Where are the keys?
The first thing is to understand the diversity of the gamer audience in Mexico. A study carried out by Field Agent for NIVEA says that 47% of gamers are women and 50% are between 25 and 34 years old, while The CIU complements that while 87% of those under 20 declared that they play video games, more 23% of those over 50 also say they do.
These figures show that gamers are not a niche, but rather a content and entertainment distribution channel, with a language and a way of connecting with different audiences with different tastes, age or gender.
Plazas points out that by understanding this one can also begin to understand the ecosystem and how to participate in it. Gaming strategies have to go beyond the gifts of consoles or peripherals such as headphones or gamer chairs, stresses the specialist and points out the importance of integrating video game advertising in a natural and coherent way in the virtual world of gaming.
In this regard, he points out that gamers value their games, so advertising should be a part of it and not an interruption. “When brands take the time to understand and respect the context of the game, it will result in either increased ROAS or increased engagement,” he says.
The third component is cost, as this form of advertising can be more expensive compared to traditional channels. Therefore, Plazas comments that for every peso spent on traditional channels, investment in advertising in gaming could require spending approximately three pesos. This is an additional impediment when planning budgets.
Ignorance of these three components has limited the full integration of so-called non-endemic brands, that is, those that are not directly linked to gaming, since they require a level of specialization in the industry, as well as end-to-end support to understand the audience, the channel and the real costs of such initiatives.
Although advertising in gaming may require higher spend, the data supports a significantly higher return on investment and attraction of new audiences compared to traditional channels. However, the benefit can be superior financial results, as well as making lasting connections with new audiences.
