The number of brands investing in gaming is growing. By the end of 2024, there were 1065 brands in virtual worlds with over 2039 activations across Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft and the other platforms GEEIQ tracks. With more and more brands activating on gaming platforms, there’s an increased demand for gaming intelligence that enables marketers to accurately gauge in-game interest and engagement.
We spoke to Justin Breton, Director of Brand Experiences & Strategic Partnerships at Walmart, who asked:
""What are the data points that we actually can get from this that go beyond just visits or time spent? How do we actually start to tell a story that shows that the efforts that we’re putting into [gaming] platforms are actually driving the brand and business forward?"
This article looks at 10 key metrics your in-game virtual strategy should track to get a better understanding of how to measure, set, and hit KPIs in virtual worlds.
Scroll 👇 to level up your brand’s virtual strategy and start making data-driven decisions.
Why measure success in gaming platforms?
As with any marketing channel, brands that measure and set KPIs within virtual worlds will reach their goals faster than those that don’t. Insight into key gaming marketing metrics will allow your brand to improve and optimize in-game campaigns to achieve your desired outcomes and goals. Knowing which statistics matter will also help you showcase tangible results to stakeholders within the business.
As Michael Herriger, CEO of Fortnite creative studio, Atlas Creative, explained:
"Gone are the days of innovation just for innovation's sake. I feel like in the earlier stages a lot of people were just coming in with that as the goal. And now it's more about those marketing standards and trying to figure out how to take something that's a little untraditional and fit it into traditional marketing."
With platform-specific data analysis tools that turn complex gaming analytics into digestible visuals, brands no longer have an excuse to go into virtual worlds without a clear strategy. Those who make data-driven decisions will win a larger audience in the long term.
4. ARPU & ARPDAU
Average revenue per user (ARPU) is a key performance indicator that measures the average amount of revenue your virtual experience generates per user.
ARPU offers critical insight into consumer spending with your brand on gaming platforms. It can be challenging to convert players in free-to-play games. As such, ARPU is key to gauging whether players are interested in your UGC items and willing to spend with your brand specifically.
For a more nuanced analysis, you can monitor Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU), which breaks down daily revenue based on user traffic.
ARPDAU is essential for brands aiming to optimize revenue strategies on gaming platforms. It enables you to create more precise revenue targets that justify investments to key financial stakeholders. If your brand is looking to reinvest the revenue you generate in-game, as many brands do, this metric will give you a better picture of how much you can make depending on your DAU/MAU.
8. Approval rate
The calculation of approval rates varies between different gaming platforms. However, this generally refers to the like and dislike ratio that your virtual branded experience receives.
Approval rates can be helpful for brands running incentives for likes, for example, by offering a free in-game power-up in exchange for a like. In this way, you can track the success of such incentives. Yet, this can also artificially skew approval rates and make them misleading.
Still, a low approval rate is likely to indicate dissatisfaction, as players are actively marking that they dislike your virtual experience. At that point, you can think of ways to deliver more value to your players, for example, by dropping limited UGC items.
Tracking favorites could provide a more accurate gauge of audience engagement. Favorites imply a stronger endorsement than mere likes or dislikes, offering a clearer perspective on how your brand resonates with players in gaming worlds.
