If your brand’s got no game, you’re missing out

For years, marketers have chased attention across every screen, but many are still overlooking one of the world’s biggest and most exciting arenas: gaming. 

Despite the industry boasting more than 3.4 billion players, gaming receives less than 5% of global media investment. That’s not just a missed opportunity, it’s a creative blind spot.

[Gaming's] not just a missed opportunity, it’s a creative blind spot.

The audience is already there, and growing. Earlier this year, the Intel Extreme Masters esports tournament in Katowice, Poland, broke the record for peak viewership, with 1.29 million people tuning in to watch the Counter-Strike final.  

It’s clear that what’s missing isn’t reach. It’s the creative ambition to meet players where they are.

Above: The recent Minecraft Movie was a win for the box office as well as the game itself, with a 17% week-on-week increase in daily players after the film's release.

Of culture, for culture

Sitting at the intersection of entertainment, sports and community, gaming is where culture happens in real time. From the big screen to the streaming platforms, many of today’s most popular films and shows are based on gaming IPs. Just look at The Minecraft Movie, which raked in over $300 million globally on its opening weekend and sparked a 17% week-on-week increase in daily players. Gamers watched the film. Cinema-goers tried the game.

There is so much room for brands to come up with creative ways to get involved in gaming and esports.

This is more than synergy – it’s a self-reinforcing cultural loop, where gaming inspires content and storytelling but also feeds off the trends it shapes.

Everyone is a gamer

As gaming and esports evolve, so does their audience. Today, gaming is mainstream, multi-generational and multidimensional. Take the rise of cosy games with titles that invite players to grow flowers [Grow a Garden], manage a farm [Stardew Valley], or run a pizza restaurant [Good Pizza, Great Pizza!]. 

These gentle, creative worlds are miles away from Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto, but they’re driving massive, passionate fandoms. For brands, they open up unexpected and meaningful entry points. And it’s not just younger players. Adults over 50 now represent nearly a third of US gamers, with their share and influence growing steadily.

With such diverse audiences, there is so much room for brands to come up with creative ways to get involved in gaming and esports to engage, impress and entertain these people. But many have been slow to leverage the sector’s potential. 

Above: The gaming audience has evolved, evidenced by the rise of 'cosy games' like [from top] Grow a Garden, Stardew Valley and Good Pizza, Great Pizza!.

No limit

Just as there’s no typical gamer, there’s no typical gamer brand. Any brand with the curiosity and commitment can earn a place in the space. The challenge is to find their authentic fit. Brands need to ask themselves what can they do to elevate the gaming experience?

Just as there’s no typical gamer, there’s no typical gamer brand.

Whether that’s placing OOH billboards inside virtual cities, becoming part of the game narrative, or showing up at live events with exclusive experiences, the possibilities are endless. It’s also an opportunity to show a different side to the brand. Gaming is a more immersive, playful and engaged realm, where even the most traditional brands have a licence to have fun.

The loyal and engaged communities are ready and waiting for brands to surprise, entertain or even educate them. But they will only accept the ones that can show they are ready to invest in and truly understand the world of gaming, including its niche fandoms and fast-evolving trends.

Above: DHL's custom mascot, Cargo, has been a feature at gaming events since last year. 

Playing it smart

We’re already seeing bold moves from unexpected players. Logistics giant DHL, for example, is not a brand readily associated with gaming, but has become a prominent feature in the gaming community through its activations at esports events, designed to target younger audiences not just for brand lift, but also for recruitment.

We’re already seeing bold moves from unexpected players.

Last year, it created a custom mascot, Cargo, a robot with a huge digital and physical presence. At gaming events, the 7.5ft Cargo stands out, ready to engage with crowds for robot fist-bumps, selfies and giveaways, while digital activations have seen Easter eggs and surprise cameos in popular gaming IPs. 

DHL has also used entertainment to showcase its relevance to the gaming community. The first episode of The Dispatch, a comedy series about DHL’s forgotten Esports Logistic Division drove more than 21,000 clicks to its careers page.

Lamborghini, on the other hand, stepped into the spotlight at DreamHack Dallas, the gaming, lifestyle and esports festival, as the event’s headline partner. Keen to engage with a younger demographic, it showed up with physical and digital versions of its custom model Revuelto for fans to explore and take part in virtual races to win prizes. A great way for the luxury brand to show a new side and meet gamers on their terms.

Above: DHL's online mini-series, The Dispatch, a comedy series about DHL’s forgotten Esports Logistic Division drove hordes of people to its recruitment page.