Chart-topping DJ Marshmello gave his first in-game concert on Fortnite – a virtual performance in the world of the squeaky-color shooter game – and alongside my sons, around 10 million were watching.

What is Fortnite? In the multi-player game is fought online together against other teams. The goal is to be the last one on the field. The game has only been around since mid-2017 and is breaking all records in terms of popularity and profit: sales have exploded to two million US dollars. Per day.

And that’s just revenue from smartphone users. The Fortnite company #EpicGames is now valued at $15 billion, which would easily be enough for a Dax entry. For comparison: Deutsche Bank is also traded that high.

As a father, I look with horror at the time-eater Fortnite. The first psychologists are warning of the danger of addiction and are already offering therapy camps.

The marketer in me is impressed by how the online game has developed into a media phenomenon in a very short time and what advertisers can learn from Fortnite and its incredible success – even though the game is basically ad-free.

Success mix of variety and scarcity

Why is the game so successful? Fortnite Battle Royal is free in itself. But you can spend a lot of money on better equipment for your character via in-app purchases. Individuality counts in the virtual world, too. And the creators of the game pay well for that: For eight euros, for example, users can buy trendy dance moves for their characters.

But how well the character fights depends solely on the player’s skill. The very fact that Fortnite’s fighting performance cannot be bought cements its credibility among young gamers.

High-speed variety and artificial scarcity are two other rules of Fortnite. Players are kept in suspense with weekly updates and motivated to make spontaneous purchases: new disguises, so-called skins, are only available for a few days at a time.

Generation Z, born around the turn of the millennium, is used to a much harder pace than older target groups, gets bored quickly and is very receptive to the appeal of the rare.

Gaming has become one of Generation Z’s most powerful social networks. Gamers arrange to meet in the virtual world, talk to each other constantly via headsets about the best battle strategies, and can create their own environments.

Advertising is banned on Fortnite

Since advertising is not possible on Fortnite, imagination is required. It’s worth taking a look at Fortnite’s promotions with brands and well-known personalities. Marvel cooperated with Epic Games last year to promote the movie “Avengers: Infinity War”.

Players were able to buy the “Iron Man” outfit for their avatar, and the villainous figure of “Thanos” appeared as a menacing opponent – so the promotion didn’t take place as a disruptor or interrupter, but was appropriately integrated into the game.

Pop star Drake, a self-confessed fan of the game, also took advantage of it in 2018 by battling with the world’s most famous Fortnite gamer named “Ninja,” earning the streaming platform Twitch a new viewership record.

For those who don’t know Twitch, gamers broadcast their video games live there. And hundreds of thousands watch. Ex-national kicker Mesut Özil also gambles and broadcasts there. Incidentally, Twitch sponsors major gamer events on a massive scale, as do energy drink and snack brands, telcos and, more recently, carmakers.

So with smart brand integration and actions by VIPs with gamer credibility, the effect is mutually amplified and attention is multiplied without authenticity suffering in the eyes of the target group – an advertising win-win.

Said “Ninja” is one of the first brand ambassadors from the Fortnite universe and cooperates with a Korean smartphone manufacturer. For the market launch of the latest generation of devices with particularly long battery life – suitable for mobile gaming – the top gamer demonstrated to his fan community how he unpacked the devices, installed the game and tried out a “skin” that was offered exclusively to buyers of the latest models.

The marketing category for this mega-deal has yet to be found, I’ll take a stab at it: sponsored-unboxing-by-influencer meets branded-virtual-goods-in-game-advertising.

Having finally arrived in traditional marketing heaven, “Ninja” now appears in commercials for the device manufacturer, integrating Fortnite by performing one of its signature dances or inviting a young female gamer to join the “national team.” So classic advertising as usual – and correspondingly expensive, after all, the man earns half a million dollars through his Twitch streams alone. per month.

PS From parents to parents: Better deactivate the in-app purchases function on your kids’ smartphones. Can get very expensive otherwise. I speak from experience.