The rise of gaming in the last few years has handed digital marketers a new set of tools that can be used to great effect. The demographic appeal of online and mobile games has expanded and the cost of creating games has fallen. This means digital marketers have different tools that can help them to teach new behaviours and improve brand loyalty. This piece takes a look at the different ways through which brands and their digital marketers are taking advantage of the gaming boon.
Partnerships with major game makers
Bingo games were formerly limited to bingo halls but the online and mobile gaming boon of the recent years now means players no longer have to manually cut up papers and keep track of events during games. Everything is now done online. The various bingo game variants are made by different game companies, many of which have gone into partnership with companies like PayPal. PayPal bingo sites are all over the web today and you can find a good selection of them here www.newpaypalbingo.com. This has helped many more people become ardent users of PayPal.
Relationship building with gamers
The on-going Pokémon Go craze is a good example here. Many brands have taken to their digital platforms to seek a relationship with gamers by announcing that their business premises are Pokestops. This usually leads to a flurry of activities in such business premises and sometimes translates to increase in patronage. Some businesses have taken it further by offering discounts when Pokemons are caught within or outside their gates. Even book stores are not left out.
Game induced product announcements
Going back to the Pokémon Go example, many brands took the opportunity to market all kinds of merchandise whilst riding on the Pokemon Wave. One prominent example is this button batteries ad on Twitter.
Sponsored competitions
The goal of digital marketing is to spread word about a service or business as far as possible. What better way to do this than being the sponsor of a gaming event for a very popular game? From football game competitions to MMORPG competitions, many brands have taken advantage of the popularity of specific games to raise awareness about their services.
These are just some of the ways through which games have made digital marketing easier for brands. In the coming years, the alliance between gaming and digital marketing could go to a level where brands completely sponsor games.
