“As marketers, we always talk about engagement. So why are we ignoring in-game marketing?”
12.05.2026
“I don’t understand why some channels are so overused, while we as marketers overlook the massive potential of gaming marketing.” Speaking: Steven Verlinde, Campaign Project Leader at Engie. He discusses the role in-game marketing plays in their strategy—and why Engie decided to make the move.
“Where gaming marketing truly makes the difference for me is engagement. Reach isn’t the challenge for us. Reach is bought; that’s the easy part. The real challenge is creating meaningful involvement.”
“As marketers, we are always hammering on about engagement. Well, what is more engaging than being in-game? If you can hook into that as a brand, you don’t just get views, you get actual attention.”
Target audience: check?
The golden rule of marketing? Show up where your audience is.
According to Steven, a persistent misunderstanding still exists regarding the gaming audience. “The image of the young, isolated teenager is a total cliché. Yes, children and young people game. But I am a gamer too. And my mother plays games on her smartphone. Gaming goes far beyond young kids.”
Data from sources like the Digimeter show a more nuanced picture:
- The average age of a Belgian gamer is 31.
- 1 in 3 Belgians aged 25–34 plays on a computer or console monthly. On smartphones, that’s 1 in 2.
- For ages 35–44, it’s 1 in 5 on console/PC, and nearly 1 in 2 on mobile.
From our experience as an agency, in-game marketing is in pole position for the 16 to 45 age group. Especially if you want to go beyond views and impressions to truly reach your audience.
1 in 3 Belgians aged 25–34 plays on a computer or console monthly. On smartphones, that figure is 1 in 2.
Two times yes?
Does it make sense to start building your first gaming campaign? Ask yourself these two questions:
- Is engagement and interaction more important to you than just views and impressions?
- Is the 16–45 age group a key target for you as customers and/or potential recruits?
Two times yes? Then we should definitely talk. It means gaming marketing is almost certainly a valuable addition to your current strategy.
“Especially since standard marketing solutions and traditional channels often fall short,” Steven continues. “On one hand, you simply aren’t reaching part of your audience there. On the other hand, the competition from other brands is massive. Everyone is betting on those same overused channels.”
The result: you have to provide an ever-increasing budget to achieve the same (disappointing) results.
Goal: check?
You know who to reach, but which of your marketing goals can gaming serve?
“Gaming marketing is incredibly broad: influencers, activation, display, in-game advertising… it’s all in there. No other medium can offer that. The challenge is mainly picking the specific tactics that will deliver the best ROI.”
How it started for Engie
“Our first major in-game marketing campaign was for recruitment: we were looking for technicians across Belgium. But in certain regions, that search was proving very difficult.”
“Our standard approach wasn’t resonating. Traditional channels like Facebook and TikTok weren’t delivering applicants. Ultimately, our first gaming campaign did what classic media couldn’t.”
Want to know more about that recruitment campaign? Check this article.
Ready for the first level of in-game marketing?
Before that major campaign, Engie had already experimented with gaming on a smaller scale. This is also our advice to brands and agencies wanting to discover the possibilities: start small. There are plenty of low-barrier ways to start with in-game marketing.
We previously listed the three biggest usual suspects in the article: 3 ways to start smart and affordably. Curious about the other possibilities? Let’s talk!
