Gaming is the new social media
Video games are the multi-generational consumer touchpoint of our time. Brands can’t afford to miss out on this shift. Success requires ditching old playbooks and taking Roblox as seriously as Meta.
Dear Readers,
What a week this has been, and still is, for video games. First, Nintendo announced the release date for its much anticipated update of the Nintendo Switch. The Switch 2 is set to release on June 5 this year, with pre-orders set to kick in April 9. Despite the fairly high price of $499 (if you’re into the Mario Kart bundle like me), make sure to make your calendars for the pre-order date as the Switch 2 will undoubtedly sell out fast.
Tomorrow, the storied Minecraft franchise finally hits the big screen when “A Minecraft Movie” hits theatres. With Jason Momoa, Jack Black, and Emily Myers in the lead and an initial IMDb score of 6.2/10, you shouldn’t expect Oscar-worthy entertainment, but popcorn-fueled family appropriate fun. Minecraft is the latest example of gaming franchises crossing over into the entertainment space and it’ll be very interesting to see how it does at the box office on opening weekend.
But there’s more. I just returned from Advertising Week Europe in London, the most important conference for the advertising business in Europe, where amidst flashy photo booths sponsored by Uber Advertising and custom AI-inspired tote bags powered by Adobe video games took the center stage as the largest undeniable opportunity for brands to effectively reach consumers (preach!).
If you’re a subscriber to Technically Entertaining, you have read our thoughts on consumer attention and the fierce battle all companies are fighting against each other over this finite and valuable resource (if you haven’t, you have missed out, so make sure to subscribe now to miss out on any future insights!).
If you are a brand vying for consumer attention, what has changed are the gatekeepers to that attention. It used to be the Print, TV, and Radio powerhouses like Viacom or Comcast. Then social media took over and with it giants like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok. Now, there’s a new cast of gatekeepers emerging: the ones that build virtual gaming worlds. We’re talking about Roblox, Epic Games maker Fortnite, and honestly any video game developer of a decent size.
It’s all about time spent
The main measurement for this battle for attention is time spent. Whoever can command time spent has the foundation to command attention. Already today, the younger generation spends more time daily on Roblox and Fortnite than on TikTok and Instagram combined.
In terms of the evolution of technological platforms and consumer engagement, video games can be viewed as the next big shift after social media - just with far deeper and more effective engagement than pure social media platforms can facilitate.
The average engagement with a social media post is 1.3 seconds. The average engagement with a branded experience on Roblox lasts 11 minutes.
Versace achieved 200,000 minutes of engagement across three major social media channels with a campaign that lasted 42 days. In three days within Fortnite, it achieved 1,400,000 minutes of engagement.
Walmart’s story is the same: 4,500,000 minutes of social media engagement compared to 13,400,000 minutes in Roblox.
It is also a shift that doesn’t only pertain to young people. Video games are a multi-generational touchpoint. In fact, the fastest growing demographic segment in terms of gaming hours spent as well as number of people playing are adults aged 50 and above.
Brands need to Press Play now
The importance of this for any brand trying to reach consumers and the impact this already has on their marketing strategies cannot be overstated. In fact, we’re living through such a profound shift in how we engage consumers that I dedicated the last three years to writing a book on exactly this topic. Press Play - Why Every Company Needs a Gaming Strategy shines a light on the powerful medium that video games are and how any company can harness that power by adopting a gaming strategy that fits their needs and organizations. I interviewed hundreds of executives from leading companies like Mastercard, Chipotle, Adidas, BMW, Peloton, and many more who are well on their way into mastering the gaming playbook - so others can learn from them. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon - I appreciate your support.
We are witnessing the first tidal wave of this shift right now. Half of all brand activations in gaming environments happened in the second half of 2024. What’s fascinating to see is that video games are a place for literally all companies from various industries to benefit from. Case in point: consumer electronics brands saw the fastest growth in terms of their number of brand activations between 2023 and 2024.
In my book I call out a variety of critical success factors companies have to get right in order to be successful in gaming. All the different talks during Advertising Week Europe confirmed those, but just to name a couple:
First, brands have to show up authentically in games, which means the starting point for any project or initiative has to be the audience and a deep, validated understanding of their behaviors, needs, and drivers.
Second, brands need to adapt their organizational setup to ensure video games receive the same level of attention and budget as does social media or any other consumer engagement channel that is a part of the brand’s mix. In my book I discuss how Peloton and Lego did this very successfully. During Advertising Week, Gucci came up as another example of a company that now has a fully integrated team that works on three gaming environments eye to eye with their social media efforts.
For now, games are most effective in the top and middle of funnel engagement - they’re good at driving brand awareness and creating engagement. What is lacking but will inevitably follow is the bottom of the funnel - true conversion from engagement to an actual purchase of the real product the brand offers. That’s the holy grail. Roblox is taking steps towards that with its integration with Shopify and Amazon, which we’ll discuss in a separate post.
If you’re a parent and you need something to bond over with your kids, consider this: 75% of parents co-play video games with their children. Time to place that pre-order for the Nintendo Switch 2 and download Minecraft so you can play before watching the movie - don’t forget the popcorn.
There’s a lot happening right now in the world of tech, business, and entertainment. A TikTok sale appears imminent. Roblox deserves a closer look. And the rumblings that Disney might want to acquire Electronic Arts won’t die down. So, do me a favor and subscribe - and if you don’t mind, share this post with someone you know would benefit from reading this.