Twitch is Banned in China and That’s Great News for Advertisers

Why we’re all in on performance branding – and how it can transform your growth.

Twitch is Banned in China and That’s Great News for Advertisers

Bryan Karas

September 24, 2018

Usually when advertisers lose access to millions of users that’s a bad thing (Twitch boasts over 15 million DAU). But the fact that China banned access to Twitch is proof that the platform is ready to explode (domestically and internationally).

And Amazon knows this…

Which is why they’re removing their ad-free subscription model and moving to a 100% ad supported model next month. And to prepare for the switch, Twitch has expanded its programmatic marketplace with new ad formats and a seamless integration with Amazon’s ad network.

Getting over the wall…

Some advertisers are concerned about the potential reach of a Twitch ad compared to a Facebook or Instagram one…

But we all know that reach isn’t really what drives conversions – it’s specific messaging shown to a specific target audience at a specific time that does the trick. And the current “gamer” isn’t what you really expect. According to a survey, “gamers are more social, family-oriented, educated, optimistic, successful, and socially conscious than non-gamers.”

Twitch uses a combination of display and video advertisements with a bit of native weaved in so they definitely have the programmatic inventory to sell you if you’re ready to jump on board. If not, you could always go the influencer route.

Time to be a Ninja marketer…

Twitch’s most important asset is a gaming influencer named Ninja. He has over five million followers on Twitch and over 18 million subscribers on YouTube.

Since gaming is still very niche, 82 percent of Twitch users say sponsorships is good for the gaming industry.

And there’s a lot of different ways you can partner with a Twitch influencer. A marketer could have their brand included in a sponsored stream title or on a tile on streamer’s page.

Streamers can also include brand placements on the video stream itself or behind the streamer on their webcam.

The streamer, like a podcaster, could mention your brand organically or it could be brought up during specific moments of the stream. Totino’s Pizza Rolls sponsored a stream and streamers would eat pizza rolls every time they’d win.

The Complete Advertisers Guide to Twitch

Github of all places has the best resource for advertisers interested in marketing on the Twitch platform and working with Twitch influencers. It goes into what Twitch is, the culture of streaming and gaming, influencer marketing, creating content and baying ads. Very good…