The Startup Ideas Podcast

The best businesses are built at the intersection of emerging technology, community, and real human needs.

Brand Games as Viral Marketing

For: Marketing teams at consumer brands (fashion, food, lifestyle)

Buildability

Traditional marketing content gets lost in noise; brands need interactive, shareable content that drives engagement and brand recall

Vibe-coded games customized for each brand's campaigns - think 'Lululemon Christmas Runner' or 'Nike Air Jump Challenge' built in minutes, not months

AI can now generate full games from prompts in under 5 minutes, making what was once a $50K+ production feasible for any campaign

Day 1

Build prompt library for 10 game types (runner, puzzle, shooter)

Day 2

Create brand customization interface (colors, logos, themes)

Day 3

Set up hosting for generated games

Day 4

Build analytics dashboard for engagement tracking

Day 5

Test with 3 local businesses

Create demo games for 5 major brands without permission

Post on LinkedIn/Twitter to gauge marketer interest

Cold email marketing agencies with working prototypes

Track sharing and engagement on demo games

Per-game licensing ($500-5000) plus monthly SaaS for game hosting and analytics

First-mover advantage in AI-generated branded games, plus proprietary prompt libraries for different game types

Brands may see games as 'toys' rather than marketing toolsGame quality may not meet brand standardsViral mechanics are unpredictable