Advertising through games is a unique and effective form of marketing. It leverages the joy and interest of players to naturally incorporate messages. This method is not only applied to commercial campaigns but also used to convey information and implement social campaigns. Below are 10 marketing game ideas that you can learn from the successes of various brands, compiled by MKT Software.
I. 10 marketing game ideas of 10 brands
To better understand how advertising through games can create a powerful impact, let’s explore specific examples from major brands that have succeeded in using this method. The campaigns below not only illustrate creativity in incorporating brand messages into game experiences but also show how brands have leveraged player interaction and passion to achieve superior marketing effectiveness.
1. Marc Jacobs and Valentino promote clothing through “Animal Crossing New Horizons”
Marc Jacobs and Valentino, two famous fashion brands, launched their clothing designs in the game Animal Crossing New Horizons. Both brands posted these clothing designs on their Twitter and Instagram channels.
Fans of these two brands or those who like these clothing designs can own them in-game by downloading design codes. Marc Jacobs = MA-6128-9720-4153 and Valentino Creator Code = MA-1182-5456-5837
Interesting point of this campaign: Marc Jacobs and Valentino demonstrated excellent ability to communicate appropriately in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused people to spend more time playing games. Animal Crossing New Horizons was very popular, and putting their brand or products into a channel that people were interested in was a powerful communication method, while the cost was not too high.
2. KFC X Rov designs characters based on the brand
The collaboration campaign between KFC, the famous fast-food brand, and the popular Moba game Rov organized a special campaign called KFC X Rov. Consumers only needed to buy one of “The Box” sets from KFC for a chance to receive the Col. Sanders Ormarr skin, a character in Rov game with a design identical to the image of “Colonel Sanders” – KFC’s icon.
Interesting point of this campaign: Designing game characters with images similar to a well-known brand is a way to enhance brand recognition in the game. When players see this character, they will easily remember and associate it with the KFC brand. At the same time, KFC could also increase revenue from this campaign and bring novelty to consumers in communication beyond just focusing on the product (food).
3. Dutch Mill 4 in 1 connects images with players through Free Fire game
The “The Secret Supporter” campaign created a character wearing a uniform and having an appearance similar to the Dutch Mill girl image, and introduced this character into the Free Fire game. This character has the task of supporting teammates or players without attacking or harming other players. When players encounter this character and capture the image to send to the activity channel, they can receive rewards.
Interesting point of this campaign: The “The Secret Supporter” campaign uses the characteristic image of the Dutch Mill girl with a bright smile and friendly service style, and conveys that image through the role of the character in the game. This creates novelty for the game that players are familiar with, while helping Dutch Mill 4in1 effectively convey its brand image, and Free Fire also brings a new experience to players.
4. Fortnite X Travis Scott with in-game concert experience
Fortnite collaborated with Epic Games and famous rapper Travis Scott to bring a completely new concert viewing experience through the game with the “Astronomical” event. This event attracted the attention of gamers and Travis Scott fans.
Interesting point of this campaign: This is a creative approach to create a new concert viewing experience, breaking the limits in enjoying performances. As a result, Fortnite attracted many new players, including those who had never been interested in this game but followed Travis Scott. At the same time, this event also created great resonance and expectations for similar campaigns in the future.
5. Rov with “The Fortress From Home” campaign releases video suitable for the actual situation
Rov released the video “When you start staying home…too long” to call for social distancing and the use of communication technology to minimize the spread of Covid-19.
Interesting point of this campaign: Rov game can be played anywhere, and in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, this campaign conveyed the right focus message. Using the gaming activity that people love to encourage staying at home and playing games helps reduce the spread of the virus. This campaign not only achieved communication effectiveness but also brought benefits to society at a necessary time.
6. Free Fire X Ragnarok with ‘game’ advertising campaign through ‘game’
On February 11, 2023, in Singapore, Garena and Gravity announced the collaboration campaign between Free Fire and Ragnarok called Free Fire X Ragnarok. This campaign brings characters from Ragnarok into the Free Fire game, creating a unique and fresh experience for players.
Interesting point of this campaign: Free Fire brings a new experience to players when combining with characters from the legendary Ragnarok game. At the same time, the Ragnarok game was also about to re-launch on May 28, 2023, and bringing characters into a popular game at that time was an effective promotion method.
7. PUBG with campaign to support Australian bushfire relief
During the famous bushfire event in Australia, PUBG released a new skin in the game called “Australia Fire Relief”. This skin features images of iconic Australian animals, such as koalas and kangaroos, and revenue from skin sales will be used to support bushfire relief in Australia.
Interesting point of this campaign: This campaign not only helps support emergency situations but also helps the brand be remembered for positive actions. Players are also willing to support the campaign when they know they are contributing to a good cause.
8. Free Fire X FACT4 with campaign to prevent violence on social media
This campaign is a collaboration between 4 famous rappers and Free Fire game to implement the music project “Free Fire – FACT4 1st MINI ALBUM”. This project includes 4 songs with 4 different stories, each song carrying a meaningful message related to life and the game.
Interesting point of this campaign: The combination of music and games, with messages carrying life meanings integrated into the game, creates an interesting and unique campaign. It’s not just about promoting the game through music, but the messages of the songs also convey content that resonates with the game.
9. Fortnite with a competition campaign creating new ideas in the game
Fortnite organized a dance contest on the TikTok app, where participants could create their own dance moves. The favorite dance move would be chosen as an action in the game and the winner would also receive in-game rewards.
Interesting point of this campaign: This campaign is an example of a good adaptation of the game, creating activities for players through a popular app like TikTok. Dancing is a familiar activity on TikTok, so players will feel comfortable participating. If their dance move attracts attention, it can help Fortnite attract more new players.
10. Oishi x ROV game
Oishi collaborated with Rov game, which has a player base mainly of teenagers. This campaign started by creating character skin sets with a “Japanese” theme, suitable for Oishi’s Japanese green tea brand, to attract attention and preferences of players based on data from Oishi. Then, players could participate in activities for a chance to own these character skins by buying and drinking Oishi tea. Lucky ones would receive these skins.
Interesting point of this campaign: Oishi wanted to attract the attention of young people to their products, and chose a communication channel with many young participants like Rov game to implement this campaign. This helps create consumption behavior beneficial to the game they love, while also bringing benefits to Oishi as they can reach more young customers. Rov games also benefit from having more new and interesting character skin sets, adding more diversity to the game.
II. Tool to support generating marketing game ideas
There is a fact that creating high-quality idea content, creative marketing game ideas is not always easy. Understanding this challenge, the market has seen the emergence of software solutions that support the creation of high-quality and creative content, integrating AI. One notable example, widely trusted by businesses, is Content AI software.
With a wide range of features for quickly generating creative content, Content AI can assist businesses in:
- Creating advertising content: Developing captivating and professional game ad headlines that stand out and draw in customers.
- Keyword-based Writing: Simply enter the keyword you want to use, choose the writing style and AI model, and Content AI will generate relevant content quickly.
- Source-based Writing: Content AI can take an existing source and transform it into a unique, SEO-optimized piece of content by incorporating keywords, ensuring originality and avoiding plagiarism.
- Automatic video creation: Content AI can also assist in generating video descriptions, titles, scripts, and YouTube game tags.
III. Conclusion
Do you see that in each introduced campaign, there are different perspectives on advertising and unique creativity? Using games as a communication channel has aspects that traditional advertising cannot achieve. If creators or idea generators do not understand the needs and appropriate communication channels, then no matter what form of communication or channel is used, it will not be able to meet consumer requirements.
