Consumer goods giant Unilever is betting big on gaming to help it advertise to elusive younger audiences.
The company, which owns a host of household name brands including Lynx and Dove, has poured money into its in-game advertising department over the past three years, tripling its spend since 2021.
It now has a team of more than 30 dedicated developers coming up with new ways to reach the growing gaming community, which the government estimates now encompasses more than half of the UK population.
Willem Dinger, Unilever’s global head of sport and entertainment partnerships, explained that the investment was driven by the need to connect with younger consumers on platforms they actually use—which no longer includes Facebook.
According to a recent study by US marketing firm Hill Holliday of Generation Z – people born after 1997 – half of those surveyed stated they had quit or were considering quitting at least one social media platform.
Instead, Dinger said the Unilever’s own research revealed that young people were increasingly turning to gaming platforms as their preferred way to chat, moving away from the phone apps that older generations are more familiar with.
He said: “I have young daughters and know first hand that gaming is now at the forefront of youth culture.
“It’s the new social playground and a number of brands, including Unilever, are tapping into gaming to get on the front line.”
Rather than the pop-up ads which have dominated mobile apps for the past decade, Dinger said Unilever is investing in advertising that uses game play to actively engage prospective customers.
Unilever-owned Dove entered the world of gaming with the launch of Real Virtual Beauty, a series of commitments challenging the representation of beauty online, and changing education for self-esteem in the virtual realm.
He said: “We’re not trying to disrupt peoples experience, we’re looking to enhance it in a way that tells a story about our brands.
“Take for example our collaboration with Fortnite to raise awareness about Axe, or Lynx body spray in the UK.
“We created a branded virtual space called the ‘Mistaverse’ which was essentially an in-game landscape where players could play a game of Capture the Flag and use different types of power-ups that enhanced their game play.
“It not only raised brand awareness but was fun to play. That’s key, to add value and tell a story.”
But is this approach working? According to Unilever, yes.
The company said that its research showed that 45 per cent of gamers interacting with its advertising go on to buy premium deodorants and body sprays, compared to 35 per cent of non-gamers.
Dinger added: “This is a very engaged audience we’re able to reach through gaming.
“It’s not that we’re ditching other advertising platforms, but we are putting our all into this sector.”