Burger King gets flamed for Twitch marketing stunt

‘It may win awards’

The agency’s misstep is significant, as advertisers in recent months have been drawn to Twitch given its ridiculous growth since social distancing guidelines were put in place—more than 5 billion hours streamed in the second quarter, up 2,662 percent year-over-year. Burger King’s marketing stunt, however, should serve as a warning of what not to do when advertising on the platform.

“Hacking Twitch for a cheap marketing stunt will win awards for the agency, but it won’t win the hearts and minds of gamers for Burger King,” says Chris Erb, CEO of gaming-focused agency Tripleclix, whose clients include brands such as Kellogg’s and Mondelēz.

Unlike other audiences, consumers in the video game arena are very discerning, protective and don’t appreciate marketing stunts that disrupt their experiences or minimize the work of their favorite streamers, according to Erb.

“Seeing a giant brand like Burger King coming into the space and marginalizing both the audience and the talent certainty doesn’t land well with the people they are trying to market to,” says Erb. “For brands to have success with these consumers they need to build relationships with gamers and not market to them.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Iooss, head of sales for the Americas at Twitch, echoed a similar sentiment during an interview with Ad Age last week. “If you’re just running ads on Twitch, but aren’t on the platform, it doesn’t work well,” Iooss said.