Haven’t you got something better to do?
It’s a question gamers have heard time and time again, but is time spent video gaming not well spent?
A relaxing past-time for some, it can also create serious career opportunities for those who want to take their passion to the next level. From development and design, competitive gaming to vlogging there are plenty of options out there.
And the global games market is booming. Last year it was estimated to be worth around a whopping $135 billion – a YOY increase of 10.9%.
The way people interact with video games has come on a long way since the days of locking yourself in a room to master Sonic the Hedgehog or defeat Bowser in Super Mario. Solitary gaming is a thing of the past.
Now is the age of influencer gaming. Gamers are connecting to others all over the world to share their hobby through live Internet sessions on Twitch – a live-streaming video platform – YouTube and other social media networks.
There are thousands of gaming influencers around the world with a large and engaged audience which provides the perfect marketing tactic for brands to build awareness with a highly-targeted audience.
Pringles UK took its recent influencer marketing campaign to the next level with Battle Couch – a live multiplayer tournament like no other.
The snack brand brought together 100 PlayStation players – made up of influential social media users and hard-core gamers across six nations – in a London venue to go head-to-head in the ultimate competition.
The venue housed an enormous 70m long sofa that seated all 100 competitors, all kitted out in Pringles branded tops and supplied with tubes of the iconic potato chips to snack on.
With the opportunity to showcase their multi-game skills, the contestants took on the challenge to go head-to-head across two PS4 titles; Rainbox 6 Siege and Tekken 7.
Tense and highly engaging, the opening qualifiers saw the number of competitors cut as three quarters of the audience were knocked out – leaving the remaining players to face off against each other across five consecutive rounds.
To make the event accessible and enjoyable for those who like to watch their favourite influencers on YouTube, the battle was live streamed on Twitch where the action unfolded over a period of two hours.
With this truly unique and entertaining brand experience, Pringles has shown that it understands its audience and knows the power of strategic influencer marketing to create a highly authentic experience.
Gaming is a competitive market; it takes creativity and a bold approach to stand out from the crowd. Other brands that have been inventive and daring in their marketing activations include Doritos with its innovative towel bag and Nissan with a fun brand experience where cars were turned into PlayStation controllers.