A decade has passed since Twitch’s acquisition by tech giant Amazon, and it has only continued to grow from strength-to-strength since then. No longer just focused on video game livestreaming, the platform now reaches more 105 million average monthly users. In 2023, Twitch users watched over 1.3 trillion minutes of content.
Rachel Delphin, Chief Marketing Officer at Twitch, points to a “community” feel as being the platform’s “unique value proposition.”
“Community is a really ubiquitous word now. I’m quite biased, but I do think we do it better and different,” says Delphin. “I think it’s behaviourally baked into the service. And the idea of supporting streamers and showing up authentically, and in a way that is positive, is a trait of our service.”
Twitch has found that two-thirds of users prioritise wanting to see content and keep up with the community on the platform, further illustrating the platform’s sense of community.
“It’s not something that ‘I do simply to pass my time, but it is something that I prioritise, and that holds a special and unique value in my life,’ which is quite different to ‘I want to consume to be entertained,’” Delphin continues. “No shade to consumption and entertainment, but it’s different wanting to spend time with people who are recognisable on the screen. It’s like Cheers – you’re pulling up a seat in the bar and everybody knows your name.”
What helps to create this feeling is the fact that – most of the time – a user will be consuming content live and able to influence what they see going on before their very eyes.
Last year, more than 870 million hours of content was streamed live on the platform, creating an environment where streamers “get instant feedback” from viewers, according to Singer, Songwriter, and Twitch streamer Talia Mar.
“When you film a video, you have no idea what the reception is going to be. It doesn’t influence how you make content; it doesn’t influence that specific video,” explains Mar. “When you’re live, everything’s influenced by using the chat and what’s happening. So, they are just as involved as you are, and they’re pivotal to how the content is created, compared to if you were just in a room by yourself.”
Reaching Twitch’s content-craving communities
Twitch offers brands the opportunity to serve native, video, and display ads, which can all be bought cross-service with ads across Amazon’s other properties.
However, its by harnessing the relationships that streamers have built with their viewers that provides the best and most “creative” opportunities for brands, Delphin suggests.
“The real creative stuff we talk about often happens through our brand partnerships studio, where they have a product or service and they want to work with a streamer or group of streamers,” says Delphin. “It starts with what are you looking for? Who is your customer? What do you want them to feel and do? And then we can be advisory and suggest great streamers to work with.
“The other thing is to be willing to enter into a creative partnership with the streamers. You don’t want them looking like they’re making a hostage video,” Delphin adds.
“If there’s genuine enthusiasm about the product, then you unlock that magic authentic advocacy for your brand, which can lead to more effective outcomes for brands.”
Mar agrees that this “genuine enthusiasm” what makes the platform a powerful tool for brands. Brands can benefit from the authenticity of working with streamers that align with their messaging and/or have an affinity for the product they’re promoting.
“It’s less about selling a product and more about brand awareness,” says Mar. “It’s creating a whole story around the thing that you’re talking about, rather than just saying, ‘oh, I think you should buy this mascara.’
“It’s more about the brand and your connection with the brand, and why you’re working with them. It takes five seconds to say, ‘this mascara is good.’ But, to fill two hours, you have to genuinely know what you’re talking about.”
