TwitchCon Ams 2022: 6 Key takeaways for brands

How streamers maximise brand and marketing opportunities on Twitch

TwitchCon is a two-day convention where streamers, creators and viewers come together for a weekend of creator talks, panels, games, competitions, showcases, and more. Six members of the Flourish team flew to Amsterdam to discover more about the Twitch community and see what we could learn about marketing and brand identity in the gaming space.

From Creator Camp panels, to a Drag Showcase, we divided and conquered to cover the full gamut of events. Here’s what the team have to say.

1. What made TwitchCon 2022 so special?

Max Lewin – Account Manager

2021 was supposed to be the year Twitch celebrated its 10th anniversary and a chance to reflect on its huge success. Covid happened, and TwitchCon was cancelled. Twice. For the live gaming community TwitchCon 2022 was a big deal.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has had unfortunate consequences for so many businesses globally, however for Twitch and the world of live streaming this couldn’t be further from the truth. Twitch didn’t just ‘survive’ during this time, it grew around 80%, from 1.1 billion viewers globally to 1.8 from March 2020 to March 2021.

For many, TwitchCon 2022 was a first time for the majority of attendees who had started streaming or viewing during lockdown. There was a real sense of community and positivity throughout the event as often streamer friends were embracing together in person for the first time which was lovely to see.

In 2021 the gaming industry turned over $180bn in revenue, more than the music and movie industry combined. Twitch’s contribution to this cannot be overlooked. Live streaming has started to massively influence the way games are developed and the sponsorships/partnerships with Twitch creators has become essential for game publishers and paramount to the financial success of new releases. As we continued to take in the atmosphere, what soon became apparent was that this was an acknowledgment that because the gaming industry was thriving, a huge part of this has been due to Twitch’s creators and viewers who have been the driving force behind Twitch’s success as a business. This was a genuine ‘thank you’ and a celebration of the live streaming community.

From the moment we entered the event, it was clear to see the effort and time that had been spent to make this event as spectacular as it could have been. This was a truly special moment for entire Twitch community both creators and viewers who have been the driving force behind Twitch’s massive success as a business.

2. How brands can use streaming to their advantage

Josh Baldwin – Account Director

Betwixt the Smörgåsbord of community cosplay, competitions and arcade cabinets was a host of Partner (top tier streamers) and Twitch-led panels and talks. For up-and-coming streamers this was an invaluable opportunity to engage with high-flying creators and Twitch execs to source advice, learnings and inspiration for their fledgling channels.

The most surprising takeaway was that it was so easy to get streaming. Most brands and businesses steer clear of live content in their marketing mix, either due to it looking daunting, technically complex, or due to potential for it to come off as contrived as an audience channel.

The reality is that in terms of content output, structuring your brand’s streaming effort is as simple as crafting a content calendar (or augmenting your existing one) and sticking to it. Here are 5 steps to get started:

• Profile your audience. Understand them.
• Create a consistent schedule of authentic content that’s valuable, entertaining, and covers audience pain points. Consistency can’t be understated, and output at set times will help build habitual viewership with your audience.
• Nurture conversation and find community advocates to help monitor and promote your streams.
• Vary content themes to keep your audience engaged.
• Measure results, viewership and engagement, then review and improve output.

If you change “viewer” to “reader” or “stream” to “blog”, there’s no real difference in approach from any inbound content plan. TL;DR – get streaming!

3. PR and marketing opportunities on Twitch

Sanni Halttunen – Senior Account Manager

Throughout TwitchCon, streamers couldn’t stop highlighting the love and support of their dedicated Twitch communities. What is interesting to me is how streamers can monetise their fan base, and what kind of opportunities it brings to have a big, dedicated fan base who share the same values and interests.

How can us marketers utilise Twitch streamers to reach our target audience, and benefit from these extremely engaged communities? Read more to find out.

4. How Twitch use graphics to communicate with their audience

Mike Barbour – Digital & Print Designer

Throughout TwitchCon, I analysed the way Twitch communicated with their audience using graphics, animation, and POS. The style in which they do this is stripped back and minimalist.

They make sure background textures of their graphics support relevant and bold copy to get across the message they want to convey. The message is always clear and concise and is aimed at their target audience, meaning that it always uses the language that streamers will use. They always overlay the text on top of brand or campaign textures or use block colour to make the text stand out, which looks good and, importantly, considers accessibility. They also only use one weight and keep the colouring of the text consistent.

Animation is bold and on brand, and makes the most of campaign assets. They are always bold and direct and to the point, mirroring TOV and conversation in viewer chat. Text animation is consistent and sticks to the brand guideline templates.

Takeaways for brands

Twitch foster care, community love and a brand image streamers and viewers want to be a part of.

As well as their visual identity, brands should base their messaging on a value proposition. This should be reflected in their end creative, across copy, campaigns and all visual assets.

5. Sign language: how print speaks to the audience at TwitchCon

Cat Dickie, Copywriter

“Welcome Creators, chatters, Partners, cosplayers, rivals, Affiliates, painters, lurkers, superfans, gamers, ASMRers, meet and greeters, minecrafters, mods, loot enthusiasts, all of you.”

This is one of the first signs you see walking into TwitchCon. It’s noteworthy for three reasons:

• It’s the longest bit of print copy at the event. Every other sign is around 5 words, max.
• It’s that long for a reason. Everyone has their own noun. Everyone is welcome. Even me, a lurker.
• Grammar? A law unto itself. No one’s reaching for the OED to check whether ‘ASMRer’ is correct or not.

I collected signs (in picture form) throughout the event and continued to observe the copy: always active, always playful, always positive. Most importantly, always tight.

Achievement unlocked: copy understood

Audiences can spot inauthenticity a mile off, so copy must reflect your brand at every touchpoint. Whether it’s print at a convention or email copy, your audience should feel seen at every stage.

6. How charities can maximise fundraising opportunities through streaming

Brogan Bowditch – Strategic Planner

‘Wholesome chaos’, the perfect way to summarise fundraising on platforms such as Twitch. After working with charities using traditional means to support their income, I can appreciate the rise of crowdfunding on Twitch may be a daunting prospect for not-for-profit organisations and streamers alike. What if it all goes wrong? What if no one tunes in? What if people question the cause? How can charities guarantee the income will be donated, and not kept by the streamer? A panel of experts ‘took to the stand’ to provide reassurance and share their experience in, what is currently, huge untapped potential. To find out, read more.