Questions surround esports sponsorship activation as its popularity surges, and partners are quick to point out that there is still much to learn in the space before there can be a true blueprint of success. Panelists wrapped up the '18 Intersport Brand Engagement and Content Summit yesterday with lessons learned from the first half of the year and shared their outlook on what activation around esports will look like going forward. SBJ’s Ben Fischer opened the panel by asking if esports could still be considered on schedule when its comes to convincing both endemic and non-endemic sponsors that the space is still a hot market. Red Bull North America Senior Dir of Esports Travis Wannlund: “I look at it as more of gaming and esports isn’t going mainstream, but mainstream is going to gaming and esports. The industry is still trying to figure things out. Already you have a bunch of non-endemics come into a space that is incredibly fast moving but also very complicated. But the energy is there.” Warriors Head of Esports Hunter Leigh countered that the question is twofold, as the typical esports audience is at first “deeply suspicious of outsiders,” but at the same time “desperate for validation.” Nielsen Esports Managing Dir Nicole Pike said her company already views esports as an entity with an established audience, which in itself “makes it great for brands.” But she cautioned that from a broadcast standpoint, Nielsen still views esports as “extremely confusing.” Pike cited the many broadcast platforms and how a large portion of esports content “lives on for days and days.” Pike: “We have to think about those things to make sure we’re not selling esports short.”
ALL ABOUT THE FANS: Intersport Exec Dir of Esports Kurt Melcher said sponsors are cognizant of how much ownership esports fans feel over the product and the marketing that comes with it, a thought seconded by the panel. Asked what could be the downside to an unsuccessful activation with fans, Wannlund said, “You’re on their turf. When you screw up by every metric, it’s wildfire. (Esports is) a thing that grew up in the dark. A lot of traditional marketing tools don’t apply to this space. But you have to boil it down to a hyperconnected group that is passionate about their sport.” As for two brands doing it right so far? Twitch VP/Commercial Dir of Esports, Events & Content Sponsorships Kristen Salvatore highlighted Comcast’s Xfinity brand and Evil Geniuses. Salvatore: “A couple years ago they created a deep relationship where Xfinity equipped their training facilities with fiber that wasn’t even available at the time. It made it very easy to show how the Xfintiy products were actually enhancing (Evil Geniuses’) training."
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