The gaming industry is relatively homogeneous on a global scale. All countries cooperate, which is evidenced by many worldwide online tournaments such as, for example, Fortnite World Cup. In Poland, the gaming industry is worth around PLN 2 billion. According to a Polish Gamers Research study, over 69% of Polish internet users are active game players. So how to plan online marketing activities for the gaming industry focused on Polish gamers?
Before taking on any online marketing activities, there is one relevant issue to analyse – the results of the latest researches about the Polish gaming industry and its players’ characteristics (and of course their parents as well – 32% of Polish gamers are people between the age of 13 and 24). With this knowledge in hand, all promotional activities can be profiled properly, and help you obtain an appropriately high ROI. And having acquired these two things the game has a chance to be as popular as Pokemon Go or the next Wiedźmin (which is probably the most recognisable game made by Polish producers).
- Influencer marketing – is this a perfect strategy?
Nowhere is influencer marketing more powerful than in the gaming industry. When it comes to interacting with the youngest group of Polish gamers, the support of apt influencers is presumably the first thing that comes to a marketer’s mind. And this is not surprising.
Let’s look at the largest YouTubers in Poland. Who has the most subscribers? Blowek and Stuu (who started their channels with Minecraft gameplays). There’s no denying that the power of YouTubers is huge. Furthermore, almost 60% of all sponsored content in Polish YouTube comes from gaming vloggers.
In Poland, there’s also one Partnership Network fully focused on the gaming industry –Gamellon. It has now accumulated over a hundred various channels, including those with 5 million subscribers or more. Their videos generate approximately 150 million views monthly.
However, there is a much more suitable and effective medium than YouTube – totally concentrated on gaming live streaming – Twitch. It is an unusual tool for marketers, far beyond YouTube possibilities, especially when it comes to live gameplay transmission.
In Poland, the online marketing partnership between the gaming industry and influencers usually take the forms of:
– Sponsored banners on Twitch live streams,
– Reviews, guides, theory crafting and other entertaining content on YouTube,
– Short sponsored clips with gameplays or other content that influencers share with their audience.
Teasers, trailers and early gameplay reveals – that is how to attract an audience
Video game teasers and trailers have long been a typical part of online marketing efforts in this trade. Short clips demonstrating the plot, characters, graphics and playing style can show what an upcoming game has to offer.
This generates a louder buzz than if the game was a secret. What’s more, viewers watch videos and analyse each frame eagerly, searching for any hidden details and predicting what the whole game will look like.
That is why crafting a publication plan of these videos is so significant in an online marketing strategy. A huge part of these teasers have their premiere at Polish gaming industry events (like Gamescom or E3), the ret are released on the Internet, mostly by distributors’ or the publishers’ official YouTube channels.
Of course, it is hard to create such videos dedicated to Polish players only, but it is good to ensure that Polish subtitles are added.
Take, for example, this trailer from a Polish producer. Besides of English dialogues in the gameplay, they put effort into translating everything to Polish (including the description – YouTube has recently added an option to translate video titles and display them in different languages).
Here we have another excellent opportunity to use the power of YouTubers. They often receive games much earlier in order to present some gameplays before the actual premiere. This arouses many interactions between Polish gamers, and enhances hype.
Pre-orders – do Poles like it?
Polish customers want to know what they can expect before they purchase, not after. If you can provide a sample in your online marketing campaign, then you gain your target audience’s trust and interest.
With pre-orders, customers are guaranteed to receive the game as soon as it’s available. And usually receive some additional reward, as well.
Neglect this market at your cost! Signing up for early access makes the game more exclusive and the players who get it are more related to the given title.
Some distributors also release beta versions of the games. A well-prepared beta enables gamers to “taste” the game and try it before buying.
However, it is worth remembering that pre-orders are a small controversial online marketing activity among some of the game aficionados. There’s a small group of gamers who argue that this can put pressure to buy the game before they’ve had a chance to read some reviews.
Is Gaming Press still necessary?
Press and media are key concerns in the gaming industry. Although the time of traditional printed gaming magazines has passed, the trade press continues to play a huge part in the Polish gaming industry.
Gaming journalism is already a separate sector, and has been for some time. In Poland, there are a few big and highly-developed websites that are an influential medium for gamers who like to be up to date with the news. Gryonline, gram.pl or Planetagracza are just a few.
Their high status requires strong attention to the role of media relations in gaming industry marketing. Press releases, sending hot news and even samples of games for testing by journalists (those websites sometimes also have their own YouTube channels) should be the basis of a promotional campaign in Poland.
User acquisition – the big player in a mobile world
This online marketing activity is particularly important when it comes to mobile games, which are extremely popular among Poles. Over a half (54%) of gamers declare that they play on their smartphones or tablets. The biggest players on the Polish market are the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, and among the producers – Polish Ten Square Games and their two games “Let’s Fish” and “Fishing Clash”.
Reaching out to new players by user acquisition ads is based on displaying the game advertisement in other games or on social media platforms. Then, thanks to precise analytical tools, it is easy to acquire new players at lower than market costs.
Online tournaments and battles for non-professionals
The true master is Epic Games – Fortnite producer (with Cenega as a Polish distributor). They have created an official website for the game with daily news from the Fortnite world.
We can also find information about the Fortnite Fun League Poland by Plush tournament streamed on Twitch. Typical players (who meet specific requirements) not only can watch the struggles of others, but also take part in it themselves.
Apart from the tournament, there are also custom matches open to everyone.
Another example, but from a slightly different industry and a much larger range is Ekstraklasa Games – the largest EA SPORTS FIFA tournament. Ekstraklasa Games has the status of the EA SPORTS partner league – the Official League Qualifier. The games are open to all players, both amateurs and professionals. Each player, regardless of their skills, may play with their favourite Ekstraklasa football club.
This is just a drop in the ocean on how you can support promotional activities in the gaming industry in Poland using online marketing. A detailed promotion plan depends not only on the specifics of a single product but also on other factors (such as the age of the gamers, type of campaign, date, duration, budget, and so on). All4Comms is an advertising agency that specialises in marketing activities directed to the Polish client. We know the specifics of various targets among Poles and we have experience in entertainment industry promotional activities. If you need a marketing plan focused on Polish players, contact us.