Gaming the system: Brands going virtual in the pandemic

Maureen McLaughlin

The shift to digital-first has sent brands – including Hellmann's, a condiment brand, Rock the Vote, a non-profit organisation, and Desperados, an alcohol brand – into the realm of videogames and virtual events to reach consumers.

For reasons that are unlikely to surprise anyone, time spent with screens in 2020 is way up. Thanks to the pandemic, U.S. consumers are projected to spend an average of 7.5 hours per day with digital media, up almost 12 percent from 2019, according to eMarketer. What's more, the number of people playing videogames in the U.S. has jumped 5 percent since 2019 — to 174.7 million — the largest increase since 2015. The trend, which has sent many brands scrambling for innovative ways to reach their audiences beyond traditional methods of digital marketing, is expected to continue post-pandemic, with...

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