Honda is tuning up its Twitch strategy to establish a stronger lifestyle positioning on the platform mostly known for gaming and esports. The promotion of DreamLab signals the marketer wants to preserve a first-mover advantage on Twitch as other automakers reassess their media plans and direct more resources to the digital channels favored by Gen Z like livestreaming.
Honda previously was the first major car brand with a dedicated Twitch gaming page called Head2Head. Head2Head appears to have disappeared from Twitch but was used to unveil the 11th-generation Civic Prototype in November 2020. Along with its streaming work on Twitch, Honda is the official car sponsor of esports organization Team Liquid. Members of the group have appeared in the brand’s advertisements.
Livestreaming has gained traction with consumers for years, but saw its popularity skyrocket during the pandemic, further enshrining it as a mainstream marketing tactic. Twitch watch hours increased by as much as 101% year-on-year at the outset of the health crisis. Gaming experienced a similar surge in interest, making the category more crowded with non-endemic brands. Lexus, for instance, showed off a car designed by the Twitch community last year. Dubbed the «Gamers’ IS,» the vehicle was a modified version of the Lexus IS 350 F Sport.
DreamLab intends to offer a variety of programming that could appeal to viewers outside the gaming arena. The page has about 6,100 followers at press time and has been posting content since last month, with an initial Dashboard DJ episode drawing about 330,000 views. A new episode of «Power Of» airs today (March 18) and will profile Bailey Sok, a dancer who has a background in ballet but is currently experimenting with hip-hop styles.
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After setting the stage with lofty product announcements, carmakers will focus on value, range and brand heritage to close the gap with disrupters like Tesla.
Google has replaced its embattled FLoC proposal, complicating the data privacy landscape as the countdown to a cookieless future continues.
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