Publicis Southeast Asia Dives into the Future of Online Play

Publicis Groupe Southeast Asia (SEA) announced the launch of Publicis Play, a strategic partnership with Mana Partners, a Web3 marketing consultancy  specializing in gaming, esports, and metaverse strategy.

“Play” is a deliberate articulation as Publicis Groupe and Mana see the offering as critical for a  generation whose preferred means of social networking, entertainment, and commerce will soon be grounded in Play. The offering does not see gaming and the metaverse as two silo solutions, but as one integrated offer as the content and fandom from gaming are the foundation for  metaverse experiences.  

Publicis Play is a true Power of One offering, allowing clients to find a single solution to work  with from creation, production, and placement to measurement. The offering is not just about  badging brand presence but a belief that the future’s most successful brands will master Play – behaving authentically and earning attention and love from their communities. 

Publicis Play has three pillars to help brands define success:  

• Fan-first strategy: Through education and understanding of what is valued in this space,  solution consulting, and bespoke workshops, Publicis Play helps brands discover and  define opportunities where they can play in the long term. 
• Player-first experiences: Publicis Play helps brands execute a fan-first strategy by  designing purposeful and immersive gaming and Web3 experiences to engage, reward, and resonate with consumers. 
• Real value exchanges: Publicis Play has established robust relationships with key  publishers, developers, esports teams, and ad tech partners that ensure an advantage for  brands, players, and fans alike. 

Publicis Play has already been piloted with several Publicis Groupe clients, including Singapore  Tourism Board, McDonald’s, PepsiCo, and more.

“The Play Economy is the new modus operandi. Publicis Play is the gateway for brands keen to  explore the full spectrum of opportunities, from gaming, esports, creators, and content, to  participative digital experiences underpinned by Web3 philosophies and concepts. Our decision  to partner with Publicis Groupe SEA was a real meeting of the minds on how we collectively view  the opportunity.”, said Jamie Lewin, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Mana Partners. 

In media, attention often correlates to advertising dollars. This has been observed with the  evolution of digital, social, and mobile, and history is set to repeat itself with gaming, esports, and metaverse environments. 

“In 2021, consumers spent more time watching gaming content on YouTube than the total hours  of content watched on Netflix. By the end of 2022, players will have also spent one trillion hours and $200 billion playing games and 25 billion hours watching gaming content. On top of this, ad spends are also forecasted to grow significantly in the coming decade to more than $214 billion  annually. It is a huge opportunity but one that needs the right partnership between brands,  agencies, and fans to create true value.”, said Matthew Zatto, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Mana Partners.  

Leading the regional launch of Publicis Play in SEA, Ian Loon, chief transformation officer for  Publicis Groupe SEA, “Connecting our Groupe capabilities with Mana Partners, who are  intrinsically plugged into this rapidly evolving economy, ensures all our clients are welcomed into  the community with access to true expertise. With the launch of Publicis Play, we can  immediately deliver new ways to integrate and deliver between Web2 and Web3, provide  measurable value, and drive business outcomes for brands.” 

This partnership between Publicis Groupe SEA and Mana Partners builds on the offering of  Publicis Play in the UK, which launched in January 2021 and draws from a core team of specialists  and tools from within Publicis Groupe globally.