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Esports advertisers need to be fans first, marketers second

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Esports advertisers need to be fans first, marketers second
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Just because New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady is good at football doesn’t mean he’s good at Madden. And just because you’re good at marketing doesn’t mean you’re good at esports marketing. While esports may not yet have the same name recognition as soccer, football, or baseball, the prospect of it soon joining their ranks is not too far-fetched.

As the owner of 10 major esports brands, we at Gamurs Group have seen and reported on the esports industry rapidly gaining steam and grabbing the attention of fans across the world. According to a recent report by IHS Market, in fact, the amount of time spent watching competitive video games totaled more than six billion hours in 2016, up 19 percent from 2015. Moreover, the Olympic Council of Asia recently announced its decision to make esports a medal event in the 2022 Asia Games in Hangzhou, China — hinting at a potential future of esports gaining Olympic status by 2024.

Nevertheless, advertising revenues have yet to match esports’ rate of growth. As our esports news site reported, the same IHS Market report estimates that $280 million was spent on esports advertising in 2016, and forecasts the amount to reach $1 billion by 2021. And while many advertisers might be tempted jump right in and plaster their ads on game or competition streams, that strategy has been known to fail.
Based on our experiences working with Acer, Red Bull, and other major brands, here are the four best strategies to reach esports fans with your advertisements:

Know your audience

Esports is new, and as a result the audience is still somewhat of a mystery to advertisers, but it is clear that there is a huge potential in the market. “The esports audience includes some of the hardest-to-reach and most sought-after demographics for marketers and advertisers,” said Bobby Kotick, the chief executive of Activision Blizzard, speaking to investors.

As such, it is important to first demystify your target audience before bombarding them with unwelcome advertisements.

We have found that doing this boils down to living and being a part of the esports community. Without being gamers, we would never have been able to keep on top of the quick-moving trends in that community. At the end of the day, who knows what esports fans want more than esports fans themselves? As an advertiser, if you want to succeed in the realm of esports, you must do your homework and understand the community to know exactly what resonates with your audience. Then, you can design advertisements that play directly into your audience’s interests.

For example, in this Facebook video advertisement that we designed, you can see that, despite its clearly promotional nature, it is focused on what resonates with the audience. Piggybacking off of content that already interests your audience provides a great opportunity to introduce your advertisement or product. Another example highlights how framing video advertisements as news pieces related to your audience’s interests can help extend your advertisement’s reach. By linking your advertisement with news that is relevant to your target audience, you can benefit from a much higher level of engagement.

To best reach your audience of esports fans, it is crucial to first understand who they are, what they like, and — perhaps more importantly — what they don’t like.

Don’t detract from the content

No one likes being interrupted by promotional content — especially gamers. The demographic which includes significant numbers of young males “typically shun[s] brand marketing” — unless it’s done right. To get esports fans on board with your advertising attempts, the key is to show them content that speaks to them directly, without interrupting a game or competition stream.

Instead, get fans on board by integrating advertisements seamlessly with content that already resonates with them. We have seen great success by utilizing banners at the beginning of an article or a bumper at the end of a video to expand reach without detracting from the actual content your audience wants to consume. Another method is using title sponsorship for a video. We used these same techniques in a recent campaign we ran for the League of Legends World Championships and found them to be highly effective.

Native advertising has also shown extreme promise in reaching gamers and their fans due to its unobtrusive nature. Rather than smacking fans across the face with blatant advertising attempts, a more subtle approach will yield better results. Creative advertising that supplements — rather than dominates — the content attracting is a much safer bet. Take a page out of Snickers’ book and its “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign that launched as a sponsor of Eleague last year. The campaign achieved great success for its capability to seamlessly incorporate interesting content into its campaign strategy.

Choose your channels

Knowing who your audience is and what they like and dislike is just one half of the equation; you must also know where to find them. Live streaming video platform Twitch has attracted a large and dedicated esports community where fans flock to watch live streams of their favorite games and gamers.

Just last year Twitch boasted views from 2.2 million unique streamers with 292 billion minutes watched — up more than 50 billion minutes from 2015. For this reason, many successful advertisers have turned to employing the help of gamers and influencers themselves in their promotional strategies. By partnering with someone trusted by the community of users on a platform like Twitch, advertisers look more authentic to viewers. The approach is not new; however, the channel is — and it continues to gain more and more popularity.

