How These 5 Brands Are Marketing With Top Twitch Influencers 

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More than15 millionusers spend an average of nearly two hours a day watchingTwitchlive streams. The sheer amount of time users dedicate to the platform makes it an excellent avenue for advertising.

Here, we’ll examine how five top brands partner withTwitch influencersto drive traffic and purchases, and offer clear takeaways for marketers.

Apart from its enormous audience, why is Twitch so valuable to marketers? The platform offers three specific and significant advertising advantages: its audience type, engagement type, and influencer sponsorship support.

To start,81.5%of Twitch users are male and 55% are between the ages of 18-34. By executing influencer marketing campaigns on the platform brands gain access to a highly targeted demographic. In regards to engagement, the unfiltered and often lengthy duration of Twitch live streams makes for highly authentic content and in turn highly authentic partnerships.

Studies have also found that Twitch users are supportive ofsponsored content. In fact,80%of users are open to brands sponsoring games and teams and82%agree that sponsorships are good for the gaming industry.

Guy Beahm — akaDrDisrespectLive— is one of Twitch’sbiggest personalities. His two million followers know him for his flashy appearance — a mullet wig, red tactical vest, horseshoe mustache and sports sunglasses — and his unique disregard for video game etiquette. "The Doctor,"as he’s known to fans, streams a number of Battle Royale games, includingPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,Fortnite, andLeague of Legends.

On Twitch (and most social media), authentic relationships with followers are key to a streamer’s success. Despite acting as The Doctor, Beahm conveys a sense of authenticity that resonates with his followers and allows him to solicit donations during his streams. Additionally, his authentic rapport with followers makes him an appealing influencer to brands like Razor, Turtle Head, and Discord.

In keeping with his usual content style, Beahm partnered with Daybreak Games to market itsH1Z1 Auto Royale game during a three-hour live stream. At the beginning of the live stream,Beahmdramatically introduces the game with his usual idiosyncratic flair saying,“Trickle in ladies and gentlemen because today we’re playing an all-new game mode in H1Z1 calledAuto Royale.” In doing so, he delivers critical branded messaging points in a format his audience has come to know and love. This introduction sets the precedent thatthe sponsored content will be presented like any other video on his channel.

During the live stream, Beahm plays the game and addresses questions and concerns that might prevent viewers from making a purchase. By actually playing the game he encourages viewers further along the buying process by giving them a comprehensive demonstration of the game. Therefore, viewers already know what they’ll receive if they buy the game.

Results: To date, the sponsored live stream has garnered 39,346 views.

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LIRIK, the notoriously faceless Twitch streamer and gamer, has two million followers and over 232 million views. Without a webcam, LIRIK engages his followers by adding original commentary and comedic audio clips to live streams. He streams six hours per day, six days per week and regularly attracts an audience of 20,000 to 40,000 viewers.

The German-born American goes by Saqib Zahid in everyday life and regularly playsSteep, Rust,andFortniteon Twitch, in addition to new VR games likeStand Out.Because fans trust his opinions on a wide range of games, brands use LIRIK’s followers and authority to promote their products.

To advertise its first-person shooter gameTom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, Ubisoft partnered with the Twitch powerhouse to create one sponsored live stream. In the resulting stream,Zahidplays the game while interacting with audiences using Twitch’s live chat feature.

During the live stream, Zahid earnestly endorses the game and creates an interactive sponsored experience by answering viewer questions. At the 23:12 mark, an audience member asks if Zahid recommends the game. He responds candidly by saying,“Do I recommend this game? Are you asking sponsored Lirik or unsponsored Lirik? Yes, sponsored Lirik says this is a good game and so does non-sponsored Lirik. It’s a fun game.” The candor LIRIK maintains with his viewers makes for highly authentic sponsored content.

Zahid’s decision to answer questions in real time is also advantageous to his viewers and Ubisoft. Sponsored live streaming content can be both compelling for audiences and valuable for brands because messaging (copy points, CTAs, Q&A, etc.) is delivered in real-time. This allows brands to gauge reception and audiences to experience and engage with a product by way of their favorite influencer.

Results: Zahid’s live stream with Ubisoft has amassed upwards of 15,093 views.

25-year-oldTucker Bonerstreams to almost one million followers under the aliasiiJeriichoii. He’s perhaps best known for streams featuring multiplayer games likeMinecraft, FortniteandPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.Boner has also made a name for himself through song parodies, vlogs, and comedic sketches. According to hisYouTube bio, he’s “just a guy who loves to play video games and make people laugh.”

Early in his career, Boner saw the benefit of partnerships in streaming and created“The Gamer Shore,”a group of streamers who moved to LA to collaborate on projects. The endeavor was largely unsuccessful — it only aired one live stream — but he continues to collaborate with other streamers likeChampChongandSyndicateas well as brands like Discord and Monster Energy.

