The Gaming Industry is often a foreign world to traditional advertisers and marketers that aren’t as familiar with gamers’ interests and memes. But advertising in the gaming industry is truly not as complicated as you may think. Here are our expert tips on reaching the gaming demographic as a non-endemic brand — written by an experienced gaming marketer (and gamer).

Be Authentic

This is the biggest piece of advice I can give you — be authentic. Every social media post, blog entry, and advertisement has to genuine. Gamers can sniff out “cringe” and fake energy immediately and your brand will be called out. Don’t try to talk about topics you know nothing about and don’t use old, aged memes.

Instead, focus on your own strengths and create campaigns and content that uses a genuine voice and shows how you truly fit into the industry. This works whether you sell gaming PCs or jewelry — as long as you tell a real story and create authentic connections.

Learn the Demographic

The gaming industry is full of a very large fanbase and the truth is you won’t relate to everyone. It’s important to find a specific demographic within the gaming industry that will be most responsive to your brand and products. This will make it easier to create authentic and impactful campaigns and content for a certain group since you’ll understand what makes them tick.

Here’s an example from my own experience at a past gaming marketing company. A non-endemic brand focused on crptyocurrency came to us wanting to inspire awareness in the gaming industry. I presented them with a content and engagement plan focused on Dota 2. Why? Dota 2 players and esports viewers are usually older, with their own money to spend. They would be more likely to care about cryptocurrency than, say, a 14-year-old Fortnite player. Then, the experience I created involved letting Dota 2 players have a say in the results of a project, something that works for Dota 2 players since they often feel they are not listened to despite being very passionate about the scene.

Another time, a toy company came to us wanting some creative content aimed at gamers. We paired them up with a Call of Duty team to create some fun, viral video content. This made sense since Call of Duty players are often younger and we wanted to provide them with fun, genuine content that showed them the toys in action, used by pros that inspire them.

Stay Up to Date

You will need to be internet-savvy if you want to succeed at advertising in the gaming industry. This includes understanding internet culture as well as the latest video game trends. That’s because you want to create genuine content that really relates to gamers and doesn’t feel “try hard.” For example, keep track of the newest games that gamers are talking about and create content and ads based on these titles. Or check out the latest viral TikToks in the gaming community to learn what social media content will feel authentic and create connections with gamers.

Contact our social media experts to learn more about using trending topics and social media to get the most out of your advertising.

Use Alternative Platforms

Unlike more traditional industries, the largest social media platforms for gamers are a bit different. One big site that’s often looked over is Reddit. This is a site where gamers come together to discuss the latest games, memes, esports news, and controversies. You can add to the conversations in authentic ways and create content based on the discussions you see. Another important site is X (formerly known as Twitter). This is where big gaming and esports news is shared first and it has become where the community gathers to share their thoughts and stay up to date. TikTok and Instagram are also great places to share social content.

Have Fun

Lastly, just have friggin’ fun. Honestly. If you are enjoying the content you create — whether it’s fun videos of people at your company playing horror games or providing young gamers with online tournaments or just simply writing fun blog posts about the latest games — it will come across to gamers. Instead of screaming corporate, it will seem like you truly want to make gamers laugh and enjoy your content and products. Just be yourself, share your brand’s true story, and stay up to date with all things gaming and gamers.

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