On October 11-13, gamers of all ages descended into the Melbourne Convention Centre for PAX 2024, a yearly gathering of all things gaming, tech and pop culture.
This year on the banks of the Yarra River, PAX celebrated 20 years of gaming goodness, alongside non-endemic brands looking to get a piece of the gaming pie, a pie that is projected to be worth more than $212 billion globally by 2026.
While endemic brands such as Samsung, MSI and LG all have a presence at the convention, it’s the non-endemic brands that seemed to be doing the most interesting activations in a bid to break through to a younger, tech-savvy and big-spending demographic.
You couldn’t walk 10 steps around the convention without strolling past some sort of line. The biggest lines were where people lined up to spend money. Whether it be convention merch, gaming merch or tabletop card/board games, money was well and truly flowing across the three days.
PWR Up with Garnier Booth
But lines weren’t just limited to the capitalistic needs of gamers, lines also appeared at two brand activations that aren’t traditionally associated with gaming.
First up was Garnier, the cosmetics brand that set up a gaming activation at PAX in collaboration with gaming agency You Know Media.
Titled “PWR UP with Garnier”, the activation aimed to not only get gamers gaming but featured multiple engagement points above the gameplay and talent that featured at the booth throughout the weekend.
This included a claw machine, photo booth, spin wheel, limited edition merch, and live streams that kept the booth packed and drove gamers to spend time with the Garnier brand and its products.
Ryan Cunningham, founder & CEO of You Know Media told Mediaweek that PAX was the final step of a yearlong strategy the agency created.
“At the start of the year, we formed the gaming super-team PWR (using content creators) under the ‘PWR Up with Garnier’ banner. This multi-burst campaign engaged leading female gaming talent and their fans and partnered them with a member of PWR to “PWR Up” their game and skincare routines, through live streams, games, and video content as they completed a series of blackout (a core Garnier product concept) challenges, which fans loved,” he said.
“This was a multichannel/platform execution, with PAX acting as the perfect final playground for us to bring the digital fun in person to tens of thousands of fans who got to play the challenges themselves, meet talent and get their hands on Garnier products + limited edition co-branded merch.
“Essentially, we built the Garnier product into the world of gaming, giving gamers a reason to learn about Garnier and skincare in a fun way through a national activation, which built excitement all year long and enabled them to go from engaged viewers to participating customers at PAX.
“For the PAX execution, we brought in multiple partners to help us bring our vision to life, a vision backed by over 10 years in the space that ensured we cracked the code of what they like vs will just ignore. We wanted them to see Garnier as right at home with them.
“Every angle was covered, including using staff who are actual gamers. We ensured we had multiple engagement points above the gameplay and talent that kept the booth packed and drove gamers to come spend quality time with the Garnier and their products, as well as line control for the high demand.”
Cunningham says it was important to make the space not just a showcase.
“By making the space interactive, it brought fans in, who were happy to line up for their turn, and brought a host of other creators who came to create content and talk about how Garnier got what both PAX and gamers were about.”
Attendees were also treated to Red Bull Gameball Royale, a makeshift dodgeball arena that was executed by gaming agency, Game Day Collective.
Red Bull Gameball Royale combined sophisticated ‘Battle Royale’ elements from games like Fortnite with an interactive LED playing field that allowed popular Australian content creators Loserfruit, Lachlan, IAMFALLFROMGRACE, and Muselk compete with their self-assembled teams for the title.
While the content creator clash was the main draw at the arena on Saturday afternoon, attendees could sign up at any time across the weekend to participate in the arena and battle for glory.
James Lai, co-founder & CMO at Game Day Collective told Mediaweek that Red Bull Gameball Royale was first introduced by Red Bull Germany in 2023, and seeing the excitement and knowing how much the PAX crowd would love such an event, the team decided to bring it down under.
“It’s a pretty intense process getting a live dodgeball event played on a massive LED court into the middle of an expo, but we managed to get it done!” he said.
The arena featured a dynamic 100+ square metre LED floor, introducing gamified elements including a shrinking zone and power-up items available to players to activate in game.
Lai said activations like Red Bull Gameball Royale allow brands to connect with gamers through participatory, shareable moments that leave a lasting impression.
“Brands can effectively tap into gaming activations by prioritizing authentic engagement and building immersive experiences that naturally integrate their messaging.
“Rather than disrupting gameplay, brands should enhance it, making their presence feel like a natural part of the event.
“By aligning with the core values of gaming – competition, creativity, and community – brands can create genuine connections, fostering loyalty and expanding their reach in this ever-evolving space.”