Start-up nation: Israeli company launches in-game brand campaigns

On September 12, International Video Game Day was celebrated, an initiative that started in 1991 when video games were still the domain of hardcore fans only. Since then, gaming has conquered the world.

Recent data collected by Buff shows that there are now 3.3 billion gamers worldwide. The number of gamers has grown by about a billion in the past eight years. Gaming revenues are estimated at around $280 billion annually, and since it is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the entertainment market, it is projected that by 2027, gaming revenues will reach approximately $470 billion per year.

It also emerges that the average gamer spends around $75 a month on industry products, which is about $900 a year. Assuming a gamer starts playing at age 12 and lives until age 78, this amounts to about $60,000 spent on gaming throughout their life. This includes expenses on consoles, games, gaming chairs, headsets, speakers, and other accessories. Additional data shows that about 55% of men are gamers, and 52% of gamers subscribe to at least one gaming service.

Buff, an Israeli company founded in 2018, has begun offering brand campaigns within the games themselves. The company, which developed a customer club platform for gamers, creates campaigns for major brands within popular games such as Fortnite, League of Legends, and Valorant. The company's latest campaign was for the Paris Olympics.

Buff created a campaign for the Olympic Committee within the popular game Fortnite. "We built an entire world for them, including Olympic elements and characters from Fortnite," says Eili De Bar, CEO of Buff, CEO of Buff. "It was like an Olympic race with an obstacle course, where gamers could participate and win prizes. The campaign was launched in Paris and was a great success, leading to the decision to also roll it out in Germany."

Other campaigns the company has executed within various games were for brands like the financial firm Fidelity, the energy drink brand Monster, the "Kung Fu Panda" and "Minions" films, Intel, the popular snack Pringles, and more. "A video game campaign is different from a TV or news site campaign," says De Beer. "Gamers must not be interrupted while playing, as this can create antagonism towards the brand. Therefore, it requires a completely different approach. Instead of creating a pop-up that appears during a crucial stage of the game and annoys the player, you need to build a world they want to enter voluntarily, meaning creating a branded competitive challenge separate from the game within the game. It’s a very serious creative challenge.

"Buff's advertising aims to seamlessly integrate into the game and enhance the gaming experience without disrupting it. The goal is for every gamer, regardless of the type or level of the game, to find in Buff a significant tool to improve their gaming experience."