Brand marketing in the mobile gaming industry is flourishing — from multiple collabs to full-on games created for non-gaming brands. Let’s talk about this phenomenon and how you can benefit from it.
Highlights:
- Advertising via video games has become very popular for non-gaming brands;
- Using mobile games with brand integration promotes brand recognition and loyalty;
- Branded games aren’t necessarily big and expensive to make, there are very affordable options out there.
Video games have infiltrated multiple seemingly unrelated industries — healthcare, news reporting, delivery, and even things as morbidly serious as tax filing and military. For some, it is the games’ capability to speed up and reinforce learning (surgical and military simulations), and for others — the universal appeal as a consumer retention and advertising tool.
(Did you know that US Democratic Party launched a campaign in Animal Crossing back in 2020? Wild!)
We’ve already written articles about serious game development for military training, and we’ve shared our experience creating a game for expanding a physical toy business. Today, we’d like to talk about mobile gaming in brand marketing.
The importance of brand engagement through mobile games
Brand engagement, by definition, is the process of forming an emotional or rational attachment between a consumer and a brand. What it means in practice is that for a brand to be successful for a long time, its consumers need to remember it well enough to consider it among the first options when they need a product the company offers.
Of course, the most important thing for that to happen is for your company to offer quality products and services. But another big part, especially on the global market with dozens, if not hundreds of companies as competition, is to offer something that will remind your customers about your company in a non-irritating way.
That’s where mobile games for brand engagement come in.
People are quite tired of traditional marketing approaches — we unsubscribe from newsletters, turn off push notification for non-essential apps, install ad blockers, and look past ads on bus stops and buildings. In addition, companies need to jump through many more hoops to keep our attention than to draw out the initial interest.
At the same time, more and more people each year engage with mobile games. According to reports, in 2024, there were 3.32 billion active video gamers, and the number is set to reach 3.5 billion by the end of 2025. That’s almost half of our planet’s population! Naturally, more and more non-gaming companies catch on to this, which brings marketing to the intersection of gaming and branding.
This year, the US market has already seen a big collab between McDonald’s and Pokémon GO — the restaurant chain partnered with the famous game to attract foot traffic to their establishments. Pokémon trainers will flock to their local McDonald’s during event weeks to catch rare Pokémon — and grab a quick bite while at it.
And of course, it’s not only collabs — non-gaming companies have been creating video games to hook their customers with since long before mobile phones became sophisticated enough to even have games on them. McDonald’s did that back in 1992 with the M.C. Kids game for the NES console. While it wasn’t all that remarkable by today’s standards, the game was still quite successful in spreading the word about the company.
So what’s the draw? How can mobile games attract — and, most importantly, help keep — customers?
Benefits of mobile games for brand engagement
The phenomenon of brand marketing in the mobile gaming industry is curious in several ways. For example, mobile games work both when you collaborate with a famous title, and if you develop a game for your brand from scratch. Each option has several unique benefits.
For the sake of this article, as a mobile game development company, we will be talking about designing games with brand integration from scratch.
So, what are the benefits of creating a game for your own brand? Let’s see.
Increased time spent with the brand
End users’ time with the brand usually ties to the specific service the brand offers. If yours is an e-commerce business, your customers interact with your brand only when they make purchases. If it’s a social network, then when they communicate with others there.
By offering branded mobile games, you’ll be making them stick around outside the main intended activity, usually on their break or during commute. This might even gently push them towards making extra purchases, or at least remember your brand instantly when the need for a purchase arises.
Enhanced emotional connection
A mobile game designed by professionals with proper attention and care will keep players coming back simply because it’s fun. And the emotional connection to the game will turn into a favorable impression players will have of your brand, increasing the chances of them using your services or buying your products.
Data collection opportunities
Unlike when you’re integrating your brand into someone else’s game, with a game of your own, you can integrate analytics to monitor player behavior. This will allow you to obtain data for more efficient placement of ads, promotions, and calls-to-action.
By the way, at Mind Studios Games, we have our own in-game analytics algorithm that collects important data. And, of course, we can integrate third-party analytics into your games too, if you choose to do so.
Shareability
One of the biggest perks of branded mobile games as a marketing tool is that people love to share their achievements in something, and games make it easy. It is especially useful if you also offer perks for sharing, either in-game ones or to use on purchases from your business. Players will spread the word about your game — and, consequently, your brand — far and wide, basically for free.
