Sometime between 2014 and 2016, India became one of the top five countries worldwide to download the highest number of mobile gaming apps, according to App Annie.

The growing success of online gaming apps in India can be attributed to India’s increasing smartphone population and the way marketers are using new media such as branded paper cups and offline mediums to gain traction.

In 2016, India beat US mobile app market growth. Indians downloaded over 6 billion apps in 2016, up from 3.5 billion in 2015. Majority of the game downloads in India are seen by teens, young adults, college students and individuals working in IT offices and corporates.

Although mainstream favourites such as Candy Crush Saga still rule in India, there’s ample opportunity for domestic publishers.

Today, virtual reality is becoming too real, with the online gaming atmosphere provoking individuals to spend money on virtual. Online games and mobile apps are intriguing youngsters to contest in such games for hefty prize rewards.

One such game that is steadily gaining momentum in India, in the social card genre is Poker Ninja, the flagship brand by Intuit Gaming. Though games such as Dream11 and Adda52 are still leading the charts, Poker Ninja still ranks high on the list of apps by time spent and revenue. Offering non-stop poker action, Poker Ninja is a fun and safe environment to play with people from around India.

Marketing Campaign for Online Gaming Mobile Apps

Poker Ninja approached team GingerCup with the aim to become the top Indian online gaming app. With the use of paper cup marketing and creative marketing, GingerCup decided to promote the gaming app in the most non-intrusive manner. We decided to take the app to colleges, hostels and corporate offices in Mumbai because we felt that these pockets of society are the ones that would instantly connect with the game, and download it. This way, we could also expect a spurt in the number of downloads and registrations.

Why should gaming apps with prize money target colleges and corporates through cup marketing campaign?

• Most people who play these games are between the age group of 18-25 years.
• Games with prize money are a rage among youngsters particularly because they are entertaining and offer stout monetary rewards, sometimes as much as Rs. 3-5 lakhs.
• Youngsters take great pride in winning these games and it somehow boosts their self-esteem and becomes an addiction.
• The demographic has higher disposable income.
• Playing games like these gives them a chance to show off in front of their friends and colleagues.
• Most of the online card games are skill-based, and thus the huge following mostly comes from corporate offices where individuals have at least couple of hours of free time during the day.
• Youngsters today have no qualms about spending money on intangible assets these games offer.
• Not just for monetary rewards, players also engage in such games due to other forms of gratification such as goodies, coupon codes or a free trip abroad.

Every branded paper cup designed by GingerCup has a promo code ‘NINJALIFE’ and a ‘chance to fly to Las Vegas’. The aim of the competitive game is to reward those who spend their efforts in enhancing their skills. Via paper cup marketing, micromarketing techniques and promotions, GingerCup aims to create healthy traffic on the website and the mobile gaming app.

Globally, gaming is a well-established industry, and it is gaining traction in the Indian market as well. Over the years, there has been an aggressive growth in Indian gaming adoption particularly in colleges, hostels and IT sector. Social card games require a huge amount of skill and brainstorming, and are far from gambling.