...and why Genies is the best option to help you build it 😌

Anyone paying close attention to the world of online marketing knows that we’ve entered a whole new era. The next generation of Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers — termed “screenagers” by some experts, thanks to their second-nature familiarity with web-based tech — has learned to expect a different kind of experience from the brands they interface with: one that’s immersive and gamified, and mirrors the way they generally operate online. It’s no longer a question of simply viewing a pop-up ad: Now it’s a matter of participating in digital experiences that play out more like online universes, where they can authentically express themselves, and interface with other like-minded consumers, through User-Generated Content, or UGC.

Brands across many different spaces are starting to think about UGC experiences, and how to monetize this trend, but one example that’s leading the headlines, due to its large user base, is Roblox. Thanks to a recent deal between the immersive online gaming platform and Shopify, the popular e-commerce interface, brands and creators will soon be able to sell physical and virtual items directly through Roblox games, enabling users to make purchases without exiting the platform.

And it’s not just commerce and retail focusing on the trend. For example, Lego Fortnite, a partnership between the iconic building-block toys and the Epic Games’ wildly popular franchise, spins the core concept of Legos into an endlessly customizable gaming experience, where you can earn trophies and outfit your character in a broad array of unique styles. And this year’s historic alliance between Disney and Epic Games showed how some of the world’s most powerful brands are also getting behind the trend of UGC gaming.

Personalized, interactive gaming platforms offer businesses the unique ability to experiment with new business models, engage customers in unprecedented ways and anticipate future trends. These immersive, gamified environments allow companies to test ideas, develop consumer engagement strategies, and adapt to the ever-changing demands of the marketplace.

Below you’ll read why adapting to this model is essential for the future-conscious brand, and why Genies offers a clear, convincing edge over Roblox and other available UGC platforms.

How Immersive Digital Experiences Can Secure a Brand’s Future

Gen Alpha and Gen Z consumers don’t engage with traditional one-sided brand conversations like past generations. Traditional media channels and social media platforms are a place for consumption, and don't lend themselves to create a truly two-sided engaging experience. Younger generations are gravitating towards platforms where they can communicate authentically, build relationships, and contribute — think of them as digital sandboxes where consumers and brands alike can play and experiment and even learn— and this is where games and UGC platforms are coming into play more and more.

As an example, look at the Lanzador Lab, an immersive Roblox experience created last year by the luxury car giant Lamborghini. The experience centers around the Lanzador, the company’s first all-electric car. In the Lab, users can enter a luxury showroom and take ownership over their own Lanzador. The platform is a textbook example of UGC, giving users the chance to “design the Lamborghini Lanzador of your dreams as a symbol of your digital identity,” and actually race it on a virtual track. Overall, the experience marries luxury branding with the thrill of a classic video game like Mario Kart.

The core principles of UGC all apply here: reaffirming a strong brand identity while providing a fun, interactive, gamified and — crucially — customizable experience for users. It’s no stretch to imagine a Gen Alpha user racing around the virtual track in a Lambo they lovingly designed online this year and then, years down the road, aspire to purchase their very own Lanzador, or influencing their parents to do the same. And the same could be true on any scale: for an item of clothing, sneakers, a watch, a piece of jewelry or even a hairstyle.

As one marketing expert recently put it, “the reason why Gen Z games is because they want to have an escape. It’s their way of taking a break. Whereas Gen Alpha, they want to create. They’re using gaming as an avenue for their creativity and for community.” Brands that can truly internalize and service those needs are going to have a serious advantage.

User-generated content like this deepens connections with consumers, giving them tools to contribute to a brand’s universe. What fan of Disney, Lamborghini or any iconic brand wouldn’t want to feel empowered in this way? And likewise, what brand wouldn’t want to enlist users in interacting with a world that embodies its future vision?

How Genies Can Help You Adapt to the Future of Digital Engagement via Party Apps

Members of Gen Alpha spend 21% of their leisure time on social gaming, making it their top entertainment choice. And they prefer UGC over traditional branded content — studies show that within a decade, 78% of all online content will be user-generated. Meanwhile, this is a generation that wields enormous commercial clout — Gen Alpha’s purchasing power could exceed $5.5 trillion by 2029, outpacing millennials’ $2.5 trillion today and Gen Z’s $3 trillion by 2030.

Simply put, no company is more qualified to usher your brand into this new era than Genies. We have invested years of development into creating tools and technology that allow brands to quickly, economically, and effectively generate their own UGC gaming platform - what we like to call ‘Party Apps’. Our tech gives you access to foundational frameworks for scaled UGC opportunities, with strong earning potential as well as the kind of appeal that fosters community and fandom among younger users. We offer the world’s most advanced avatar system, which builds connections through personalized conversations and gameplay, and, crucially, a platform that allows for endless customization.

Typically, when companies offer a UGC build, they require clients to follow a very specific standard or rules. But Genies’ proprietary Autorigging Technology solves this problem, offering complete interoperability and, in the process, opening up enormous potential for the design of avatars, digital fashion and virtual props and objects. And with our ‘Party App’ offering for brands and IP, we design an entire, endlessly customizable universe for users to explore, create and shop in, creating a thriving marketplace that unlocks untapped revenue streams for your brand, where you own the platform and the economics.

When you partner with Genies to launch a Party App, our team of game developers and avatar experts offer the technology, creative tools and white-glove service to reskin your brand for this new era—transforming your online presence and brand into your very own gamified, immersive experience, essentially your own “mini Roblox.” And unlike with Roblox itself, here, you own the platform, so your IP is still yours to control. Crucially, you also own the economics — as part of our service, we provide you with your own marketplace enabling you to generate revenue from every transaction. And lastly, a Party App gives you control of first-party consumer data and insights.

The upshot? A digital sandbox where fans and users can play and experiment, taking an active role in shaping what’s cool and, in the process, revealing deep insights into the preferences, values and, yes, dreams of a new generation of consumers. The more your brand knows what excites and inspires your audience, the better equipped you are to drive revenue for decades to come.

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Ready to harness the power of UGC gaming, generate loyalty from Gen Alpha and ensure your brand is equipped for the future of the internet? Let's chat about Party Apps! Reach out to us here.