Why beauty brands should tap into the waiting gaming community
Nielsen Book reported that sales of fiction novels soared by a third during the first lockdown, with two in five adults in the UK reading more during the crisis, while Waterstones saw a 400% increase in week-on-week sales online
The need for escapism is clear, fuelled not just by consumers having more time on their hands, but by a need to live vicariously. Gaming is testament to this, and has also seen a meteoric surge in popularity since COVID-19. New research from Nielsen found that 82% of global consumers played video games and watched video game content during the height of the lockdowns. The increase was highest in the US. (46%), followed by France (41%), the UK (28%) and Germany (23%).
This captive audience in need of distraction presents a huge opportunity for beauty brands to engage with an untapped audience, particularly as nearly half of all gamers are women.
Brand customised games
Some companies are already tapping into the enraptured gaming crowd. Japanese beauty brand Tatcha reimagined the city of Kyoto as a virtual utopia for Nintendo Switch’s Animal Crossing. To celebrate the launch of the brand’s new Rice Wash Cleanser, Tatcha partnered with activewear brand Alo Yoga and Nook Street Market to create custom clothes for the game. In Tatchaland, players are able to organically interact with the brand by visiting a spa, tea room and a bamboo forest, and even win a sample of the cleanser by taking part in a scavenger hunt.
Tatcha isn’t the only brand to go all in on Animal Crossing. Fans of the game can also get their hands on Glossier’s constant-sell-out pink hoodie for their avatar by popping to Nook Street Market, while also sampling Givenchy’s Prisme Libre powder and Le Rouge lipstick.
Another game that presented an opportunity is The Sims 4. It formed a partnership with MAC that saw its director of makeup artistry, Romero Jennings, help to develop 12 makeup looks for Sims.
Gamers are influencers
Benefit Cosmetics is approaching the women’s gaming community via a different route. It has partnered with Gen.G, an esports company connecting the US and Asia, to produce a video series demonstrating the beauty routines of four professional gamers and streamers. In a press release, Benefit’s global digital marketing director, Lisa Li said, “Women make up almost half of the audience watching and playing games and we are so excited to share these episodes with both the gaming and beauty communities through this work with Gen.G and these women who are leading the industry forward. To us, putting on your ‘Game Face’ means getting ready to own your day.”
Twitch creates communities — and drives sales
Streaming platform Twitch allows communities to form around gaming. Essentially, gamers broadcast their games while fans spend hours watching their progress.
Founder of Em Cosmetics, Michelle Phan, is a Twitch devotee, and for the launch of her new Daydream Cushion foundation she brought her two passions together. Phan hosted a livestream playing ‘League of Legends’ during which a bot peppered the chat with a link to purchase the foundation, and an advert for the product played during breaks. It was a shrewd move — according to Glossy, Em Cosmetics Daydream Cushion sold 278% more units on launch day, compared to previous launches, and 17% of revenue and 45% of site traffic that day was generated during the livestream. “The reason I wanted to do Twitch was because I wanted to interact with my audience in a different way, where it wasn’t just them chatting,” Phan told Glossy.
The right gaming partnership can drive brand awareness as well as sales, and consumers are ready and willing to engage — now more than ever.
Talk to the digital marketing specialists
This year has seen a huge shift in how beauty consumers not only buy their products, but interact with brands. It’s an exciting time and gaming is only half the story. From product build to digital content strategies, Mediablaze has got you covered. Get in touch with our Managing Editor, Suzanne Scott for a chat.