Influence of advergames on the food attitudes of Gen Z & Gen Alpha

By TotallyAwesome’s Psychology Department (Amanda Abel)

In an era where mobile gaming is ubiquitous among Gen Z & Gen Alpha, the impact of these games on attitudes towards food products is significant. A recent study investigated how exposure to mobile games featuring food products influences Gen Z’s & Gen Alpha’s attitudes toward these food categories and how these attitudes can extend to branded products within the same category.

What the study found

Both Gen Z & Gen Alpha demonstrated a propensity to develop favourable attitudes towards branded food items after engaging with unbranded mobile games. This indicates a generalisation process where positive experiences with game elements translate into positive attitudes toward real-world products.

The level of involvement or engagement with the game plays a pivotal role, particularly among Gen Z. Higher involvement led to stronger favourable attitudes and beliefs about non-represented brands in the food category. This suggests that more engaging unbranded games can have a more substantial impact on brand perception and attitude formation.

Key Takeaways

• Harness the Power of Gaming:
  Mobile games have a significant impact on shaping Gen Z’s & Gen Alpha’s food preferences. Positive experiences within these games can translate into favourable attitudes toward real-world products, offering a unique avenue for brand engagement.

• Hyper-relevant Involvement and Engagement are Key:
  It’s not merely about being present. It’s about being hyper-relevant. Brands need to do beyond demographics and deep dive into their audiences’ interests & values to create engaging and interactive content. Higher levels of involvement with digital content leads to stronger brand preferences.

• Monitor and Adapt Content Strategy:
  Staying informed about trends in mobile gaming and the audience’s digital consumption habits is of upmost importance for brands wanting to connect meaningfully with their audience.

• Focus on Quality of Game Play:
  This ensures high levels of player involvement, allowing brands to indirectly shape consumer preferences and perceptions, leading to more favourable attitudes and beliefs about their products. Advertising in games that are engaging for the audience fosters a positive and memorable gaming experience that can translate into positive brand perceptions. 

If this is for unbranded ads/games, just imagine the impact of branded ones!

Want to tap into the powers of gaming advertising but not sure where to start? We got you! Contact us at info@totallyawesome.tv or www.totallyawesome.tv to find out how we can work together.

About TotallyAwesome

TotallyAwesome is a contextual-first marketing and media platform that captures people’s attention without the use of personal data. We multiply advertising effectiveness by connecting brands with their high value audience in hyper-relevant contexts. TotallyAwesome combines the best of AI, human moderation, proprietary research & psychological expertise to achieve contextual effectiveness and provide ad delivery to the right audience at the right time with the right content. Our multi-channel contextual solutions enable brands to reach more than 600 million monthly active users in APAC across Apps & Sites, YouTube, Gaming & Influencers.

References:

Priluck, R. L., Pirog, S. F., & Wisenblit, J. Z. (2023). Children’s and young adults’ generalized attitudes toward foods in unbranded mobile games. Young Consumers, 24(2), 219-233.