What if an energy supplier actually understood gaming?

Steven Verlinde is Campaign Project Leader at Engie, Belgium’s largest energy company. But instead of communicating in megawatts, today he does it in megabytes. As both a marketer and a gamer, he knows better than anyone that young people are not interested in generic messages. If you want to reach them, you need to connect.

So when traditional recruitment was no longer enough to attract technical profiles, Engie chose an unexpected route: the world of esports, Twitch and Rocket League. Not with a billboard mentality, but with a community reflex.

You don’t attract technical profiles with a job banner

Steven noticed that job fairs, job boards and classic recruitment campaigns were reaching fewer young profiles and having less effect. Especially with technicians, IT professionals and other hard-to-fill positions, it had become a fight for attention.

“We had to communicate smarter, not harder,” he says.

That’s why Engie went looking for places where young people actually feel at home: Twitch, Discord, Rocket League. Not to burst in with corporate branding, but to build relevance step by step. Through collaborations with creators, subtle in-game activations and a presence on the platforms where young people already are.

Not a gaming brand, but a brand that gets gaming

Engie doesn’t make headsets or consoles, yet they built a credible place in gaming culture. Why? Because they didn’t step in as outsiders.

“We didn’t want to be a brand that just shows up. We wanted to be a brand that takes part,” Steven explains.

That’s why they avoid scripted streams or forced content, and instead focus on genuine connections with players, influencers and communities.

“We’re not there as guests, but as equal players.”

Building internal support step by step

Steven often got the question internally: why would an energy brand do something with gaming? His answer was simple: because it works, if you do it right.

He started with small projects, limited budgets and clear KPIs. The successes, however small, made it easier to scale internally.

This way, gaming grew from an experiment into a recognised pillar of Engie’s employer branding strategy.

Ready to build something in gaming together with No Noob?

At No Noob, we don’t help brands to “just do something with gaming,” we help them to be relevant in the culture. We build community, credibility and connection, with strategy as the foundation and respect as the condition.

Want your brand to join the game? Let’s play!

Curious about the full episode? Watch it here