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Claire Nance, head of global industry marketing and communications at Activision Blizzard Media, is on a mission to dispel the outdated and inaccurate stereotype of the basement-dwelling teenage gamer.
“[I] We help brand marketers and advertisers understand the opportunities to activate in the gaming space,” Nance explained. “My role is to help educate the gaming industry and break down some of the misconceptions about gaming.”
There is much to be taught. Revenue in 2023 was $249 billion and is projected to reach $300 billion by 2026. Recent growth has been driven by mobile games such as Activision’s Candy Crush. What is the average age of gamers? 35 of her gamers are women, 48% of whom are women. All of this is great news for brands looking to market to this growing audience.
Ahead of a panel discussion at Ragan and PR Daily’s Social Media Conference, Nance talked about how player-first experiences are important for authentic, immersive connections and how brands can create creative ways to incorporate marketing placement into VR and gaming experiences. She shared her methods and the breakthroughs she hopes to make. 2024.
Gaming has long been at the forefront of building communities in virtual reality and virtual spaces, especially in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. How do we foster such a community?
Nance: Gaming is a highly immersive experience. One of the things we see specifically with Activision Blizzard is the power and strength of gaming IP and fandom. [around] title. [Players] Playing can help us relax, give us a sense of accomplishment, adrenaline and excitement, and foster very strong emotional connections. It also provides a way to connect.
In-game communities exist both on-platform and off-platform.in [Call of Duty or World of Warcraft], you can jump with your friends within the game itself and work together as a team. But there are also connections that happen outside of the platform, in communities like Reddit, Twitch, Discord, gaming forums, and other places where people like to talk about things they’re passionate about.
And this comes back to this idea about passion. You can see this even in a game like Candy Crush, which is mostly a solo player experience. But a community continues to be built around it. It may just not exist within the gaming platform itself.
On a slightly hypothetical note, do you think Web3 and its decentralized structure could impact community governance in these areas?
I don’t think that in itself is a problem. One of the things about games is that they are often the vanguard of future technologies, the first entry point that sets the stage for future technologies.A lot of examples people were giving when talking about the metaverse. [already existed in] game. If you want to start thinking, “What will the Metaverse look like?” Or: “How do I activate in the Metaverse in the future?” Look at what brands and people are doing [already] Interactions in game spaces and virtual worlds. I think Web3 in particular has the potential to be applied to games.
In particular, it is often talked about in relation to e-sports. We mentioned collaborations and partnerships, and in the gaming space there are opportunities for brands and content creators to participate and interact within VR and virtual spaces.
absolutely. What we always say to brands and people interested in joining the gaming space is to have a player-first mindset. Everything you do needs to be a positive experience for your players. That means no spammy pop-up ads or unnatural product placement. Any kind of activation in that space needs to be authentic to the environment and ideally additive to the player’s experience.It could be an in-game booster or prize [in Candy Crush] Or advertising opportunities within Call of Duty, where there are actual billboards with real products to help create a sense of immersion.have [the player] The core of the experience really helps guide you, whether it’s mobile, console, or a huge, beautiful bespoke activation.
You mentioned player-first, but a positive user experience is global. Moving on to his one of the hottest topics. Do you think there are applications for AI, especially generative AI, in the gaming space?
The current opportunity lies in optimization and how [it can] Free up more time, brain power, and thinking energy. Of course, anything that makes creating games easier, faster, and better is good. Because making a popular video game is also very difficult in terms of actual development. [also when] Introducing new IP.It’s not easy to make people feel attached to you [to a new franchise] Compared to games that have been around for over 10 years. The other thing is access and how can we reduce some of the barriers to entry, like access through devices and access through gameplay, so more people can play.
What are you looking forward to next year?
What excites me the most is not so much [about] Technology development and enhancements. There’s always a lot of exciting things happening in that space. [Instead] We hope it changes the way we talk and think about gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming in general.i think i’m ready [to] Gain a higher level of understanding of who your game’s audience is [and] How powerful and influential the game environment is.
Nance will also be participating in Ragan and PR Daily’s social media conference March 27-29. Mr. Nance will speak along with his communications leaders including Dropbox, Alaska Airlines, Hyatt, Bloomberg’s Philanthropies, and Wendy’s.
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