Companies have to stay on top of trends in order to have a competitive advantage against their competitors. It is of upmost importance to understand where a companies’ consumers are heading and how they are evolving so companies can continue to innovate new products and services. Currently, sustainability is one of the ongoing trends that have companies going haywire; claiming that they are now a sustainable company. Although, some companies believe that sustainability is not profitable, an article from The Guardian states “corporations that are actively managing and planning for climate change secure an 18% higher return on investment (ROI) than companies that aren’t – and 67% higher than companies who refuse to disclose their emissions”(Cofino). Making small incremental changes to your business will yield higher than average profits while doing some good for the environment.
So, what does this mean for the gaming industry? Well, it means that they can also shift their current business model towards becoming more sustainable. This means that gaming companies may have to alter their marketing plan in order to match their sustainability goals.
According to the article Race, Ethnicity, and Public Responses to Climate Change; Hispanics, African Americans and people of other races and ethnicities were often the strongest supporters of climate and energy policies and were also more likely to support these policies even if they incurred greater costs. This means that gaming companies can remain profitable while targeting the hispanic market.
Two marketing objectives the gaming industry might consider are reducing the amount of plastic used in the packaging of physical copies by 10% and increase awareness among hispanic consumers by 20%. Physical copies are now a thing of the past. Majority of the gaming population is now purchasing digital copies that are easily accessible from many online game stores. For those who still enjoy the tangible feeling of a physical copy, slimming down the current box where the disc comes in might be a great approach towards reducing waste and plastic consumption. Another strategy a gaming company might consider is turning sustainability into a game. For example, games can be a great way to educate and engage consumers in a way that causes their behavior to change. Their example was to think of the game FarmVille. Instead of it just being a farming simulator, games like FarmVille can help communicate sustainability practices that consumers may adapt into their everyday lives. Although, I believe this is a great strategy to raise awareness in regards to the environment, do you think companies will follow through with this idea? Can games really teach sustainability?
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