Millennials ushered the world to switch from TV to VOD. Now, Gen Z is leading the next entertainment revolution with live-streaming. AOC gaming debut on the platform peaked at 435,000 viewers and audiences are spending up to 95 minutes a day watching streams. In 2020, over 14 million game streamers produced 650 million hours of content.

This advertising potential mainly remains untapped. The space is fairly new and the playbook doesn’t exist. This leaves room for experimentation and greatness, but also a lot of mistakes.

The rule of thumb is: fit into the world of streamers and viewers, and you’ll be fine. But... how to do it?

The Gen Z audience is sensitive to nonsense, that’s why live-streaming is appealing to them. Being live for multiple hours makes it hard to have everything staged and perfect - this is where true personality stands out. The same applies to your brand. You cannot lull stream viewers into believing in perfect advertising. Be honest about what value your product gives.

Trends in live-streaming come and go. The craze of the Fall Guys game that took over the gaming world in August is nowhere to be found in November. If you want to plan in advance stick to evergreen categories like League of Legends, CS:GO, IRL or Fortnite. If you want to hop on a trend be ready to keep up with it and change your plan on a whim.

Streaming is rarely only about the streamer. What makes it great is the relationship built between them and their community. Viewers even are happy about brands appearing on stream because they know that this helps the creator grow, not just top video game streamers can earn, but less known streamers can do so too. So, have your brand be a part of it. Show that you support the streamer and appreciate the viewers. Don’t do anything that takes advantage of them or disrupts watching.

Streamers know their audience best. They spent hours interacting with them, so they know what is entertaining and what is cringe-worthy. The best scenario for your brand is to be a natural part of the streaming experience. Treat it as a collaboration, talk, and plan the activation with the streamer as a partner. Game streamers put their community first. Many of their suggestions will lead to satisfying viewers, and satisfied viewers can treat advertisement segments as something worth watching instead of a necessary evil. Sometimes counter-intuitive decisions lead to the best results.

Gamers, being them top game streamers or not, and stream viewers are normal people. Most of them do not treat playing games as a personality trait. So do not treat “for gamers” as a product trait when it’s not justified. The gaming or streaming setting is a space you can show your product in - use it to show it’s best values. Your brand is cool enough by choosing to support streamers, you can only mess it up by pushing too hard.

Streaming is here to stay. Get yourself familiar with this world, and I promise, you will find something that fits you (and your brand) perfectly.

Be open to change

Blik is a Polish payment system that enables secure payment in both physical and online stores. The service is used by a significant number of online shops and within mobile applications of the largest banks in Poland. The goal of the campaign was to incentivize game streamers viewers to pay via Blik for their gaming purchases. The result? 142 streamers displayed Blik’s promotional content to thousands of viewers and the campaign was extended one extra week due to its success.

Three main reasons why it worked:

1. It was a natural part of the stream. We went all the way and created 3 creative motion displays, reminiscent of the inventory panel from games like League of Legends, Fortnite and Valorant. So, viewers we offered to purchase items they would need to play the game they were watching. We forecast their need and offered a safe and convenient way to fulfil it.
2. Blik was open to change and trusted our gut. We helped them navigate the world of gaming and live-streaming and proposed a creative and interactive artwork that would help them connect with the streamers' communities.
3. Trust on inSTREAMLY and on the streamers. Blik trusted that, with our deep knowledge in gaming and live-streaming, we would be able to select the best streamers and tailor their brand message to effectively reach the audience.’re streaming on social media as well!

Like with everything: it depends. The top video game streamers are comparable to the biggest influencers - expect it to start with 5 digits upwards, you pay not only for impressions here. This is an option for those that want to go full-in. Working with many smaller game streamers, treated like micro-influencers, is more budget-friendly and can bring better results, as they tend to be even closer to their community and viewers really strive for their success and growth. However, without proper organization, it might be very time-consuming. Options are endless, from sponsorship to tournaments, product placement, or special streams. First, determine ‘what’ you want to do - then fit the right streamers into it.

Article originally posted on AdWeek.