Different types of mobile games for brand engagement
The most straightforward type of mobile game is the one that you put on the app store, of course. It’s a full-fledged game with your brand integrated into the gameplay, something that should be there for at least a few years, supported and updated regularly.
If you think that a mobile game like that is kind of a big investment of both money and time, you’re right. Of course, the benefits of having a branded game of your own are also significant — for some businesses. Here are the circumstances that make designing games with brand integration and putting them on the app store a good investment:
- You are building it as part of a long-term mobile game marketing strategy for brand-customer interactions;
- Your product is easily integrated into a digital world (e.g., toys like Kinder or NanoBytes);
- You’re aiming to collect analytics data and are willing to invest into the long-term brand recognition, interaction with customers, and building a community around your brand.
Small businesses with no direct link to toys, games, or gamers, however, might consider the investment not worth the possible results. What we offer them instead is several types of video games that are less costly yet still effective for brand promotion.
Let us tell you more about that.
Mini-games as part of a specific marketing campaign
These are temporary games, usually mini-games (small and fast to build), attached to specific events: new product launches, themed events, celebrations, etc. These games can be:
- WebGL games;
- progressive web apps;
- small games put up in app stores.
They have limited access time tied to the campaign and their goal is to feed the hype, increase the campaign’s reach, and collect leads.
Games integrated into messengers
WeChat or Telegram games are perfect for fast launch, as they don’t go through the sometimes tedious process of the app stores’ review and approval. Telegram games have simple mechanics, are fast to engage customers, and go viral easily.
AR games
Augmented reality opens up a multitude of opportunities for brands that sell physical products:
- Virtual test-drives for car sellers;
- “Animating” toys with a smartphone’s camera;
- Virtual “fitting” of clothes, furniture, or accessories.
Moreover, today’s technology offers a tool called WebAR, which makes it possible to play AR games in a browser, without downloading an app (something customers might be reluctant to do).
Playable/interactive ads
Mini-games that people will see in other apps or games when they launch a rewarded or interstitial ad or encounter an ad on Facebook, for example. These are perfect as try-outs — a way to test brand engagement games without developing a full game itself. Or you can launch new ones periodically as part of marketing campaigns. If you’re looking for an example — Chinese online marketplace Temu uses utterly simple interactive puzzle ads quite successfully.
A mini-game doesn’t require extensive development, as it’s not a full-on big adventure. In fact, the most widespread genre for such games is puzzle, followed by quizzes and runner games.
- Puzzles are great for e-commerce, fashion brands, fast-moving consumer goods;
- Quizzes work well for educational, eco initiatives, and when you want to tell people about your brand;
- Runners are dynamic, which makes it easy to integrate brand elements into the visuals smoothly — putting brand name and logo on surrounding items and characters’ clothes;
- Management simulation games are the choice when you’re staking it on long-term engagement and planning to form an ecosystem around your brand.
The smaller scale makes developing these branded mobile games a faster and cheaper engagement, affordable even for small businesses.
Each of the mentioned types of brand engagement games sets a specific goal — some strive to form a deep connection between the brand and the customer, while others may push consumers to make a spontaneous purchase; they might also aim at achieving virality for the brand. Depending on what you want to achieve, your development team will be able to offer advice as to what kind of game to choose.
Strategies for developing a successful branded mobile game
So how does one go about creating mobile games for brand marketers? In short, when building a mini-game for your brand, what you need to keep in mind is these games:
- are simple enough for non-gamers to play;
- offer an opportunity to engage with your brand;
- are shareable and reusable;
- do not require extensive financial commitment for production.
And here is a selection of tips we’d say everyone can use.
Focus on fun and value
People play games because they’re fun. Therefore, even when you’re you’re going into mobile game development as one of your engagement strategies, it’s important to put players’ fun at the center. Otherwise, they just won’t play it.
So approach your branded mobile games as you would a game first — and as a marketing tool second.
Integrate your brand subtly
Expanding on the previous point, we recommend making branded elements blend into gameplay. We’re not talking about subtlety as near-invisibility, of course — there are ways to show your brand in a game boldly but without it disrupting the gaming experience.
Depending on the specifics of your brand, that could be:
- digital version of your products present in the game
- you brand ads and logos as parts of the game art (for example, plastered on buildings players will pass in a racing game)
- brand elements as part of the UI
- building a management game and letting players “manage” your brand itself
That’s just some options off the top of this writer’s head. Your game designers will surely have more to offer.
