6 things your brand should know about reviews & livestream marketing

Product reviews are evolving. They have moved from reviews on places like Amazon to social media posts then to videos and now live video. Livestreaming is a medium with a lot of potential for your brand or product.
With 615 million devices using ad blockers, it’s becoming even harder to reach consumers with online advertising. However, this is where video and live video can make all the difference especially when these videos include product recommendations.
Here are 6 facts your brand should know about both reviews and livestreaming.

#1: 85% of US consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations

BrightLocal’s survey of over 1000 Americans in October this year found a high level of trust in online reviews.
It’s clear that consumers trust what other consumers have to say whether they know them personally or not. This applies to influencers, micro-influencers and streamers.

#2: 82% of US adults at least read online reviews prior to purchase

The Pew Research Center also found that 40% of US adults always read reviews prior to making a purchase.
There’s no doubt that consumers spend much more time now researching prior to purchase. Even if it comes down to researching on the go, it’s not too difficult to do a Google search on your smartphone.

#3: 68% of US adults under 50 watch online product review videos

The same Pew Research Center study found that more than half of US adults watch online product review videos as part of their online research prior to purchase.
Compare this to the number of people that read online reviews and these video viewers make up a significant portion.

#4: Gaming video content has a global audience of 665 million viewers

Think about it this way, any kind of gaming video content is a promotion for a game or PC or brand in some form. If you’re a developer, people watching a video of someone not just playing but enjoying your game is a recommendation itself.
If your brand is on the hardware side, this still applies as consumers use a specific setup for video creation or livestreaming. When consumers see the quality of a video or livestream, it reflects on the hardware being used by a content creator.
For brands that aren’t directly in the gaming industry, gaming video content’s popularity highlights its potential as a platform for your product to be recommended by content creators.

#5: In 2017, 71% more money was generated on average through the Twitch Partners program globally

The Twitch Partners Program allows streamers to monetise their streams through subscription services.
This is important for product recommendations because audiences want to support their favourite streamers. Fans will support through watching, subscribing and supporting sponsors of streamers.
In just esports alone, a majority of fans in the US, UK, France and Germany support brand involvement in tournaments, streams and events according to Nielsen Esports (2017).

#6: Non-endemic brand sponsorships are on the rise globally

While streaming and streamer sponsors are mainly associated with gaming, this is beginning to change. Non-endemic brands are beginning to see the value in sponsoring all sorts of gaming content creators and esports teams. In the esports space alone, Nielsen Esports (2017) is finding that non-endemic sponsorships are increasing.
Below are a few examples of non-endemic brands sponsoring streamers:

  • G Fuel – Dr Disrespect, FaZe Clan
  • Maxibon – Avant Gaming
  • St George Bank – ESL Australia

So, if you’re interested in creating brand awareness through livestreaming but don’t feel your brand resonates with gaming enough, don’t worry.
Want to know more about how your brand can use livestreaming marketing? Contact us.

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