By Animesh Agarwal
The digital age has revolutionised how brands connect with consumers, fundamentally altering the landscape of marketing and advertising. In this new era, content creators and influencers have emerged as pivotal players, reshaping the dynamics of branding and marketing.
Unlike traditional advertising methods, which often relied on one-way communication, these new age digital stars bring a sense of authenticity and relatability that resonates deeply with audiences. Influencers, with their loyal followings, offer brands the opportunity to reach specific demographics through personalised and engaging content.
A recent EY report projected a 25 percent surge in influencer marketing for this year, with the market reaching close to Rs 2,344 crore. By 2026, this figure is projected to rise to somewhere close to Rs 3,375 crore, indicating a significant shift. What is even more interesting is, 75 percent of brands are expected to integrate influencer marketing into their overall strategies, which is a testament to its increasing significance in the digital landscape.
This vibrant ecosystem, comprising content creators, streamers, and influencers are all contributing to produce engaging content. And by integrating influencers into their marketing strategies, brands can also tap into the power of storytelling and community-building, creating compelling narratives that drive consumer engagement and loyalty.
Here are a few points that highlight how the flourishing gaming creators’ economy is assisting brands in boosting their sales and nurturing consumer trust.
Building authentic consumer trust
Building authentic consumer trust is a cornerstone of modern marketing, particularly within the gaming creators’ economy. In this digital age, gamers and content creators have the unique ability to forge genuine and seamless connections with their audiences.
The hallmark of the gaming creators’ economy lies in its capacity to bridge the gap between creators and their audiences, making brand endorsements feel natural and credible. When gaming influencers share their genuine experience with a product or service, it resonates more profoundly with their followers compared to traditional advertising. This seamless integration of branded content within the creators’ own narratives not only enhances the trustworthiness of the message but also ensures that it reaches an engaged and receptive audience.
Unlike traditional advertising, where messages are often perceived as impersonal and intrusive, gaming creators through live streams, personalised content, and real-time interaction create a sense of a very strong community and trust. This authenticity is crucial, as it allows brands to connect with consumers on a more personal level, fostering long-term engagement.
Driving product sales through innovative content unveiling
Utilising creative content marketing to drive product sales has become a defining element of the digital era, especially within the realms of gaming and content creation. Whether through live streams, tutorials, reviews, or unboxings, these creators seamlessly weave brand messages into their content in ways that feel organic and engaging to their audiences.
Live streams, for instance, offer real-time demonstrations and interactions, allowing creators to showcase products in action while answering questions and providing insights, thus fostering an immediate connection and trust with their viewers.
Tutorials and how-to guides are yet another set of powerful tools, as they provide practical value while subtly highlighting the benefits of specific products. For example, a gaming creator might demonstrate how a particular piece of hardware enhances gameplay, effectively turning a product feature into a compelling narrative.
This influence extends beyond gaming products. Brands from various sectors, including technology, automobiles, media, fashion, food and even sports are now collaborating with gaming creators to reach broader audiences and impact their decision making.
An FMCG brand, for instance, could collaborate with a renowned gaming influencer to review and unbox, capitalising on the excitement and curiosity surrounding new products. By offering such honest, firsthand experiences, creators can build credibility and influence much higher rates of purchasing decisions and conversion rates compared to traditional advertising methods.
Tapping into diverse communities
Gaming creators excel at cultivating engaged and loyal communities across diverse demographics. These communities, which encompass a wide range of age groups, cultural backgrounds, and interests, actively contribute to the content creation process by providing feedback, making suggestions, and even participating in live streams.
This interaction allows creators to tailor their content more precisely to the needs and preferences of their audience, ensuring it is both relevant and engaging. By engaging with a diverse audience, creators can generate a more inclusive environment that values and reflects the richness of different perspectives.
YouGov data reveals that 91 percent of gaming influencer followers trust the brand recommendations and advice given by these influencers, compared to 80 percent of followers of general influencers. This indicates that involving diverse voices in content creation helps gaming creators provide a greater potential advantage for brands compared to the other influencers.
User-generated content (UGC)
When gaming influencers endorse a product, it often results in fans endorsing brands, leading to a flood of user-generated content that brands can leverage effectively. This UGC serves as authentic endorsements from fans, showcasing their enthusiasm and satisfaction, trust and unwavering faith that they have on the gaming content creators.
Creator led content that engages fans to create multiple UGC around gaming through gameplay highlights, reviews, fan art, or tutorials, gets them to advocate the brands and products featured.
Such organic endorsement in the form of reviews, social media posts, videos, and photos is particularly powerful because it resonates deeply within niche gaming communities, where authenticity and shared passion are highly valued. UGC is also invaluable as it also provides authentic, peer-driven testimonials that other consumers trust more than traditional advertisements.
As a result, with gaming content creators, brands often see a surge in UGC that highlights their products in various creative and engaging manners and this barrage of user-generated content presents a valuable opportunity for amplification and engagement from the brand perspective.
In essence, by harnessing the power of passionate fans and their UGC, brands can create a ripple effect of positive advocacy and community-driven promotion, ultimately driving deeper connections and increasing brand influence within the gaming community.
In conclusion, the gaming creators’ economy has emerged as a vital component of modern marketing. As we look ahead, their influence will increasingly provide brands with distinct opportunities to engage with audiences in profound and impactful ways.
Animesh Agarwal, founder and chief executive officer of 8Bit Creatives and co-founder of S8UL.
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