The power of gaming influencers report 2021 – part 1 is the first of a three-part series. Part 1 sizes the gaming influencer global fanbase across 17 international markets and reveals where followers sit within the global influencer sector as a whole. Part 2 digs into the profile and consumer behaviour of the gaming audience and unearths what makes them different from those following other influencer types. In Part 3 YouGov’s report explores the value of trust within the influencer sector, and how brands can benefit from these partnerships.

In today’s social media age, influencer marketing – individuals or groups with significant numbers of followers on social media who are involved in endorsements and product placements for brands – has proven its potential. Brands of all shapes and sizes are increasing their attention and spending on influencers to promote their products and marketing messages through social channels including YouTube, Instagram, and Twitch.

The report addresses the following themes:

  1. The global reach of the influencer market – New data from YouGov shows that almost half (43%) of the global population across 17 international markets surveyed now follow a social media influencer of any type.
  2. Where do gaming influencers fit in the global influencer landscape? – Food, health, and celebrity influencers have the highest following globally (12% or more), and just under one in ten consumers worldwide follow gaming (9%), one spot behind sport (10%).
  3. A growing demand for live gaming content – gaming influencers have grown in popularity significantly in recent years, with leading personalities reaching audiences of loyal followers in the tens of millions. There are a lot of mid-sized and micro-influencers entering the scene: in Q3 2019, for example, 4.3 million channels on Twitch broadcasted live content; in Q2 2021, this number had nearly tripled, reaching 11.4 million channels
  4. Gaming ranks top – Gaming influencers move up the ranking from 11th across all demographics into 6th position globally (21%) when we delve into Gen Zs aged 18-24. Even more notably, gaming is the top influencer group followed by men (12%), on a par with sports, music, and food influencers (all achieving 12%); whilst only 5% of females follow gaming influencers globally.
  5. Gaming influencers are the most popular for males aged 18-34 – With 23% following gaming personalities, music and sports influencers are the second most popular influencer types globally, both followed by one in five men aged 18-34.
  6. The high popularity of gaming influencers – In 12 out of the 17 countries surveyed, the proportion of men aged 18-34 following gaming tops the list of influencer types followed.
  7. High popularity of gaming influencers amongst US teens –  They are the second most popular type of influencer (36%) after music influencers (38%).
  8. Asian markets have the largest gaming influence following – China and Indonesia have the highest penetrations of gaming influencer followers, representing a fifth of the population in both markets. Followers are less prevalent in Europe with Denmark, Great Britain, and Sweden, all with less than 5% of their respective populations following.
  9. Gaming influencer following increases among frequent gamers –  68% of adults across the 17 international markets surveyed currently game at least once a week. Importantly, the frequency of playing video games is on the rise, and this is growing the size of the influencer fan base.
  10. Fans of influencers from the world of gaming have a wide variety of other entertainment interests –  Among gaming fans, the top ‘other influencer’ categories followed include music (41%), food (39%), and sports (34%). Gaming fans are over three times more likely to be following music influencers compared to the global average.
  11. Gaming influencers reach a unique global audience – A higher proportion of their followers (12%) do not follow any other influencer type than followers of influencers in any other influencer category.

Click here to read The power of gaming influencers report 2021. – part 1.

Found this report interesting? Then click here to read the next one, the power of gaming influencers report 2021 – part 2. 

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