Roblox garnered four billion total hours of engagement in September; this is coming from 58 million active daily users. It is not totally out of context to presume you have heard of Roblox, especially if you have kids. Roblox is a home for kids, with the largest age group being 9 to 12 years – making up 26% of the total users. Roblox is called home by the 12 million creators that have created over 40 million games. But the focus for brands is now showing how “gamified education” is the entry-point to helping brands find their “why”. For example, Gucci debuted its own global gaming academy with the World Health Organization, gaining positive press.
As popular as Roblox is, it is often regarded as a kid's platform. However, it is evolving to include older players ages 13+, experiencing a growth rate of 2 ½ times older player adoption since 2020. However, the platform is evolving as a metaverse platform, with older creator and player demography increasing daily, especially from the period of covid19. As Motley Fool reported just last year, developers are creating more experiences for those over 13. It's not hard to decipher why brands are now positioning on the platform for brand sponsorships. For instance, Nike, Puma, and Coca-Cola now build virtual stores in the metaverse.
Understanding Roblox
Roblox is a home to play and create a vast array of games and chats online, combining games, social media, and social commerce. It is a platform where users can build their custom space, socialize, learn, and spend virtual money. Termed 'experiences,' Roblox games are divided into genres – roleplay, fighting, adventure, obstacle courses, simulator, tycoon, and others. Additionally, Roblox has the community aspect of MMOGs (massive multiplayer online games), but with sophisticated but easy-to-use game creation tools.
The COVID-19 Pandemic played a role in the recent bloom of Roblox; this does not undermine the meteoric rise the platform has witnessed since its inception in the early 2000s. However, the platform has transformed into a metaverse platform for players to create avatars, adorn them with virtual items bought with Robux – the native currency of the platform, and explore the metaverse with the avatars.
Beyond playing games, the platform is suitable for brands and individuals to create custom games in the Roblox studio — a game engine that all users can use to develop games. With Roblox, every game genre has a home. But what does this mean for brands?
Why All Brands Should Be on Roblox
Roblox provides a home for brands to develop and play games as a service — develop and update games to keep the community engaged, leveraging the 58 million daily active users of the platform, about the same population as South Africa. The platform is another place to gain visibility due to the secondary exposure of Roblox on other social media platforms. For example, Behind Minecraft, Roblox is the second most-viewed game on Youtube in 2020.
With Roblox's demography shifting to include more millennials and older generations, it could be an ideal place for your brand. According to Roblox chief business officer Craig Donato, the dream is to create a platform for all age groups. Therefore, if this is possible, why should your brand be left out of the opportunities of Roblox? Hence, here are ways to use Roblox for marketing.
Marketing and Branding teams within companies probably start with the “why” as their north star on whether to launch a campaign or not. There are companies out there, like ours, that help brands find their “why” through gamified education. Educating next-gen consumers on how your product is ultimately superior while doing some great social responsibility work.
In-Game Activations
In-game events are great for gathering attention and buzz for your brand. One such way is virtual concerts, which many brands have successfully created. For instance, Lil Nas X, the boy band Why Don’t We, and the cast in “in the Heights created successful concerts.
However, in-game activation is not limited to concerts. Gucci created Gucci Garden to mark and promote the grand opening of their new retail store in Bologna. The Roblox experience allows users to browse the virtual store and purchase the digital twins of the Gucci products for their avatars using the in-game currency. The launch was successful; in fact, one virtual bag was resold for $4000 worth of Robux – more than the cost of the physical version. Nike also created virtual Air Max sneakers in 2021 for use in virtual games.
Selling Virtual Items
Selling virtual items is one of the common use cases of Roblox, as it offers a way for people to express their fashion sense by purchasing virtual items for their avatars. Brands can leverage the trends to create various virtual items to sell or give away as bonuses for their physical products. Doing this will build customer loyalty and incentivize your audience to participate in your brand processes. Gucci, Nerf, and others have given away virtual items to activate participation in their programs.
Contests
Brands create contests to challenge players to compete for goals in games and win virtual items for a limited period. For instance, Ernest Cline staged a scavenger hunt to promote his book - Ready Player two. In the game, virtual items were hidden in seven games on the platform, with the first 777 players to uncover the treasures given precious accessories. Additionally, Netflix’s Stranger Things, launched in April, used this game-within-a-game feature to encourage and stimulate players to play their games. Therefore, players who seek and covet some sponsored items or a matching outfit engaged with the activation over return visits instead of one time out.
Conclusion
With over 58 million daily active users and a booming ecosystem of different demography, Roblox is a must-be place for your brand. Just as social media is a must-be place for all brands now, Roblox provides numerous opportunities for brands to leverage. If you find it beneficial to leverage this platform, Play2learn is ready to walk you through the process.