By Ben Eshel, Chief Marketing Officer of Gliding Deer
The mobile gaming industry has grown rapidly over the past three years and is expected to surpass $100 billion in 2022. As the big players spend massive budgets on maintaining their market share and keeping newcomers from encroaching on their turf, next-gen games like Bingo Drive are bringing a new level of creativity to their marketing campaigns to expand their user communities and drive engagement with players.
To take our users’ experience to the next level, we brought our game to life with a one-of-a-kind partnership with Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a minor league baseball team in Myrtle Beach. We joined forces with the Pelicans to combine America’s favorite social game of bingo with America’s national pastime, the game of baseball.
While our partnership is still in the early innings, the positive feedback has been incredible. Hundreds of baseball fans are now playing our game on a nightly basis and engaging with our brand through innovative touchpoints like our Bingo Drive Mobile. Combining offline and online marketing strategies with like-minded partners is a win-win. Here are the three key factors to consider when developing successful online and offline partnerships:
Find a partner with shared values
We are big believers in the power of social gaming. It was important for us to identify a partner that also puts a premium on creating unique in-person social experiences. Sports were a natural fit. We then looked even deeper for a family-friendly sporting event known as a gathering place for people with common interests and where fans can have fun doing other activities while at the main event. Our offline partnerships are based on shared values and experiences that, when combined, create double the impact.
Focus on your collective strengths
At Gliding Deer, we specialize in building visually attractive social games. Online and offline, our biggest strengths are art and design. Nearly a third of our employees are artists and designers, and they are 100% invested in creating unique designs for our characters, rooms, and storylines. Our high-quality art and design are front and center in our partnership with the Pelicans. With large digital billboards and video displays throughout the stadium, our eye-popping imagery and creative designs draw attention and encourage engagement.
Be part of the community
Rarely do game designers witness the relationships formed within their platforms in real life? Going offline has allowed our users to make in-person connections. Fans have played at home and then met at the ballpark to engage in real life. That’s the power behind social gaming and campaigns that bring people together. Those connections are growing and spreading across the region. We are driving awareness and expanding our reach through bingo events, player interviews in our special Bingo Drive Mobil, contests, and more. Interest in our game and additional partnerships are spreading, and neighboring communities are already reaching out to us, expressing their interest in similar campaigns.
For mobile gaming companies, now is a land grab time. While big-money marketing campaigns focus on the dominant companies, new entrants can develop innovative online and offline marketing campaigns that drive players, enhance the user experience, and form a stronger bond between the brand and its target audience.