We use a similar approach with Facebook and other content pages that are very popular with the community as well. Gamers are generally very spread out, but they also tend to congregate in specific places. Therefore, focusing your advertising efforts on these niche communities are sure to see a higher success rate.

Don’t pretend to be a gamer — hire one

Being good at marketing is different than being good at esports marketing. Just as you wouldn’t sign up Tom Brady for a Madden tournament, you shouldn’t rely on your traditional marketing team to know how to advertise to the esports community.

Instead, hire someone who knows the community well and understands exactly what the target audience wants. Or you can dare to meet the same fate as Bud Light, whose first and awkward venture into esports marketing resembled a dad talking about gaming with his son. In the flopped campaign, the company missed the mark on all of the players they nominated for awards, showing a significant lack of research and preparation, and were ridiculed by the esports community. Ultimately, this serves as the best example of how not to do things.

As gamers and businesspeople, we can tell you: hiring a marketer that is familiar with and actively involved in the esports community is the best way to know which ideas carry the most weight and would best succeed. Knowing the right terminology, a deep understanding of the rules, and up-to-date information about the games and players will give you an edge and avoid the shame of coming across as an ignorant outsider — as well as the wasted advertising dollars that would come along with it.

Esports advertising is no simple task, but with a proper understanding of your audience, it can be. And if exercised properly, you’ll be able to get in and reap the early profits that the emerging industry has to offer. As an advertiser, it’s more than just talking the talk — you have to walk the walk too. The best way to do it is to become a part of the community and know exactly who your audience is and exactly what it’s looking for.

 

Source: Veturebeat.com

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NEW YORK ISLANDERS REPRESENTATIVE ERIK ‘EKI’ TAMMENPAA EARNS HIS SIXTH EUROPEAN TITLE AT THE EA SPORTS NHL 24 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

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In a rematch of last year’s European Championship, Erik ‘Eki’ Tammenpää, representing the New York Islanders, again prevailed over Teemu ‘Temppanen’ Karvonen representing the Anaheim Ducks to win the EA SPORTS NHL 24 European Championship title. The win marks Eki’s fourth-straight and sixth-overall European Championship title (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and another $15,000 USD in earnings. Temppanen placed second in the competition that took place at the Copenhagen Media Facility in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sunday evening. For a second year straight, both players will represent Europe in the EA SPORTS NHL 24 World Championship taking place in April in New York.

Eki is a full-time YouTube and Twitch content creator and EA SPORTS™ NHL® 24 expert and 24-year-old native of Helsinki, Finland. He remains the most decorated esports player on the NHL competitive circuit and will try once again to capture the World title after capturing runner up at last year’s EA SPORTS NHL 23 World Final.

During the competition in Copenhagen today, Temppanen and Eki qualified for a spot in the World Final by competing in a semifinal best-of-three round. Both players split their first two games, with Temppanen ultimately overtaking NikkeDanglesin a tight competition and Eki defeating Eken45Jr with eight goals in a Game Three shutout.

The Championship series saw a rematch of last year’s EA SPORTS NHL 23 European Final with Temppanen and EKI facing off once again. While Temppanen took the lead with an early goal in Game One, Eki scored three quick goals in a three-minute span during the second period and a game-winning goal in the third period by Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers). Eki continued his goal streak and dominated Game Two, ultimately scoring six unanswered goals, including tallies from Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Bo Horvat(New York Islanders), and Cam Atkinson (Philadelphia Flyers). Eki’s

6-0 victory solidified his sixth European title and status as “the one to beat.”

EA SPORTS NHL 24 EUROPEAN FINAL STANDINGS

1st: Eki, New York Islanders

2nd: Temppanen, Anaheim Ducks

3rd: Eken45jr, Pittsburgh Penguins

4th: NikkeDangles, Washington Capitals

5th-8th: Alphaborje, Detroit Red Wings

5th-8th: Kibeeex, Toronto Maple Leafs

5th-8th: Launonexx, Tampa Bay Lightning

5th-8th: Teemuyy, Colorado Avalanche

The EA SPORTS NHL 24 North American Championship will be contested on March 24 at the NHL Flagship Store in New York beginning at 1 p.m. ET on the NHL’s Twitch channel. For more news, fans can visit www.nhl.com/NHL24 and follow the conversation on social using #NHL24WC.

