What Google’s new gaming strategy means for brands

Google last week launched a series of gaming efforts across its owned businesses—from YouTube to Fitbit to the most popular VR titles via an integration on Apple’s Vision Pro. While the push hasn’t yet focused on advertising opportunities, vigilant brands stand to benefit, experts told Ad Age. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs On YouTube, for example, Google broadly rolled out a catalog of games called “Playables,” which could soon include user-generated content that would allow a way in for savvy brands, said Max Bass, director of emerging connections at agency Gale. Meanwhile, Fitbit Arcade—which features movement-based activities—may be even more intriguing given how brands have so far struggled to connect with users on fitness wearables like the Apple Watch, he said. Google did not respond to a request for comment. The variety of Google’s rollouts illustrate the multitude of genres of the gaming industry, many of which offer marketers different value propositions in terms of audience and level of engagement. Casual games, meant to be played in the interim, cater to shorter duration sessions for consumers, while more immersive platforms, such as on Roblox and the Vision Pro, could see a user engaging for hours at a time. Fitbit Arcade, which is included in the launch of the Fitbit Ace LTE product, is an example of casual gaming. The device is geared specifically for kids, hence the heavy gamification of its primary purposes. A game called Spirit Garden challenges users to practice mindfulness, while another called Jelly Jam encourages movement through dancing. Perhaps most notable about the Arcade is the “eejie,” a virtual avatar that users can personalize through participation in the device’s games. This character is meant to represent the user in the world of the wearable, leveraging a similar incentive structure as that of avatars on Roblox and Fortnite. Also read: 4 ways brands are activiating on gaming platforms The potential for brands to get involved, in particular those in the fitness and performance categories, could be significant, said Bass. Marketers can look to precedent established in other gaming ecosystems, where brands regularly reward users with clothes and other accessories through custom challenges. Similarly, the eejie can be updated through its outfits and revisions to its home. And since Fitbit Arcade will regularly update with new games every few months, more brands could have the ability to get in on the action. But what’s different with Fitbit Arcade is that it reflects a category that brands have not yet figured out. The Apple Watch, the most popular fitness tracker, does not maintain standalone partnerships with brands, outside of a tie-up with Nike. This means that, should Fitbit open up its Arcade to outside brands, marketers will need to test and learn not only how to gamify fitness for a wearable device, but also do so in a way that sticks for a younger-leaning audience, Bass said. ‘Snackable’ games on YouTube, entrees on VR Although YouTube has not yet announced advertising opportunities for Playables, it “will be a place where you can deliver branded content,” said Joseph Ferencz, CEO of Gamefam. The ecosystem will first need to evolve, however. The catalog currently includes over 75 free titles that cater mostly to casual gameplay, such as various puzzle games, chess and Angry Birds. These “snackable” moments, which can be accessed inside the YouTube app and on its homepage, could begin to offer brand opportunities once user-generated content is integrated. The proximity of a large creator community via YouTube’s flagship video business is promising, Ferencz said, especially given that influencers have found value in helping ship games on other platforms. But whether a brand is creating a custom game and using an influencer to promote it, or tying into a creator’s own offering, it will need to determine a strategy for user retention. Unlike YouTube videos, a new Playables game cannot be created on a daily basis, Ferencz said. A system of rewards has helped this issue on other platforms, but it remains unclear how YouTube will address it with regards to outside brands on Playables. Targeting, however, could be a lesser concern for marketers activating the new catalog. The powerful recommendation algorithms that fuel YouTube’s video business could be applied to its gaming platform, Ferencz said, creating more relevant opportunities for brands. YouTube also has a trove of its own data on users, ameliorating the effects of Apple’s IDFA tracking restrictions on its app in the App Store, Ferencz said. If casual gaming lends itself to snackable moments, VR gaming is more akin to entree-level engagement. These platforms encourage hours-long use to reap the benefits of immersive environments. Google’s latest move in the space is bringing two of its most popular VR games—“Job Simulator” and “Vacation Simulator”—to Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Both titles, respectively released in 2016 and 2019, are developed by Google-owned Owlchemy Labs and have sold more than one million units. They may not be free and universally accessible like Playables, but they are helping to usher in a category with extensive potential for brand involvement. Also read: TikTok AI ad offerings get mixed reactions For pre-existing immersive games, Ferencz sees temporary brand takeovers as an optimal way in. Gamefam has run billboards, video clips and brand activities in popular games on Roblox, which has become a platform that many see as an on-ramp to extended reality. Players get a deeper sense of engagement from these campaigns, and brands extract more tangible value, as compared to running programmatic ads in these environments, Ferencz said. While Owlchemy Labs has yet to strike any brand takeovers of Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator, it has previously partnered with Adult Swim Games on a “Rick and Morty”-themed VR title. Moreover, by bringing two of its most popular games to a burgeoning ecosystem, Google is signaling a validation of the incipient VR industry, said Gale’s Bass. As the opportunities develop over the next few years, marketers should shift their perspective from seeing these platforms as separate silos to part of an interoperable space capable of connecting numerous brand touchpoints, he said.

What Google’s new gaming strategy means for brands

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