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vinnx24-blog · 6 years

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eSports .. Next Big Thing In Marketing?

eSports. If you’re a marketer, this is one of those words that’s started to buzz around that you’re sure you’re going to be sick of soon.

Except that eSports isn’t a new technology or a new fad. It’s a full blown shift in entertainment and culture that is capturing a huge and growing amount of young people’s time and attention.

First, some fast facts.

eSports is competitive video game playing broadcast to a live audience. While live events and tournaments have long been a part of video game culture, broadband livestreaming has radically widened the audience.

The size of the audience is staggering:

Twitch.tv, the leading eSports streaming site, accounts for more peak internet traffic than anyone except Google, Netflix, and Apple.

Users of the site watch an average of 421.6 minutes per month, about 44% more than those who watch YouTube.

Championships for the most popular titles like League Of Legends command larger audiences than most sports championships (the Super Bowl being the one exception)

So, why is it so popular?

There are a number of reasons eSports is reaching it’s mainstream inflection point. To some extent, it’s been years in the making. Part of it is that the sophistication of the games from both a technology and gameplay standpoint has grown significantly. Part of it is that the PC made games accessible without buying a dedicated console, and the introduction of the internet made it easy to play games with remote friends, meaning gaming didn’t have to be such a solitary experience.

But for marketers, the most important and differentiated aspect of it might be something else: eSports, and livestreaming in general, are co-creation experiences.

If you fire up the Twitch.tv and pop into a stream of someone playing one of dozens of popular titles, you’ll see a few things.

First, you’ll see a screenshare from the broadcaster focused on the game itself. Second, you’ll (in most cases) see a video of the broadcaster themselves, showing you their reactions as they go throughout the game.

Third, and most important, you’ll see a livechat window where people are asking questions, making suggestions, and discussing the gameplay. This is where the real action is. For a Twitch user, chat represents 1) a way to interact with fellow fans; 2) a way to learn -- most popular streamers get popular because they take the time to explain their decisions to the chat; and 3) a way to actual influence the decisions the streamer makes.

It’s hard to overstate how differentiating that ability to influence decisions from other forms of entertainment. If social allowed entertainment to move from passive to active consumption (because at least you got to talk about it), livestreaming allows entertainment to move out of “consumption” all together into co-creation.

What brands are involved?

In the video above, Brenner described the way brands are interacting with eSports as effectively a bunch of kids waiting around a pool dipping their toes in, wondering who is going to be the first to cannonball in and get everyone wet. Still, there are some early movers:

Coca-Cola: Coke has been a major sponsor of League Of Legends for the past several years, and has organically built their reputation in eSports. @CokeeSports is the brand’s second biggest Twitter account (after @cocacola) and they recently launched eSports Weekly in collaboration with IGN.

Taco Bell: Taco Bell is continuing its tradition of providing free food to creators with the Indie Game Garage. The contest gives indie game developers $500 of free Taco Bell as well as 6 months of discussions and mentorships with other game publishers, leading streamers and other members of the gaming community.

Intel INTC +2.41%: Intel sponsors the Extreme Masters, a tournament series that has been running since 2006 featuring game titles like Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and Starcraft. More than 100,000 people came to their latest large event in Katowice, Poland.

Red Bull : Unsurprisingly, Red Bull has extended its approach to marketing-through-extreme-culture-sponsorship to eSports, creating an entire digital hub for content around the industry and sponsoring teams and events.

ESPN : In a major move, earlier this year ESPN launched a new section on its website exclusively dedicated to eSports. This shows that the broadcaster is taking it seriously enough to not want to be flanked by a new publication who simply got there first.

As the industry evolves, there are a variety of ways for fans to get involved, ranging from sponsoring specific teams (as Nissan has done) to hosting events, sponsoring coverage, and more.

Startups to watch

The eSports space is quickly evolving from a startup perspective as well. Brands interested will often be able to work with these properties to tap into eSports audiences.

Twitch: Although it may be massive, Twitch is still growing, and expanding the boundaries of what is considered eSports.

Reddit: Marketers should be looking at Reddit, the 9th most trafficked site on the internet, not as a single platform akin to another advertising channel, but a collective of communities self-organized around passion points. In the case of eSports, that means hundreds of thousands of people spending hours every day discussing their favorite titles.

Kamcord: What Twitch did for desktop streaming, Kamcord is trying to bring to mobile gaming. With millions of users spending more than 20 minutes per day watching, they seem to be on to something.

Waypoint Media: eSports broadcasters are a new category of influencers that offer brands a different way to get to their fans. Waypoint is a marketplace connecting brands to a network of influencers reaching more than 20 million viewers each month.

