You may have noticed a significant push in the experiential marketing world to promote video games in real life, providing experiences beyond the digital landscapes provided by the games. Why are companies spending money to give fans an experience outside of the worlds that they have created? What’s the value of a llama placed in the real world, instead of Fortnite’s battle royale mode?
A high media value, a chance to tell new stories, and a consumer base that is energized by their experiences are the main reasons that gaming companies are expanding into experiential marketing. Steve Dupee, BeCore President, says “The convergence of video games and pop culture has never been stronger… from ESPN SportsCenter showing athletes doing Fortnite dance moves on the field or court, to musicians and actors streaming live on Twitch, video games are getting a lot of buzz, and the ways in which video game developers can effectively reach consumers has expanded tremendously. Video game enthusiasts are social consumers and game developers are now finding as much success in creating social experiences for their customers with offline events as much as through online engagement.”
As technology advances, a consumer’s attention is worth more than ever. People avoid ads wherever possible, from installing ad blockers, to deleting browser cookies to prevent tracking, today’s consumer is able to avoid marketing content if they so desire. What are some examples from the experiential marketing world where gaming companies interact with their audience offline, for better engagement with gamers? As experts in this field, BeCore has worked on a number of gaming-driven events in the past few years, so we can share our findings and success to inspire more brands to entertain their fans offline!
Stunts have been a part of experiential marketing since day one. BeCore’s challenge here was to integrate XBOX’s Sea of Thieves and David Smith’s amazing talent as a human cannonball into one cohesive event. Where better to do this than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium? We built a pirate ship inside the stadium and staffed extra photographers to get the perfect shot of Smith being launched out of a heavily branded Sea of Thieves “pirate blaster”. Fans tuned in to the Sea of Thieves livestream on Twitcher, Facebook, and Mixer hosted by Rukari Austin. The stream included game trailer assets and a giveaway of Xbox Game Pass codes to select viewers. The Sea of Thieves human cannonball launch was a success. David Smith incredibly broke his own Guinness World Record for the farthest ride as a human cannonball. The event generated $1,062,969 in media value, 228,232,263 media impressions, 728,300 social media views, 354,000 Facebook video views, and a total of 1,684,115 video views.
During the NBA All-Star Weekend, BeCore organized an Xbox hosted, Pop-up Barber Shop at One Court.. The Barber Shop was a popular hangout for players, such as James Harden and Steph Curry, and fans alike. The pop-up featured free haircuts by celebrity barbers Jayr Mallari and Marcus “Reggae” Smith as well as manicures, Xbox’s latest games, and a series of brand activations presented by the National Basketball Players Association. The Xbox Barber Shop generated 141,356,905 media impressions, 75,037,259 social media impressions, $292,928.80 media value, 471,016.61 social value, 125 Media Placements. This environment gave fans an intimate access to NBA products and a chance to tell all of their friends about the time they played Xbox with James Harden at a Barber Shop.
For Clash of the Clans we were set with the task of surprising and delighting Clashers with Larger-than-Life installations in high traffic locations across the globe. We had to secure permits and ensure that artwork would not be destroyed. BeCore succeeded in bringing The Builder as well as Pekka, The Barbarian and The Giant (other beloved characters from the game) to Life in Los Angeles, London and New York. Huntington State Beach,The South Bank Observation point in London, and Brooklyn’s Old Fulton Plaza are already summer destination spots. The Builder’s creations generated new spectacles for Clashers and new consumers alike. These large sculptures encouraged gamers and tourists to engage with the game in a real life setting and interact with each other. Fun ways to beat the heat were integrated into each location. In Los Angeles, water cannons helped Clashers cool off. And in London, giant fans provided a refreshing photo op!
In summary, be bold! We recently hosted a PUBG and Twitch Prime event that gave fans the opportunity to watch their favorite celebrities and streamers battle it out for that winner winner chicken dinner!
[rev_slider alias=”experiential-marketing”]
You’ll have to check back for the full writeup of the event, but the chance to see Ludacris and DrDisRespect in the same arena, followed by a Deadmau5 show, is just another example of what we can accomplish to bring gaming communities to the table and serve them an outstanding experience. Gamers everywhere are waiting to see what the gaming and experiential marketing communities can come up with next. Let’s talk about how we can make that happen!