Game On: What Marketers Should Know About eSports

As they petition to become an official part of the Olympics eSports are throwing their own party in Rio this summer And no one should be surprisedamp160 This week Mindshare North America released its own research on the growing world of eSports digging deeper into this growing audience and exploring the opportunities for brandsAs Joshua Spiegelman Managing Director of Mindshare Spotlight our dedicated sports and entertainment partnerships unit put it eSports has quotan audience of incredibly engaged fans many of which for Millennials and Gen Z in particular can be challenging to reach through traditional media channels In addition given eSports is still in its infancy relative to more established quotstick and ballquotamp160sports there39s a lower cost of entry to engage in meaningful partnerships collaborate with talent to create contextually relevant campaignsamp160and dominate share of voicequotYour Typical eSports FansThere39s a tremendous opportunity for brands to reach Millennial audiences through this medium When we surveyed eSports fans ages 18 and up we found that 65 of fans are Millennials between the ages of 1834 And it39s not all men either amp160Thirtyeight percentamp160of eSports fans are women And while there39s a misperception that the eSports community is limited to college kids in their early 2039s that39s simply not true We found a large portion of fans in their late 2039s and 3039s 60 of fans are between the ages of 2539This presents an opportunity for marketers to reach working professionals with significant buying power Fortythree percent of eSports enthusiasts have an annual household income of 75000 per year or higher amp160and nearly one third 31 have an HHI2 of 90000 or higher Additionally 58 of fans that are ages 25 or older live with kids in their households amp160indicating that an increasing number of parents are getting into the gameEngaged Like You Wouldn39t BelieveIf there39s one word to describe an eSports fan it39s quotpassionatequot Nearly half of eSports enthusiasts surveyed 49 said that they spend most of their free time around eSports In addition 60 of eSports fans are willing to travel to see their favorite games tournamentsamp160and playersWhat makes fans so deeply engaged For one it39s a deeply social experience 67 of eSports fans say that they39ve made new friends or acquaintances through the games There39s also an expressed desire for enthusiasts to increase their own skills amp16071 of eSports fans say that quotwatching professionals play makes me a better playerquot In fact 64 only watch videos of games that they personally playThis element of fandom is apparent in how eSports fans view the players and teams Fiftythree percent of eSports fans say that eSports athletes are on the same level as other professional athletes According to 61 of fans betterknown eSports players such as Fatal1ty MarineKingamp160or Ellohime are perceived as quotmoderatequot or quotmajorquot celebrities wielding influence that percentage jumps to 70 for those with an HHI of 50000 or more amp160The level of influence that celebrity eSports players have on their fans is certainly a game changer for marketersamp160and could mean big wins for brands in the futureLearn more about the research including recommendations for brands on MindshareInTheLoopcomThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Game On: What Marketers Should Know About eSports

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Game On: What Marketers Should Know About eSports

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