landfill.
That’s why we’re seeing companies like Nestlé France invest in creating Farmtopia to demonstrate their commitment to driving the move towards more sustainable agriculture. Farmtopia is a Minecraft universe created by Nestlé in partnership with Microsoft to engage and cultivate a community of young people that understand and support more responsible and regenerative farming practices by living an immersive experience like a farmer where their actions in the game also have real-world impact.
Other brands have also invested in meaningful branded experiences like athletic apparel retailer Alo Yoga, for example, that crafted a Roblox game to further its commitment to promoting mental and overall health. The Alo Sanctuary lets players unlock items for their in-game characters by participating in calming meditation and guided yoga classes. The game is “really about education and giving back to the community,” according to Angelic Vendette, Alo Yoga’s Vice President of Marketing when speaking at the National Retail Federation’s Nexus event.
Making the world a better place
Games can be a powerful vehicle for good in the world. With its long list of problems encapsulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, finding effective and scalable ways to engage people around critical global issues is paramount for every person and every business. We’re excited about companies that are committed to advancing these goals and helping them leverage games in order to tell their stories and play a part in making the world a better place.
Gaming is arguably the world’s favourite form of entertainment, generating more money than the music and movie industries combined. A PwC report projects total industry revenue to reach $312 billion in the next four years.
