Twitch, launched in 2011, fills that need with casual gaming and world-class esports to anime marathons, music, and art streams. Erin Joyce, Creative Strategy Lead, Americas, for Twitch’s Brand Partnership Studio and Stephanie Quan, Director of Program Management for Twitch’s Brand Partnership Studio are focused on offering advertisers the ability to leverage custom integrations on their platform that tap into native engagement opportunities that are tailored to each brand.
What Are Custom Brand Extensions
Breaking through the clutter, “Twitch offers premium media products, native site integrations, brand partnerships, and sponsorships that stand out in a crowded advertising landscape,” noted Joyce. “Advertisers capture the Twitch audience’s attention with unskippable ads that weave directly into live broadcasts as well as high-impact display units including the homepage carousel,” she added.
The unique aspect of this partnership is the ability of advertisers to be matched with talent. Joyce explained that, “Twitch Ads leverages its Brand Partnership Studio, a team of in-house gaming and livestreaming experts, to help brands activate on Twitch through custom advertising programs often starring Twitch creators as well as sponsorships with both Twitch’s owned and operated premium content and with various media partners that help align brands with livestreaming and gaming.”
Twitch’s Brand Partnership Studio matches clients to creatives who help integrate the brand within the Twitch environment for maximum impact. “Our team of creatives, strategists and producers are fluent in creator culture and dedicated to helping your brand reach their campaign goals in an authentic way using gaming norms, insights, cultural trends and bold ideas,” she stated.
How Creative Ideation Works
Creative ideation offers a very clear process. “In most cases it starts with a brief and our client’s goals for the campaign,” she began and added, “From there, we work backwards to align the brand, its personae, function, and generally how it relates to Gen-Z or broader culture. We will build upon your existing brand strategy to craft a narrative that complements your brand and suits the livestreaming space.”
The future, according to Joyce, looks bright for this space. “I personally am fascinated with creator culture and its impact on Gen Z. As younger audiences continue to invest more time in personality-based content, and find more value in it, I get really excited about the doors this opens for advertisers. For example, instead of having a creative agency of record, maybe someday a brand will have a dedicated ‘Creator House?’” she posited.
For Quan, the process also offers opportunities to custom fit to the brand. “The standard programming checklists still apply,” she noted, “but with the live environment, we face an extra set of considerations when bringing creative ideas to life on Twitch.” While there are still logistical considerations, she affirmed that, “Our execution centers around the Twitch creator. We depend on the creator to bring the creative idea to life and to connect it with their community’s values. Our team works closely with our network of creators to properly match them with the brands that resonate with them and their communities. Once we have casted our creator, we brief them on the creative concept, talking points and logistics. Because our creators are so accustomed to the intricacies of Twitch, we are able to build our program on a solid foundation!”
An Example of a Successful Campaign on Twitch
When asked about a successful example, both executives mentioned Procter & Gamble. “P&G has had many successful advertising campaigns on Twitch through their various brands,” explained Quan, “most recently they partnered with Twitch for Charmin to create a fun and engaging campaign through the creation of a mini game called the Deuce Destroyer.”
With this brand extension campaign, “Charmin was able to own the stream break by providing an interactive experience through the mini game and rewarding the community through Bits, Twitch’s virtual goods used to cheer on creators during livestreams. Fifteen Twitch streamers participated in the campaign, which exposed the brand and game to a wide assortment of communities across the service. Ultimately, this not only serviced the goals of the brand, but also was well received by the Twitch and media community where it was recognized as the winner of the Gamficiation category for the Shorty Awards,” noted Quan.
For advertisers to be able to truly engage with viewers, there is no better way than through interactive programming where the creatives help to fully integrate messaging. One way to achieve this is through custom branded extensions; live apps that empower creators to enhance their stream with an added layer of interactivity between themselves, their content, their audiences, and the brand at the center of these unique experiences. Twitch is at the core of such efforts and is leading the way to a more satisfying user and brand experience.
Artwork by Charlene Weisler
This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com
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