The recession-proof gaming industry and the opportunities for brands

Computer games have never been so popular. In 2007, the gaming sector was valued at £2.5bn, it is predicted to reach £2.7bn by the end of this year. As the recession looms large, people are choosing to stay in rather than go out, resulting in this mammoth shift in gaming trends. Where once hardcore gamers were the first port of call as gaming targets, now families have entered the mix as the rise in social and community gaming reaches its peak. Microsoft’s Xbox for example sharply pioneers this online society gaming and interactivity – the virtual world and the real world are truly becoming blurred. So with this huge growth sector at our disposal, how can brands benefit?

Advergaming – the idea that brands can add specific branded content or advertising to games as a form of marketing – is going to prove even bigger business.

Firstly, gaming is a vibrant consumer touchpoint. Because games are naturally engaging, they prove to be lean-forward media spaces. Their increasing likeness to reality aids brands seamless integration into the virtual space.

Secondly, when we consider that gaming is consistently improving, with greater interactivity and connectivity to the web and other systems, this opens up new channels for brands to enter. As PlayStation 3 are set to launch Play TV, a movie download feature – the interplay between online, gaming and hardware becomes fluid – giving brands more opportunities for their presence to be felt in relevant and vibrant cultural environments.

Thirdly, gaming welcomes a huge word of mouth culture. Gaming trends and popularity of titles often spread via word of mouth recommendation. For brands to appear in a sphere where word of mouth proliferates, this is a great way to increase their reach.

And lastly, the gaming sector has opened up a clear method of targeting specific audiences. Whether the console in question is mobile or static, whether the consumer is playing Nintendogs or GTA4 – this says a lot about the consumer in question. All in all, the opportunities for brands to create bespoke communications in such targeted, consumer-centred touchpoints is immense – despite the ongoing credit crunch – brands can still punch above their weight.

The chocolate brand harassment continues

Success! Yesterday I received a huge box of KitKat Senses from Nestle! Hooray! How kind that they listened to my idea for a fruit chocolate because I hate nuts - sending me nut-based chocolate as a thank you.  This clearly deserves further correspondence.  If I was a nut allergy sufferer, I could have been hospitalised by this senseless (no pun intended) act of  generosity!  Despite my success, this doesn't end here...

A modern trend?

I watched that programme last night, British Style Genius, which gave some fascinating insight into the ever-changing steamroller that is UK fashion.  Interestingly me and my boss were talking about fashion earlier on in the day.  I had turned up to work wearing what could only be described as 'Wallace Arnold uniform' and received an array of comments concerning my likeness to the livery of said bus. 

Anyway, we got talking about retro and vintage and that this is a modern phenomenon.  People in the 1940s didn't walk round in full turn of the century dress, yet I would gladly wear something that is 40 years out of date.  Today, it doesn't feel out of date.  It is because fashion in the last 100 years has changed unrecognisably and items are much more wearable than they ever were.  This is all in response to consumer need as well.  100, 200 years ago, fashion rarely made the huge leaps it does today.  But even when we think of fashion twenty years ago that came round in seasons, today trends seem to be a weekly turnaround.

This is all a sign that the world is speeding up and that we're consumer hungry.  We just keep on consuming because we're blinkered by this disposable world, a world that will grind to a halt if this carries on.

I am glad I wear rancid old dresses that I find from the sale rack in thrift shops because there's something ultimately special about it, that it has survived in this disposable world.  When there's only 300 of one type of dress made, it's fantastic to see it come this far.  When Primark churn out tens of thousands it begs the question whether they could be revived as trends come back around, and if so, will they have the same place in society as vintage does today? I doubt it.