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I’m not one to play Fortnite, nor have I ever been on Twitch. But when it comes to a potential marketing opportunity, I’m intrigued. I’ll expose my lack of gaming knowledge here, but “The Glitch” is a new multiplayer game where you work to fix a “glitching” world. The platform was designed for not only streamers, but also advertisers.
Why should you care? Because two massive brands have already put their hat in the ring—Domino’s and Peloton.
Domino’s makes sense on a number of levels. There’s talk of health-regenerating pizza parties and different avatar skins so players can get that interaction with the brand. And we can’t help but wonder that when people are playing for hours on end, they get hungry, and what are they likely to do? Cook a three-course meal with fresh ingredients that takes at least two hours to prepare? No, they’ll order Domino’s—it’s fast, it’s easy, and they have cheesy bread.
The real mind twister is Peloton. Like, actually, what the hell? Has Peloton reached the point of FU money that they feel comfortable putting ad dollars into something that will most definitely fail? Or are they onto something that the rest of us are clearly missing?
It appears that Peloton’s goal is to introduce a new audience to the brand and get more engagement. Organically, they’ll likely insert the brand into the game without disrupting the overall experience, and popular Twitch influencers may also generate content. Maybe players can ride Peloton bikes in the game to get from place to place? Maybe Peloton is trying to get back to that exercise-from-home mentality? Or maybe they see a bridge between the immersive experience of gaming with the immersive one of Peloton?
I’m curious as hell to see how Peloton does with this strategy. We will never knock a brand for giving an innovative strategy a try, but we think it’s fair to ask upfront, “Will this really work?”
What’s the Right Approach to Twitch Marketing?
The truth is that Twitch is still a new platform and brands are still working out how to best approach this new wild west. Kids and teens are no longer tuning into their Monday night cable programming. They’re watching Twitch streams. So, how do you as a brand break in the right way?
Speaking from our experience, the approach towards marketing on Twitch comes down to what you as the brand are looking for. An internet client we work with wanted to increase their awareness with a younger audience. The connection was clear—an internet company targeting gamers.
But going into the Twitch universe, your brand must know that it’s more of an integrated and product placement approach. And for your sake, you best understand the gamer language. Why? Twitch—like Reddit—are ad-averse communities, meaning they really f*cking hate ads. Do it wrong and you’ll suffer the consequences.
What’s the Verdict on Twitch Marketing?
Our agency finds other social media and online avenues are better for most, if not all, marketing efforts. We will always listen to what our clients want, but at the end of the day, our job is to offer our expertise. We’ve simply found our best results elsewhere.
Our advice for you folks still stuck in your Twitch marketing ways—create an immersive experience around your brand, put your ad dollars into real-time use, and know your targeting a younger audience.
Happy streaming!
