If you’re not a gamer or someone who enjoys binge-watching live-streams you’re probably asking yourself, ‘What’s Twitch?’ You could also be wondering why any brand would want to have a Twitch marketing strategy when it’s focused on gamers. Well, you’re not alone. A lot of brands don’t use Twitch to promote or market themselves because they just don’t see the potential in what Twitch has to offer.
But there are a lot of brands that have figured out the secret sauce to making Twitch work for them—and they’re thriving! But before we start name-dropping let’s circle back to your original question.
What’s Twitch?
It’s an online platform dedicated to live streams. Users have the choice between live-streaming their own content or watching live streams. Think of YouTube live streams but if live streams were all they did instead of video uploads.
Streamers will usually give you commentary on gameplay while viewers can comment on a sidebar. It’ll usually look quite similar to the screen below.
What’s it used for other than gaming?
Gamers may be its most popular user base but that doesn’t mean they have exclusive reign over Twitch. From cooking shows and talk shows to sporting events and gaming conventions, there are a lot of people with a lot of different interests who are making the most out of this livestream format where it isn’t uncommon for streamers to capture the attention of their audience for hours on end.
The platform is so popular that it has its own convention aptly named ‘TwitchCon’. It happens twice a year when the platform’s fans and broadcasters meet up (in person) to celebrate the streaming industry.
Fans get the chance to meet their favourite streamers, sit in for sessions, and even buy merchandise from the convention’s vendors and sponsors.
While all this checks quite a few boxes for brands wondering about the merits of having a Twitch marketing strategy, let’s look at an all-too-important component.
Who uses Twitch?
Here are two stats right off the bat: the majority of users are males and the age range that dominates the platform is 18 to 24-year-olds.
While the U.S. is the most represented country on the platform with 21.14% of traffic, other countries like Korea, Germany, Russia, and France aren’t too far behind.
Males may be the largest demographic on the platform but that doesn’t mean that others aren’t represented as female streamers have broken into the top 10 most popular Twitch streamers list.
By now you’ve realised that there’s a lot of potential in getting to know the streaming platform and while you take some time to think about whether it’s a good option for you, we want to show you what it’s done for some global brands.
How are top brands using Twitch?
Let’s start with a brand that’s risen in popularity around the world.
PepsiCo
When they introduced a limited-time product called ‘Brisk’ they wanted to promote it by sponsoring a gaming tournament for a game called ‘Rocket League’. Companies have been sponsoring events for decades, but this sponsorship gave PepsiCo more control than other sponsorships.
Their sponsorship marketing was on point as the ads for Brisk ran right throughout the tournament with PepsiCo releasing a Brisk-themed car into the game for players to use. Commentators were even cheered on by the viewers to drink Brisk which gave an almost meteoric rise to an organic cheer ‘Take the risk, drink the Brisk’ which went on to become a meme for the brand.
The Hershey Company
When The Hershey Company wanted to promote Reese’s Pieces, they partnered with Twitch influencers who have millions of followers on the platform. The campaign involved the influencers trying Reece’s Pieces while they live-streamed.
The live streams introduced the viewers to the new chocolate bar, exposing the product to millions of viewers in a single live stream.
Uber Eats
Who amongst us hasn’t used Uber Eats for a late-night snack or on an idle Wednesday when we’re too lazy to cook or go out? This promo was kind of a novel idea where they partnered with a Twitch influencer named ‘Ninja’ to give subscribers 25% off coupons.
The campaign? Ninja would win his fans 1% off their UberEats orders for every Fortnite character he ‘killed’. The catch? He could only take part in the challenge from the moment he ordered on Uber Eats until his order arrived.
Ninja ended up winning the entire 25% off for his fans.
Convinced that you need to get started on your Twitch marketing strategy?
Delivering content to and securing younger audiences is what most companies vie for. If your brand is looking to take a bite out of that target audience then Twitch could be the answer.
It’s especially great if you’re looking at giving influencer marketing a go and having your brand endorsed by a loyal fanbase of millions.
Bigger brands have always used influencer marketing services to build their brands and take them to the masses. With a Twitch marketing strategy, you now have another option that you can use to reach the coveted younger audience of 18 to 24-year-olds who—if impressed by your brand—have a way of making you go viral.