Havas Play's Jarell Thompson and Angelique Hernandez on reaching Gen Z through gaming
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00:00If you want to reach Gen Z, you better know gaming.
00:04It's just those two things are, those lines are absolutely crossing now,
00:11and you just, and it's a hard thing for people that are in traditional Hollywood,
00:15traditional TV and film, it's a hard thing to kind of really wrap your head around,
00:19but Jarell, I know you've spent a lot of time in this community,
00:22especially that Gen Z and what's coming after.
00:25Can you talk about just what you found that is so important to reach people
00:29through that combination of gaming and social media creators
00:33that you are really focused on?
00:35Yeah, and when we think of, again, like showing up meaningful
00:40and making sure that brands are connected to audiences
00:42in ways that make sense to the community, when we think of Gen Z,
00:47one, Gen Z, when we think of like their behaviors in gaming,
00:50it's a major part of their day.
00:52When we think of like their entire like media consumption,
00:56gaming is a big part of them.
00:57But aside from just playing video games, it's all about the media.
01:02Like when we look at The Last of Us, like gaming is taking over different aspects of pop culture.
01:08So when we think of how do you talk to Gen Z, part of that is really understanding
01:12how are you talking to them through gaming as a medium,
01:16and how are you talking to them in not only a meaningful way,
01:19but in a way that provides tangible value and in a way that's authentic.
01:22How, let's get sort of deep here, are you focused on like in-game placements, activities?
01:31So when people are actively in the business of playing or e-sports,
01:38where people are watching that kind of gaming or a little bit of both,
01:42where's the real focus for you in terms of that brand connection that you're talking about?
01:46I was going to say we do it all, but no.
01:50No, that's actually a great question.
01:51And I think a misconception today is that like gaming,
01:54the whole gaming ecosystem is just the gameplay.
01:58There's people watching Twitch creators.
02:00When you look at the likes of like a Kai Sinat,
02:02like he's transcended the likes of just playing video games on Twitch,
02:06but he's a celebrity.
02:08You see Aisho Speed is showing up in China.
02:10He's like an ambassador for them.
02:11There's ways that you can align with content.
02:14Like you can partner with the likes of like an IGN or like different sites.
02:18There's also in-game.
02:20In-game is also really big.
02:21You see there was a major partnership between Disney and Epic Games.
02:25They're going to see Disney IP and Disney characters in Fortnite for the foreseeable future
02:29as they try and turn that into the Disney digital parks of the future.
02:35So in terms of...
02:36Game by Disney is a very big push.
02:37Can I ask you, is there a premium though for anything that as the person is actually playing,
02:43is that a premium over watching an e-sports or watching something on Twitch?
02:48If you can reach somebody while they're engaged in gameplay?
02:51Just as a matter of curiosity.
02:53Yeah.
02:54In-game is actually a very compelling space to reach gamers.
02:59And I think that's why you see a lot of brands really tapping into
03:03and really leaning into the space and creating these custom environments
03:07and with the likes of like a Fortnite, a Roblox, or a Minecraft to reach them.
03:11And on that note too, I had mentioned about how we are also really focused on ensuring
03:18that our brands have the equity to play in that space.
03:21And so for...
03:22It doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.
03:24Right.
03:24So from an in-game perspective as a brand, you have to be incredibly cautious
03:29that you're not interrupting their experience, interrupting their game,
03:34or even...
03:36I mean, you can show up as a brand, you have no equity to be there,
03:39and the gamer's like, why are they here?
03:41And then that in and of itself interrupts their gaming, like their play,
03:47and so the gamer's already turned off by it, right?
03:50That's not the kind of brand association you want.
03:52Exactly.
03:52Exactly.