Brands turn to Discord servers as a means to reach niche influencer channels in their own ‘communities’

In lieu of Quests, mainstream advertisers are finding other ways to leverage Discord as a marketing channel. Brands like Jack in the Box, Samsung, Netflix and Mentos have instead spent the last year partnering directly with server owners on Discord, paying them to share promotional links and content across digital communities that sometimes boast over 100,000 individual users. For its June campaign, for example, Jack in the Box collaborated with the agency Wildfire to sponsor a network of servers including NA Practice Scrims, a Fortnite community on Discord with roughly 114,000 members. The goal was to drive attention and engagement toward a sponsored livestream with Faheed “T-Pain” Najm on June 26. 

“We hadn’t tapped into Discord Quests for this particular execution, but it’s important to do so in a way where it isn’t random,” said Andrew Kang, a senior director of media strategy for the agency Carat, which helped Jack in the Box with the campaign. “Our challenge, if we ever were to do so as a QSR [fast food brand], would be to find an authentic way — is there a product that makes a ton of sense for a Discord Quest?”

Advertisers like Jack in the Box are dipping their toes into Discord at an advantageous time for the platform. Although brands outside entertainment and gaming have not yet embraced Quests, a Discord representative said it supports the rise in influencer-style marketing on the platform, viewing the shift as a positive overall sign regarding brands’ willingness to spend marketing budgets on Discord.

Discord does not often release public user numbers, but then-CEO Jason Citron told The Verge that the platform had roughly 200 million monthly active users in early 2024. The platform is very popular among Gen Z, with 44 percent of Gen Z gamers and 20 percent of Gen Zers overall using it regularly, according to a February 2025 eMarketer report. In January 2024, Discord had about 19 million active servers, according to figures shared on the platform’s website at the time.

“We strive to create a scalable advertising experience that focuses on authenticity,” said Discord vp of sales and advertising solutions Adam Bauer. “By creating the communications platform for all of gaming, we’ve pioneered a new way for marketers to reach a highly-engaged global gaming audience through community, insights and a rewards-driven ecosystem that is authentic to the gaming experience.”

Discord isn’t a broadcast platform — it’s built around tight-knit servers where people spend hours chatting, sharing, and building culture. For brands, marketers say, that’s appealing because it’s not just about impressions but deeper, stickier engagement in spaces where fans already self-organize. Historically, it’s been regarded by mainstream advertisers as a walled-off gamer community tool, but that perception is slowly changing, according to both marketers and creators on the platform.

“Social media, to date, has really been about the influencer. While community exists around social media, they are watching the activity or the creation of that person,” said Amanda Rubin, CRO of the agency Wildfire, which specializes in Discord marketing. “In what we’re calling ‘community media,’ the community is the epicenter. It’s not about this person behind the scenes being the thing everyone’s here for, it’s community. Discord is really the first platform that has the ability for communities to be monetized, versus individuals for their notoriety.”

Jack in the Box senior director of social media and PR Morgan Higgins declined to share specific numbers for the company’s June campaign, citing the recency of the campaign, but said that the company viewed its Discord campaign as a “success” because it allowed Jack in the Box to target specific groups with relevant interests to the livestream, and that the company plans to increase its use of Discord as an influencer marketing channel in the future.

“On the likes of a larger platform, I don’t think we would be able to talk to subgroups that are music fans, or even just T-Pain fans,” Higgins said. “We want to talk to the gaming space; we wanted to talk, specifically, to Fortnite fans. To me, that’s a success, because it allowed us to have that one-to-one communication.”

Creators are baking sponsorship inventory directly into their communities

Creators are playing up their communities on Discord to win over more ad dollars. Last week, for example, the creator collective Good Good Golf launched its first-ever Discord server, the Good Good Golf Club. The Discord community did not launch with a title sponsor — an intentional choice to avoid distracting from the rollout, according to Good Good marketing director Jeffrey Lefkovits. Yet sponsorship inventory was part of the concept from the start, with Good Good planning to expand the ways sponsors like Mountain Dew and Callaway can reach Discord users. 

Financial details of these spends were not disclosed.

“We’re going to set up member tournaments, member trips, ‘PGA 2K’ tournaments, fantasy leagues, trivia nights — we’re going to have all kinds of stuff in there,” Lefkovits said. “Do those open up the door for sponsorships? 100 percent, and that’s going to be an important part of it.”

Discord isn’t the only platform chasing marketers’ interest in niche communities this year. Twitch now offers advertisers the option to access specific communities in content verticals such as DJing, digital art and cooking. In July, for example, The General ran a Twitch campaign built around a Fortnite tournament with 16 top streamers, aimed squarely at the platform’s Fortnite community. 

“Viewers don’t passively watch streams — they participate, connect and build a lasting sense of belonging. That depth of engagement makes streamers highly trusted voices, and it’s why brands are increasingly recognizing the unique opportunity to show up alongside content where audiences are deeply invested,” said Twitch chief product officer Mike Minton. “When you align with a passionate community, you build real affinity and trust from creator to brand. That’s the kind of impact advertisers are seeking today.”