In a gaming marketing industry still plagued by misunderstanding, newly-founded gaming agency Game Day Collective is helping brands market to gamers with authenticity.
Founded by prominent ex-Red Bull and ESL gaming leaders James Lai and Josh Inman, the duo told Mediaweek brands often struggle with authenticity when marketing to gamers and audiences broadly.
“Marketing is a fine art and gamers are one of the most savvy consumers out there, so brands must ensure they understand them and what makes them tick, not just use the same strategies and tactics that work on the general population,” they said.
“The solution to this is to listen, develop a robust strategy and execute it, while pushing the boundaries of creativity, something we excel at.”
James Lai, co-founder and CMO at Game Day Collective
Game Day Collective offers a 360-degree suite of strategic consulting, go-to-market and experiential activation services, specialising in gaming and e-sports.
The company’s vision is to empower a new era where brands and gamers unite, without gimmicks.
The launch of the agency comes at an interesting time for the industry. While Australia’s gaming market is worth $4.21 billion – up from $2.67 billion in 2021 – it is a widely shared opinion that the market remains niche for advertisers.
However, the duo said they are launching the agency now due to demand.
“There’s a huge demand, especially post-COVID, for live events and activities.
“With James looking for his next challenge after nearly seven years at Red Bull, and Josh looking to apply his gaming experience once again, a discussion over a beer at the local is all it took to realise that it was the perfect time to bring an authentic agency to market.”
Josh Inman, co-founder and COO at Game Day Collective
The duo assured they are standing out amongst other gaming agencies in the market because they are gamers “who helped build the industry.”
“It again comes down to authenticity and an organic connection to the gaming community. Josh has been operating grassroots esports events since 2009 and is a former competitor and e-sports commentator. He’s led teams to help run the largest esports properties in Australia including IEM and DreamHack and has worked on activations for almost every major games publisher.
“James built and grew Red Bull Australia’s gaming activities from the ground up for seven years, he’s responsible for all of the partnerships that were made between Red Bull and gaming publishers, developers and manufacturers over the years so has an intimate knowledge of the industry’s workings.
“Prior to this, James worked across many well-known gaming peripheral brands and software titles including Street Fighter and Resident Evil.”
Inman said: “Many agencies claim to be gaming and esports experts, but their experience often doesn’t go beyond watching their kids play Fortnite and Googling what flossing is. We’re different.”