Offer rewards for topping leaderboards
Interweaving your real-life brand with your game is another good option. You can offer discounts or promo codes to use on your services to high achievers in your game. Add leaderboards to the game and reward, say, top-3 or top-10 players with something tangible.
This will entice people to both return to make purchases from you, and play the game more (and you can monetize that additionally through IAPs and integrated ads).
Leverage social features
As we’ve already mentioned above, social aspects are one of the most valuable part of mobile games for brand engagement. Easy sharing functionality with API integration is a must. But equally valuable might be to build in a chat functionality, for example, especially if you’re planning a multiplayer game. Connecting people and letting them communicate is a sure way to leave an emotional link between your brand and players.
Optimize for mobile
Most branded games are made for mobile, and there’s a reason for that. Unless yours is a video game development brand, we’re assuming you’re in it to sell your products or services outside your website or store.
In this case, the best way to engage your customers is with a casual / hyper-casual / idle game they can play on-the-go as they commute or are taking a break. And people don’t usually play PC games on the bus. The intersection of gaming and branding performs much better on mobile, and it’s best to widen your audience by making your game cross-platform.
These aren’t all the possibilities, of course, as each brand is unique, and it’s best to approach your promotional video game development with your brand in mind. If you’re looking for a consultation and customized research, you can always contact our team — we can provide a consultation and, if you’d like, undertake your game’s development as well.
Real-life examples of successful brand engagement through games
McDonald’s
The fast food corporation recognized the multiple benefits of designing games with brand integration a very long time ago: Donald Land, a platformer for the NES / Famicom, was published in 1988, followed by M.C. Kids in 1992 and McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure for Sega Genesis in 1993. All of them were sufficiently successful.
In 2008, McDonald’s released the Lost Ring, an alternate reality marketing game launched on the occasion of the Olympic Games.
Finally, the latest game published by the company is the 2023 Grimace's Birthday, also a promo platformer, but now browser-based. We’re pretty sure it won’t be the last one.
Kinder Surprise
The Kinder’s mobile game offers children to learn through playing from a very young age. It teaches essential skills like brushing teeth, cleaning, sorting waste, etc. But there’s more — powered by the augmented reality functionality, it also ties toys from the Kinder eggs to the game and provides lessons about the world.
By scanning an animal toy your child found in their egg, they’ll be able to play minigames with that animal, learning about their habitat, eating habits, natural predators, and more. The game integrates the Kinder brand in a smart way that makes parents inclined to choose Kinder for their kids among other brands of chocolate.
NanoBytes: ByteWorld
NanoBytes: ByteWorld is the game we at Mind Studios Games built several years ago for our client’s toy business. The idea our client approached us with was that of making tiny toys with scannable codes that will bring said toys into a video game, tying a physical business with a digital world.
In a nutshell, NanoBytes: ByteWorld is a city management game. Players build city infrastructure, from stores to municipal buildings, hire workers for it all (obtainable in-game or by scanning the codes from physical toys), and use the revenue to upgrade and build more. Additionally, the game features a selection of mini-games: a quiz, a running game, and more.
The game expanded our client’s business into the phygital plane, and it even went on to win an award soon after launch.
Conclusion
The further we go into the 21st century, with its high level of technology and its penetration into more and more parts of human life, the brighter the future of brand engagement in mobile games seems to become.
More powerful mobile devices encourage more people to try gaming — to pass time, relieve stress, and even develop new skills or acquire new knowledge. Passing such an opportunity to tell people about your brand seems a huge miss, doesn’t it? And it’s not even that expensive to build branded mobile games, if you look at their potential in perspective.
If that’s an idea you’re having, finding an experienced partner who can easily figure out the best way to integrate brand engagement in mobile games will make the whole affair much easier and less costly. After all, there tend to be fewer mistakes and reworks when your developers know what they’re doing.
Mind Studios Games can be that partner. With our years on the game development market, and our experience creating NanoBytes: ByteWorld, we have some exclusive insights into tying branded elements to gameplay successfully. Check out our portfolio of diverse titles, and contact our team for a consultation where you’ll be able to ask all the questions you have regarding the process, costs, and possible obstacles to success.
You can fill in the form below or contact directly our Head of Gamedev on LinkedIn to schedule the call. We’ll be happy to hear from you.
