Is Keanu Reeves any different from one of Twitch.tv’s original celebrities, Day[9]? Well, I felt the need to quantify Day[9]’s importance and not Keanu’s. Clearly there is a difference in the level of these two’s fame. And yet, both took the stage during 2019’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka E3).
With hundreds of millions of views, over half a million Twitch followers spanning back to the platform’s launch, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 listing, Day[9] is as decorated as a PC gamer can be. But my uncle didn’t watch him beat up Elrond.
With so much money behind gaming’s biggest annual conference, why have such a spread in star power? Each game publisher is trying to reach a different audience.
Central Targeting
Some of the presentations at E3 are targeted at those of us who are already bought in. Those who showed up excited about specific titles. These fans are ready to listen and crave nitty-gritty details.
Day[9] gets the “one of us” stamp of approval. Diehard PC players are more likely to trust and process what he’s telling them because he is also a diehard PC player. Day[9] is central to those watching who already feel PC game announcements are important or interesting.
Peripheral Targeting
On the other end is casting an intentionally wider net. Having Keanu Reeves hit the stage gave Cyberpunk 2077 a bump outside of gaming journalism. Xbox was targeting those with little to no peripheral awareness.
There are a lot of reasons it makes sense to aim wide during the Microsoft showcase. Xbox dominates the majority of Microsoft’s E3 presentations each year. I love my Xbox, but it is no secret that console-only players tend to be less technically-minded than the PC-only crowd. The makers of Cyberpunk, CD Projekt Red, already have bought in diehard fans. Microsoft and CD Projekt Red don’t need to win over fans that already had their copy preordered.
These gaming juggernauts were targeting casual viewers of E3. A quick look at Twitter reactions proves that loads of gamers watch just to meme about the presentations. Keanu made many drop their cynicism for a moment. How many of these “peripheral” viewers do you think suddenly gave Cyberpunk a fair shake?
Which Should You Target?
The hard truth is that buy-in is dependent on each and every individual. Peripheral prospects aren’t just those who aren’t already bought in. There are loads of reasons someone may only be half paying attention to your messaging. In E3’s case, I mentally check out every time a sports game is mentioned. No amount of celebrity endorsements or technical explanations are going to sell me the new Madden NFL. I’m simply uninterested. There was a very good chance that some gamers were turned off by the ethical concerns surrounding CD Projekt Red’s labor practices. But as we see with E3, you can still aim with intent.
Neither Microsoft nor the PC Games showcase picked a better host. They both knew who they were targeting and crafted bespoke presentations.
Know who you are trying to reach. Choose technical or flashy messaging accordingly. And maybe get a little lucky with a wholesome meme that goes absolutely viral.
