When it comes to advertising, the mediums that most people think of would probably be digital ads, including social media followed by TV advertising. Some may even mention radio and billboards also as great advertising options. But the one medium that many people might not know about, or even think to mention could be one of the biggest advertising outlets available. GAMING.
This industry is set to make over $222 billion dollars by the end of 2022 and that money only accounts for the cost of playing. Throw in the advertising opportunities which are set to grow to more than $12 billion dollars by 2028, and you can see why this is an area that shouldn’t be overlooked or snubbed by any advertiser looking to get attention.
But who exactly is playing these games and why would you want to target them? While you may automatically think that a typical gamer is some sixteen-year-old boy in his parent’s basement, that is definitely not the case. A recent article from DataProt highlighted information about gamers that may surprise you. The average age of a gamer is thirty-five and, in the US, 45% of those gamers are female. And of those that play, they spend more than 20 hours a week gaming. That offers a lot of opportunity for any marketer.
The growing opportunities to reach consumers through gaming is out and more and more gaming platforms are jumping onboard. Recently, Roblox, one of the most popular games targeting kids, started investigating ways to monetize their platform through advertising (CNBC). Kids have been a targeted market for years through TV, starting with the Saturday morning cartoons, so why would gaming be any different? With Roblox test campaigns being done by Warner Bros. and Vans, it’s easy to see how the addition of platforms like this, will help to contribute to the growth of the gaming advertising industry.
In addition to advertising directly in the games themselves, marketers have learned that there are extended advertising opportunities through gaming forums and discussion-based platforms. The two most popular are Reddit, which generated more than $439 million advertising dollars in 2021, and Twitch which generated a whopping $2.6 billion in the same year. Reaching this targeted market through the games themselves may be an expensive proposition but utilizing the forums and taking advantage of those streamers who generate a great deal of traffic, offer even more openings to promote products through sponsorships and banner ads.
No matter how you look at it, gamers equal big bucks and big opportunity. The gaming industry should not be ignored when it comes to advertising. As a media agency that truly understands the importance of a mixed media approach and one-size-does-not-fit all, you better believe A3 will investigate the gaming options that fit your marketing plans and make the best recommendations based upon our findings.