Dentsu Digs Deep Into the Gaming World

Playing is a fundamental human activity, with more than 70 per cent of Australian gamers playing weekly or more often, new research from dentsu shows, representing a  highly exciting opportunity for brands to connect with highly engaged communities. 

In Australia, there are 17 million people who play games* and according to dentsu’s new For The Game Report 26% of those play daily, 45% weekly, and the remaining 29% still  play on a monthly basis. 

The trend is global, with gaming becoming even more pervasive in the last two years  because of lifestyle changes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report reveals 34%  of gamers globally play daily and 46% weekly across the markets surveyed: Japan, the  US, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia. 

Importantly for brands looking at gaming to reach consumers, people from all  generations have the habit. Globally, among Gen Z gamers, 37% play daily and 47%  weekly, while among Millennials, the levels are 34% and 49% respectively. Among Gen  X gamers, 33% play daily and 45% weekly, while for Baby Boomers, the numbers are  35% and 39% accordingly. 

The 43-page report has identified and explored six new gaming archetypes for brands to  tap into – along with their typical behaviours and motivations in different parts of the  real and virtual world. 

The report is part of the international launch of the new exclusive dentsu gaming data  and insights capabilities, which fuses the dentsu Consumer Connection System (CSS)  research deal data with specialist gaming data from leading market research company  GWI across nine markets: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy,  Japan, Spain and the United States. Dentsu investigated areas such as interest in  gaming and intensity of practice to identify six gaming segments each with different  motivations behind why they play, gaming behaviours, and media usages. 

Chris Bower, CEO, dentsu solutions, commented: “The days of the stereotypical  gamer demographic to target are over. Just about everybody games, and they play a lot  - 3.5 billion people predicted to be gamers by 2025 and the industry already generates  almost double the revenue of global theatrical and home entertainment. But they  engage with gaming in different ways, presenting new targetable segments and multiple  ways into game for brands.  

“The launch of this report, and the dentsu gaming capability continues dentsu’s 35-year  gaming legacy which began in Japan. We know gamers better than anyone else, and we  can help brands capture this explosive audience growth, explore what gaming can look  like for them and how it fits into a broader Web 3.0 and metaverse strategy.” 

GWI’s flagship study represents more than two billion people worldwide, highlighting  how consumers are changing their behaviours. GWI’s gaming data reveals gamers in granular detail, and now with its full integration into CCS, dentsu’s proprietary audience  insights tool, it can enhance its efforts to create brand love through fandoms; helping  game publishers and brands connect more authentically with consumers to become part  of gaming culture. 

Specifically, this new CCSxGWI fusion means brands can now access high-fidelity  portraits of gamers that encompass lifestyle and media attitudes and behaviours (e.g.,  shopping routines, passions and hobbies, media consumption) as well as deep-rooted  gaming habits (e.g., specific genres and games played, in-game purchases, gaming  sessions lengths, motivations). This proprietary CCSxGWI fusion opens a new depth of  insights directly available for strategy, planning, and activation to connect more  effectively with gamers. 

This new CCSxGWI data and insight is exclusive to dentsu gaming, which is accessible  through dentsu’s production, creative, CXM and media agencies globally, including Carat, dentsu X, iProspect, dentsu Creative, Merkle and the dentsu Japan network. 

Launched a year ago, the dentsu gaming global solution provides access to specialist  strategy, activation and original intellectual property (IP) development for brands  seeking to connect with and navigate the gaming ecosystem. 

In the spirit of all things gaming, the team at dentsu has even created a mini-arcade  style game to play as the gateway to download the new report from its website at www.dentsu.com/gaming.