Our Members Are Your Gamers

With professional, personal, and family lives intersecting like never before, people are seeking new digital spaces for entertainment, creativity, and connection. This surge in demand has led to far greater amounts of time and money spent on gaming, as the pandemic accelerates time spent on consoles, computers, phones, and tablets. In the United States alone, Nielsen Research reports a 75% increase in year-over-year spending on gaming, with the average gamer spending up to 42% more on games, either online or via digital purchases. 

On LinkedIn, gamers are everywhere. From startup leaders to parents and middle-school principles, the category of “gamer” includes hundreds of millions of LinkedIn members. In fact, a Nielsen custom study commissioned by LinkedIn found that LinkedIn members who are Gamers plan to use LinkedIn 54% more often than they have in the past, and 81% of gamers use LinkedIn at least once per week and are more engaged than our general member base​. 

Like video games, LinkedIn is a place where people come to learn new skills, develop talents, and make new connections. One of my favorite articles on how gaming spans across our personal and professional lives is a recent New York Times article on the rising trend of executives getting together in video games to connect and brainstorm, as Zoom fatigue sets in and “housebound executives look for new ways to meet and bond.”

On LinkedIn, the gaming conversation is lively across the platform. Engagement with gaming content among LinkedIn members has increased 37%, when comparing the first-half of 2020 to that of 2019. This reinforces a sweet spot for gaming, entertainment, and computer hardware advertisers to reach and build awareness with more affluent, intent-driven cohorts than those on other platforms. 

LinkedIn gamers and Parents of Gen Z kids (13-25) are actively in-market for new gaming devices and subscriptions with:

• Connectivity and popularity acting as driving forces for LinkedIn members to purchase a new console or device. In fact, 42 million U.S. LinkedIn members are likely to consider purchasing a gaming console within the next year.
• The newest and latest games driving LinkedIn members to pay more for a premium service offering these additions, as 31 million U.S. LinkedIn members told us they are considering adding a new gaming subscription within the next year. 

^{(Source: Nielsen Custom Study commissioned by LinkedIn, 2/21/20-3/5/2020, Adults 18+, LinkedIn Gamers defined as past 30 days LinkedIn users who play video games at least a few times per week.)}

Many technology brands have already taken advantage of this opportunity, including Microsoft and Verizon — who tapped into the power of LinkedIn to share their latest product announcements. 

^{Verizon’s 5G gaming campaign drove 3.5 to 5x higher-than-average performance, compared to LinkedIn average benchmarks.} 

^{Microsoft leveraged LinkedIn to amplify their announcement of the next-generation Xbox console, after much anticipation of its release.}

According to Bryan Danek, a LinkedIn member and avid gamer “LinkedIn is the best place to connect with gamers who care about the industry and community.” To help you get started and connect with LinkedIn’s vibrant gaming community, we’ve created a guide showing the many ways for gaming advertisers to take advantage of the opportunity on LinkedIn. 

Access the guide here. 

At LinkedIn, we are excited about the future of gaming as a way to foster connection and collaborate with each other in a rapidly changing world. If you’d like consultation regarding advertising strategies to engage gamers on LinkedIn, please reach out to your Marketing Solutions account team.

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