Dive Brief:
- The fourth and final season of "Demi Lovato: Path to Fame" is now available on its host mobile app, Episode, according to a press release provided to Mobile Marketer. Since its August 2015 launch, the singer's "Path to Fame" game has generated more than $18 million in revenue, making it one of the most successful celebrity games in the app store.
- Episode animates popular television shows and encourages audience interaction by enabling users to create personal avatars and provide input on storylines. The app and stories are free to download with more exclusive content requiring payment to access.
- Within Lovato's "Path to Fame" storyline alone, 446 million episodes have been viewed since its launch by 27 million unique viewers. Ads and commercials, like for traditional television programming, run in-between each episode, and have featured brands like Fandango and RetailMeNot.
Dive Insight:
"Path to Fame" is a prime example of how some marketers are finding audiences of young consumers away from traditional channels like print magazines and TV shows, instead engaging them through mobile content where they are spending more and more time. Fandango and RetailMeNot are among the brands that have capitalized on the game's users, and recognized the potential of reaching its core audience. Marketers are restructuring their ad budgets to accommodate mobile spending, which is forecast to reach about $155 billion by 2019.
Episode's platform differs from other digital games in offering users the opportunity to shape the plot in-game, showing how a recording artist can use cutting-edge digital content strategies to build her brand. Inspiring creative expression within young girls is part of Lovato's brand and, within Episode, users interject storyline ideas alongside Lovato, in return getting exposure to her music and style. As a result, apps like Episode can also stimulate a level of content authorship not found on traditional social media platforms.
Lovato's fan base is made primarily of Gen Z females. Motivated by mobility, this generation is constantly engaged on their smartphones. Episode's co-creator told Business Insider that a survey found 14% of Episode's users are on their phone for more than 12 hours a day. "Path to Fame" is an inclusionary experience, not an audience-based one, which helps set it apart. Lovato's brand, therefore, follows her fans as long as they participate on the app.