Team Liquid co-CEO Steve Arhancet said his organization’s new fan-engagement platform, Liquid+, arose out of the need to create a deeper relationship with fans beyond a "like" or "follow” on social media. Speaking during the Esports Rising virtual event, Arhancet noted gamers “leave a social footprint in almost all of the fandom-ship that they exhibit,” but before Liquid+, where users register and earn loyalty points for interacting with Team Liquid content, it was hard to translate that engagement into something tangible. Arhancet: “We didn't really own the fan data. It was just a 'like' on Twitter, or 'like' on Facebook. ... But once you have a platform where you know your fans and you also have the behavioral data about how they interact with your platforms, that provides not only us the ability to customize experiences, but that's a value add to all of our partners.” He said having that quantifiable data on user behavior “increases the overall spend from partners and sponsors” in the esports space. Meanwhile, since esports is unbeholden to physical space, Arhancet believes the Liquid+ platform is “like our stadium.” He said, “We have no geography. So you have this ability to use attitudes, values, beliefs, as a thread to create fandom-ship around the world. And instead of limiting to a 10,000-person stadium, you can have a million people, millions of people, joined for a digital experience and be part of the brand connection with Team Liquid.” Arhancet also called building that brand connection with gamers through Liquid+ the "cornerstone of how we expand our business globally."
Quick Hits:
- On data privacy concerns being especially prevalent in the gaming community: “We went with a philosophy that we will never, ever sell someone's personal data.”
- On plans for a Team Liquid app: “We are in the final stages of our mobile development. … You just have to have a mobile app.”
- On providing local-language content: “We are going to be rolling out in Portuguese, and that will be our first foray (into) non-English.”
