Twitch: The marketing guide for brands

You've probably heard his name, but you don't know exactly what it is?

Twitch is now the reference in terms of live streaming platform, coveted by millennials and Generation Z, with over 31 million active users worldwide.

Today, Twitch is no longer limited to gamers.

While the platform was initially dedicated to video games and eSports competitions, it has evolved to welcome a growing number of streamers working in various fields, such as music, cinema, talk shows and other mainstream media.

A great opportunity is emerging for brands that want toinnovate in their communication strategies! To help you seize the potential of this platform, we offer you discover its marketing opportunities and how to use them, inspired by examples of brands that have distinguished themselves by their significant presence on the Twitch social network.

What is Twitch?

Founded in 2007 under the name of Justin.tv by Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, the platform started to gain popularity among the gaming community. This led the founders to launch Twitch.tv in 2011, a social network specifically dedicated to video game streaming.

As the number of users grew, investments piled up and in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch for a whopping $970 million. Today, Twitch dominates the online game streaming market with over 72% market share in terms of audience, vastly outperforming competitors such as YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming.

Twitch has greatly expanded the diversity of its live content, hosting shows such as the talk show PopCorn and Hors Jeu, artistic performances, and charity events such as the now famous Z Event, which attracts millions of viewers.

This platform offers an unprecedented opportunity for its users to build relationships with creators and streamers who captivate their interest. Thanks to “streams”, live streams, the public can interact with them in real time via an integrated chat, thus promoting spontaneous and authentic exchanges. Each broadcast on Twitch is transformed into an interactive experience, strengthening the unique bond between the streamer and the audience.

In 2022, Twitch is:

• 31 million: the average number of online visitors per day,
• 21 billion: The number of hours of streaming watched in 2022,
• 75%: the share of the Twitch audience that is between 16 and 34 years old,

As a result, it's very likely that a Twitch community dedicated to your industry is already there and ready to explore the content you have to offer!

How does it work?

Twitch operates on the basis of live streaming, this platform allows its users around the world to watch live content. At the same time, it allows creators, commonly known as' streamers', to share and broadcast their own content live to their audience

To start using Twitch, the first step is creating an account, which is completely free. Once you sign up, you can follow and interact with your favorite streamers, join communities that share your interests, and even start streaming your own content.

One of the main features of Twitch is its interactivity. During a live stream, viewers can interact with the streamer and other viewers via a live chat function. Users can send messages, special emoticons called 'emotes', and can even financially support their favorite streamers by subscribing to their channel or by sending 'bits', Twitch's virtual currency.

In short, Twitch is a powerful and diverse video streaming platform that allows individuals and brands to connect with audiences around the world in an authentic and interactive way.

What are the marketing options on Twitch?

The streaming platform, counts More than 31 million active users every day it is gradually establishing itself as a key player in the world of social networks. These users devote average 95 minutes per day to the viewing of streaming content on the platform, testifying to the growing enthusiasm for Twitch.

The demographic evolution of Twitch users is constantly changing, demonstrating a growing diversity similar to that observed on TikTok. The platform is attracting growing interest among women, who now represent 20% users according to Stream Scheme. Although the majority of users are relatively young, with 68% Between the ages of 16 and 34, Twitch audiences are beginning to show signs of maturity. This is a testament to its ability to appeal to an increasingly broad range of demographic segments.

This exponential growth, combined with the strong commitment of its users, opens up a considerable field of marketing opportunities for brands. Here are the three main strategies that your brand can use to take advantage of the potential that Twitch offers.

Influencer marketing on Twitch

With its millions of active streamers, some with millions of subscribers, Twitch is proving to be an important platform for influencer marketing.

By establishing collaborations with these influential content creators, brands have the opportunity to promote their products or services directly, offering an endless field of possibilities for presenting their offers. Popular formats for this include brand promotions, sweepstakes, giveaways, or product unboxing.

Knowing that 84% of Twitch users appreciate supporting creators and 76% value brands that contribute to their success, investing in such collaborations promises significant returns. In addition, partnerships with popular streamers allow brands to personalize their campaigns and reach a young and engaged audience, which promotes an authentic marketing approach that is highly appreciated by Generation Z.

Many brands have already bet on collaborations with the creators of Twitch to increase their notoriety among new audiences and boost their sales. Kellogg's, for example, worked with video game streamers to produce live-streamed ads, while other companies like PokerStars chose to fund streamer projects, like Gotaga's, to gain visibility.

Twitch advertising campaigns

Twitch takes a community-based approach to brand collaborations and promotions, including in its advertising. If your business is looking to diversify its advertising budget by exploring a new channel, why not consider launch an advertising campaign on Twitch ?

Two types of advertising can be broadcast by brands on the platform:

• Banners visible on the home page or rectangular advertising spaces in the content selection menu.
• Fullscreen broadcasts that appear before, during, or after the creator's streams.

The streaming platform offers seven distinct ad formats: Home Page Carousel, Home Page Headliner, Medium Rectangle, Stream Display Ad, Streamables, Super Leaderboard, and Twitch Premium Video.

Additionally, brands have the option of collaborating with Twitch streamers to integrate manual ads on their channels.

Each advertising format has unique characteristics, a specific purpose, and different specifications. This allows you to better organize your advertising campaigns and achieve the commercial results you have set for yourself.

Create a brand account on Twitch

Opening an account on Twitch is free and takes just a few minutes. You will thus be able to broadcast your own Lives, interact directly with your community, organize your events and invite other streamers to your channel, which is an excellent strategy to increase the visibility and reputation of your brand.

However, it should be noted that bringing together an engaged audience on the platform requires a significant long-term investment. Be ready to broadcast live regularly and use your channel as a communication channel to orchestrate exclusive events that your subscribers can participate in.

Companies like Monster Energy, Red Bull, Doritos or even Ubisoft have thus succeeded in federate beautiful communities thanks to their entertaining content and by creating real proximity with their audiences.

‍

{{cta}}

‍

3 examples of marketing campaigns on Twitch

1. PepsiCo

To promote the limited-edition Brisk drink, PepsiCo sponsored an off-season Rocket League tournament, gaining greater control over the event. Ads for the Brisk product were shown during the tournament, a car in the image of the drink was integrated into the game and the phrase “Take the risk, drink the Brisk” emerged as a meme among the participants, offering the brand organic visibility.

2. lexus

Luxury car manufacturer Lexus has partnered with video game streamer Fulsie for its “All In” Twitch campaign. In this context, 23,000 users voted on the best way to pimp and personalize the 2021 Lexus IS Sedan. Twitch users ended up designing the ultimate vehicle for gamers and included a 3D printed controller inside the car as well as game consoles.

3. Uber Eats

UberEATS teamed up with streamer Ninja for offer its subscribers a 25% discount coupon for use on the app. The influencer marketing campaign took the form of a challenge. Each time Ninja “killed” a character in Fortnite, he made his fans earn 1% off their next UberEATS order. To spice things up, the streamer could only participate in the challenge once he had validated his order and until his meal was delivered to him.