 

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eSports

Supported by Access Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Investment Office, KALM opens global headquarters in the emirate

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KALM, the world’s first sports and esports consultancy focused on player development and performance, has launched its new global headquarters in Abu Dhabi. KALM aims to revolutionise the landscape by offering a blend of expertise from both traditional sports and esports, including innovations, technology and academic partnerships to develop first-in-class services for athletes.

Powered by Access Abu Dhabi, an initiative by Maven Global Access and supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), KALM will provide its services to organisations, global brands and individual athletes in and out of their sporting endeavours.

KALM utilises proprietary performance technology from Stanford University to identify key traits and talent of athletes by evaluating perceptive, physical and mental capabilities. It is focused on creating a best-in-class performance centre dedicated to optimising player health and recovery. KALM harnesses data science and AI applications to understand peak player performance and lifestyle factors affecting performance and develops methods to extend the longevity of an athlete’s career.

Massimo Falcioni, Chief Competitiveness Officer at ADIO, said: “Abu Dhabi is steadily emerging as a regional sports and esports centre, and KALM is joining a solid lineup of global players who are setting up their operations in the emirate. Boasting a positive investment environment, enabling regulations and cutting-edge infrastructure and connectivity, Abu Dhabi continues to be a destination of choice for innovators. We are confident that KALM will drive further growth for a key sector in the emirate, through offering unique and innovative services.

Dr Melita Moore, Managing Partner at KALM, said: “At KALM, our mission is to put the player at the centre. Esports athletes compete at the highest level and their physical, mental and overall wellbeing deserves the same level of care as traditional athletes. We chose Abu Dhabi as the location for our headquarters because of the incredible support and opportunities offered by this vibrant city. Access Abu Dhabi played a pivotal role in bringing us to the region initially. Abu Dhabi’s strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and unwavering commitment to innovation in the gaming industry made it the ideal choice for KALM to thrive.”

KALM has established an athlete-centric development model through education, brand-building and commercialisation focused on protecting, managing and leveraging athlete brands. Through its global headquarters, the company will engage with government, the private sector, federations, teams and key stakeholders to create, drive and deliver its athlete health and wellbeing strategy.

Dr Melita Moore, renowned in sports medicine, brings her global leadership from serving as team physician for NBA and WNBA, to a leading role at the Global Esports Federation as a Vice President. Dr Khizer Khaderi is a visionary in neuro-ophthalmic surgery and technology, contributes expertise in AI, VR and AR. Ali Al Ramahi, a leading sports scientist and performance coach, specialises in developing wellness programmes for esports athletes, while Luke Fedlam, a distinguished sports attorney, shapes the regulatory landscape of sports and esports and provides athlete development and education.

KALM’s initiative will elevate the Middle East’s presence in the global sports and esports arena, providing a platform for young aspirants to achieve international acclaim. The timing of the launch aligns with the region’s growing interest in digital sports and entertainment, marking a significant stride in the development of a robust esports ecosystem.

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eSports

Esports Champions Heroic Partner with Thunderpick as Official Sponsor!

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Heroic, the esports organization for the future, is thrilled to announce a landmark partnership with Thunderpick, the leading online crypto betting platform. This multi-year agreement positions Thunderpick as the Exclusive Global Betting Sponsor for Heroic’s CS2, Dota 2, and Sim Racing teams, and highlights the shared ambition of both organizations to revolutionize fan engagement in esports.

The partnership follows the recent announcement of Thunderpick World Championship 2024, the brand’s namesake $1 Million prize pool tournament where Heroic is set to compete. Thunderpick will also support Heroic in the CS2 PGL Major this month, and the DOTA2 ESL One Birmingham in April, where they have already secured their qualification.

“Partnering with Heroic, a team known for its leadership and success across various esports titles, is a significant milestone for Thunderpick,” said Kelly Sanders, Head of Strategy at Thunderpick. “We’re looking forward to supporting Heroic’s journey, cheering them on at Thunderpick World Championship 2024, and making awesome innovations in the esports space together.”

The collaboration between Heroic and Thunderpick is more than a sponsorship; it’s a fusion of passion, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of enhancing the esports landscape. Fans of Heroic can anticipate engaging activities, exclusive content, cool merch, and unique opportunities to connect with their favorite team like never before.

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