Hello,
As purchasing power between generations shift it can be hard for older brands to keep up. Games can be a solution to that problem. It’s where a good chunk of gen z spends their time. The creative opportunities are vast and the space has not been saturated by ads yet. Here are some legacy brands that are getting a generational facelift through gaming.
Legacy brands in gaming
BMW
In the past, movies have been a huge buzz generator for car brands. Look at how synonymous the Delorean is with Back to the Future, the Mini Cooper is with the Italian Job, and the Charger is with Dukes of Hazard. The marketing plan was simple enough. When young people watch these movies they’ll aspire to have the cars they see in them. That is starting to change.
For the car drivers of tomorrow, video games are starting to hold more cultural value than movies. Consequently, BMW has invested heavily in esports. BMW’s mega-deal with 5 esports organizations allows the brand to stake out a big claim in a space that their future buyers are paying attention to. It’s worth noting that these partnerships include way more than just putting BMWs into racing games.
Army
The army has modernized its enlistment approach since it missed its recruitment goal in 2018. As a part of that, they see gamers as a large talent pool to tap into as they transform into a defense force built for the information age.
The What’s Your Warrior campaign’s art style and language feature heavy nods to gamer culture. It could easily be an ad for Call of Duty. The Army has also built an esports team to stream content and recruit new members at tournaments. They say that they have 7,000 soldiers competing for 30 spots on the team. It seems like a pretty sweet gig.
Louis Vuitton
The high fashion retailer has inked a large sponsorship deal with League of Legends to connect with younger people. As part of the partnership Louis Vuitton designs in game character outfits as well as real-world items like trophy trunks and League of Legends inspired fashion pieces.
It’s one of the ways they’re competing with the hype based clothing brands like Supreme and Off White that have enthralled younger generations. It lets Louis Vuitton show their design prowess in a completely new and innovative way.
What to take away:
Games are allowing for BMW to make ground against the likes of Tesla; for the Army to shed its old and traditional image; and for Louis Vuitton to flex its creative muscles in front of a new audience.
These brands show that as culture shifts gaming can be a lucrative opportunity for old brands to reintroduce themselves to younger audiences.
Gaming news that caught my eye:
Youtube: NBC’s show, The Blacklist, did not let COVID-19 stop them from finishing out their season. They fully animated their season finale and it looks like a PS2 game.
Essentially sports: Oscar-winning director, Christopher Nolan, debuted the trailer for his newest film in Fortnite yesterday. Like I said in an earlier newsletter, it is crazy to think that Fortnite has only begun its ascent to cultural dominance.
AV Club: Here’s a good overview of some of the best stories in video games. It’s spoilers galore, but it provides multiple examples of what a good video game narrative looks like.
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