Event Recap: Digital Gaming Advertising Forum, marketers enter the metaverse

By jim cooper

Esports and gaming more broadly influence our culture and entertainment in a profound way today. The interplay between the worlds of gaming and TV, movies, sports, business, art, food and fashion is very real, and growing.

Gaming platforms like Twitch are now all-encompassing cultural hubs, livestreaming is thriving, and star gamers are icons and role models for millions of followers. As VR, AR and the metaverse dissolve the boundaries between the digital and physical realms, the future of gaming will be an invitation to worlds of limitless possibility and unprecedented realism.

Brands are waking up to the opportunities gaming and esports offer, but entering the space is a daunting proposition for many marketers. To bring you up to speed on the latest developments in gaming, the Digiday Gaming Advertising Forum on September 15-16 assembled a series of gaming insiders and marketing experts to discuss best practices and strategies for successful engagement with today’s gaming consumers.

Brands and esports

More brands than ever are getting serious about esports, and that means equipping themselves operationally for the challenge. “We’re seeing a lot of triple-A brands start to build up internal gaming teams,” said Eugene Wu, executive of esports & gaming at United Talent Agency (UTA). “You’re seeing Heads of Esports and Gaming positions regularly now at large CPG brands, apparel brands, technology brands.”

Gavin Johnson, media director at City Football Group, said his organization’s success in esports is built on investing in the necessary infrastructure to support gamers like Shellzz and Ryan Pessoa. Johnson said those investments are comparable to the investments that CFG makes in equipping its IRL soccer clubs for on-field success.

“We put a structure in place, which allows Shellzz and Ryan the best possible chance of success,” Johnson said. That team includes an esports manager who oversees operations, a player coordinator who “organizes their life, if you like” and more recently, a dedicated tactics coach. “I think audiences and fans gravitate to that because they know we’re invested into it,” Johnson added.

Esports presents a huge opportunity for sports franchises to reach new fans, especially in overseas markets. In England, for example, a child’s choice of EPL soccer club is likely to be “inherited” from a parent or other relative. Johnson said that dynamic is less of a limiting factor for EPL clubs trying to grow a fanbase overseas.

Teams can leverage that space and use esports to attract new fans. “About 7 percent of kids in the UK who play FIFA are influenced by what team they play on FIFA,” Johnson said. “It’s quite a low number. But you go to India and 30 percent of people choose their team on the back of what team they’re playing on FIFA.”

That’s a data point that should inspire brands to consider how they can get involved in the esports space, even beyond the specific niche of sports teams.

Engaging authentically

Wu said the challenge for brands entering the gaming world for the first time is …read more

Source:: Digiday