Marketers can find a ready audience in online gaming

The UK’s gamers actually like seeing real-world brands when they’re playing, so, with online gaming and e-sports growing in popularity, marketers are pushing at an open door – especially when looking to connect to a hard-to-reach younger demographic.

Context

Research last year by Foresight Factory found that 19% of respondents were gaming more since the beginning of the pandemic – including 16% of women. Almost half of adults said they play video games at least weekly, with 22% playing every day. E-sports are also popular, with 22% of UK adults saying they’ve either watched e-sports or are keen to do so in the future.

What gamers want

Research from the Data and Marketing Association (DMA) and dotdigital shows that:

• younger gamers especially like seeing real-world brands in games – 59% of those aged 25 to 34 said it was good, and 39% of gamers of all ages agreed.
• almost half of players would like to test pre-release products from brands they like, with this figure rising to 62% of younger players.
• almost a quarter of gamers (23%) are already making in-game purchases at least weekly, while a third (35%) would like to buy real versions of products they see in games.

Soundbite

“This can be a real opportunity for brands to connect with groups of customers who may not typically engage with them. Many brands are already investing and creating virtual products that live inside these gaming worlds” – Tim Bond, Head of Insight, DMA.

Sourced from DMA