As previously reported, Gen Z-ers and millennials are playing video games at massive rates. According to Newzoo, 81% of Gen Z responders reported to have played video games in the past six months and averaged seven hours of gaming per week.
With so many young adults playing video games and hundreds of billions of dollars coming into the market, gaming has become a great industry to market in. The question is: how do you do it? Here are just a few ways to get involved and get your brand seen by Gen Z and millennial gamers.
Partnering with streamers
It’s no surprise that the demographic that plays video games in massive quantities is also constantly watching video game streams.
According to GlobalWebIndex, as of 2019, 73% of all Twitch users were Gen Z-ers and millennials aged 16-34. Coupled with the fact that there are currently a reported 2.6 million average weekly Twitch users (according to TwitchTraker), that demographic is watching gaming streamers in droves.
If that’s where their eyes are, it only makes sense to put your brand there, too.
Food delivery companies like DoorDash and Grubhub have made significant pushes to be the official partners of esports leagues and organisations, attaching their brand to hundreds of affiliated streamers.
But even if you do not have the budget to partner with a big esports team like TSM, there are still plenty of other game streamers that are looking to make that extra money by promoting your products.
Be active on social media
One of the best ways to connect with the younger generation as a whole is through a strong social media presence. Over the past few years, we have seen plenty of brands such as Wendy’s build up their social media accounts to reach a wider audience and implicitly promote their products.
Recently, Pizza Hut started up its own gaming Twitter account, Pizza Hut Gaming, in hopes of marketing to Gen Z-ers and millennials.
It does not have to cost much to create a social media page, but if you choose to invest resources into this avenue, it could pay off a lot in the long run.
Support positive initiatives
Many Gen Z-ers and millennials care deeply about social and environmental initiatives.
Esports leagues and organisations like the League of Legends Championship Series and the*gameHERs have started up programs like Game Changers and the*gameHERs Awards, respectively, to promote women in gaming. These are praised by many in the community, and funding or aiding in those efforts could be a good way to show that your company agrees with those values.
There are also plenty of environmental initiatives that young gamers have become heavily invested in. Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson’s #teamtrees initiative has raised just under $24 million to plant trees with the goal of combating climate change.
Whether it’s supporting programs like these or putting your brand on an esports team’s jersey, there are plenty of ways to get your company seen by millions of Gen Z and millennial gamers.