To advertise its gameSouth Park: The Fractured But Wholegaming giant Ubisoft partnered with Boner to create one sponsored live stream. Boner successfully executes the sponsored content by remaining transparent with viewers and creating excitement around the game by playing it for the first time during the stream.

At the beginning of the (12:15) Boner says, “Thank you guys for watching! This is a sponsored stream. If you guys do want to pick up South Park or learn anything aboutSouth Park: The Fractured But Whole, there is a link in the info panel.” The statement serves to drive website visits and game purchases by encouraging viewers to click a link.

Additionally, Boner’s explicit disclosure of the sponsored content serves to increase the credibility of his recommendation. If audiences see that he's extremely open to disclosing sponsored content they may be more likely to trust his endorsement of the game.

Boner’s decision to play the game for the first time also functions to heighten excitement around the live stream, making for highly memorable sponsored content. The initial reaction format serves the interests of Ubisoft because if viewers remember the live stream and the game they’ll be more inclined to make a purchase.

During the live stream, Boner tells viewers he’s never played the game before, nor has he watched gameplay of others playing it. This means that on top of being exposed to the game, audiences get to witness his immediate reaction.

Full-time Twitch streamer Ben“DrLupo”Lupo has enjoyed an extensive career with eSports teamRogue— the same team as Twitch’s most followed account,Ninja. As a professionalDestinyplayer and sponsoredFortnitestreamer, Lupo has created an intimate community of518,000 followers.

Over the past year, two distinct events earned Lupo the love and support of his fans. InMarch 2017, he helped a dying man achieve his dream of reaching the Lighthouse inDestiny(a feat few have the skill to accomplish) — and raised $40,000 for Make-A-Wishin the process. InMarch 2018, Lupo’s own father passed away and the support that his followers shared onTwitterillustrates the intimacy influencers foster with their followers.

American fast food chain KFC partnered with Lupo to advertise its chicken wings, a departure from the previously discussed Twitch gaming sponsorships. To showcase KFC, Lupo teamed up with fellow Twitch influencerAnthony Kongphanto play the gamePlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds— aka PUBG — and run an interactive live stream contest.

At the beginning of the single sponsored live stream, Lupo explains that each time he and Kongphan win a PUBG round viewers should type the phrase “winner winner” in the video chat to enter to win a KFC gift card. The phrase “winner winner” produces a unique KFC emoji and cleverly references the phrase “winner winner chicken dinner,” popular among PUBG gamers. Apart from giving away KFC gift cards, Lupo and Kongphan also gave away freeLoot Crateprizes to viewers during the stream.

KFC’s decision to market on Twitch in the context of the popular PUBG gaming phrase “winner winner chicken dinner,” demonstrates the brand’s awareness of social media and gaming trends. By giving away actual chicken during a live stream featuring PUBG, KFC fosters a connection between its brand and online gaming culture. If viewers play PUBG in the future they’re likely to remember KFC because of the new association between the brand and the game. 

Throughout the live stream, Lupo also keeps KFC top of mind by uttering humorous brand references like, “Gotta get that chicken. KFC! KFC!” at the 1:27:15 mark. The periodic mentioning of KFC during the live stream serves to continually raise brand awareness among viewers.

Results: The innovative partnership has been a source of significant press (The Rolling Stone,  PC Gamer, etc.). To date, Lupo’s sponsored live video has amassed 654 views.

RoryPlaysis an anomaly in the Twitch world. In addition to being a female thriving in a hypermasculine, male-dominated industry, she generates massive engagement despite having a relatively small following. She has only14,000 followers— less than one percent of peers like DrDisrespectLive. Despite her small audience, she generates incredibly high engagement. In total, she has 605,000 total channel views on 158 videos (averaging almost 4,000 views per video).

RoryPlays streams gameplay from several popular titles, including first-person shooterBioShockand Electronic Arts’The Sims 4. Her Twitch success is a reminder that brands should look at engagement as much as followers in choosing collaborators.

To advertise its gameThe Sims 4: Cats & Dogs, EA partnered with RoryPlays to create one sponsored live stream. During the two hour stream, she plays the game and discusses its notable features.

Of all the Twitch sponsorships discussed, RoryPlays’ is perhaps the most traditional. She features the EA logo at the start of the live stream and also provides a link users can click to buy the game in the video description. In contrast to the highly interactive sponsored stream from Lupo and KFC, viewers can easily watch RoryPlays’ sponsorship with little effort. The relaxed format may be preferable to some, especially those interested in an open-ended simulation game likeThe Sims.

During the stream, Rory frames EA positively though statements like, “They [EA] invited me to an event called Sims camp. Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Sims camp. Guys, they invited me out so I could capture this content for you!” The gratuitous statement positions EA as interested in supporting Twitch influencers, which is advantageous to the brand given that82%of Twitch users feel sponsorships are good for the gaming industry.

Results: To date, more than 1,236 have viewed RoryPlays sponsored stream.

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