The short of eSports is that it’s big...and it’s only getting bigger. This is one of those rare moments for marketers where they can see the future and actually have a chance to be a part of shaping it rather than racing to catch up.

#esports marketing brand twitch game

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vinnx24-blog · 6 years

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Marketing in Esports

The explosive growth has started catching the eye of big-spending marketers including Arby's, Audi, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Gillette and Bud Light. They are among the brands putting money into esports in hopes of reaching the sport's demographic sweet spot: males between the ages of 21 to 35 who are increasingly hard to reach via traditional advertising. For marketers able to navigate the nascent esports landscape, which one analyst group compared to the Wild West, the paybacks can be huge because gamers have shown loyalty to brands that do it right.

"If you are a CMO and you are not in esports in 2017, you are going to risk getting fired," said Tobias Sherman, global head of esports at talent agency powerhouse WME-IMG. The agency runs an esports league in partnership with Turner Broadcasting called ELeague that launched in 2016 and includes games shown on TV on TBS as well as online on popular esports site Twitch, which recently drew more than 1 million viewers for a single event.

The global esports economy—which includes media rights, advertising, sponsorships, merchandising and ticket sales—will grow by 41% in 2017 to $696 million and reach $1.49 billion by 2020, according to Newzoo, which provides market intelligence for esports and global gaming. Newzoo estimates the global esports audience at 385 million people, including 191 million enthusiasts and 194 million occasional viewers.

Sponsorship revenue is expected to reach $266 million in 2017, while ad spending on esports will hit $155 million, according to Newzoo. That still pales in comparison to traditional sports behemoths like the NFL, which hauled in $1.25 billion in sponsorship revenue last season, according to sponsorship consultancy IEG. But esports, while still a niche, is gaining ground and is poised to enter the mainstream. Newzoo forecasts that sponsorship spending will reach $655 million by 2020, while ad spending in the esports industry will climb to $224 million.

Even Will Ferrell is getting involved. According to media reports, the actor, who has already starred in films revolving around competitive basketball, ice skating and car racing, has signed on to star in a movie about esports, which will further cement its place in popular culture. Some universities have even begun offering esports scholarships. That includes University of California, Irvine, which last year opened a 3,500-square-foot "esports arena" that includes 80 custom gaming PCs and a webcasting studio capable of broadcasting matches to millions of viewers.

#esports marketing game digitalmarketing

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vinnx24-blog · 6 years

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DIGITAL MARKETING VERSUS TRADITIONAL MARKETING

The debate continues as to whether digital marketing is overpowering and surpassing traditional marketing or not. Many think that for the most part, digital marketing has taken over and traditional marking barely exists, if at all. Recent occurrences such as the magazine giant, Newsweek switching to totally digital publications cause ripples throughout the marketing arena. Over the last year or so traditional marketing had fallen nearly 160% while in the same time frame expenses for digital marketing increased over 14%. Are there any real advantages to using digital marketing over traditional means? And what is the big difference between these two anyway? Defining Traditional Marketing There are many facets of traditional marketing and examples might include tangible items such as business cards, print ads in newspapers or magazines. It can also include posters, commercials on TV and radio, billboards and brochures. Traditional marketing is anything except digital means to brand your product or logo. Another overlooked means of traditional marketing is when people find a particular business through a referral or a network and eventually you build a rapport with them. Defining Digital Marketing The world of digital marketing continues to evolve and as long as technology continues to advance, digital marketing will as well. Examples of digital marketing include things like websites, social media mentions, YouTube videos, and banner ads. Specifically, digital marketing is similar to traditional advertising, but using digital devices. However, digital marketing is considered a form of inbound marketing and its goal is for people to find you. Businesses put content (or ads) out for individuals to find. People may conduct an organic online search, a paid search, find your business on a social network or by reading content that has been published online such as a blog or an article. The more they see you or your content, the more familiar they will become with your brand and they will eventually develop a trust and a rapport with you through this online presence. Traditional Marketing’s Advantages and Disadvantages Because of its longevity, people are accustomed to traditional marketing. Finding ads in magazines and newspapers, or reading billboards are still familiar activities and people still do them all the time. Most of the time, traditional marketing is reaching only a local audience even though it is not limited to one. One of the primary disadvantages of traditional marketing is that the results are not easily measured, and in many cases cannot be measured at all. In most cases, traditional marketing is also more costly than digital marketing. And perhaps the biggest disadvantage today is that traditional marketing is static which means there is no way to interact with the audience. It’s more like you are throwing information in front of people and hoping that they decide to take action. Digital Marketing’s Advantages and Disadvantages One benefit to using digital marketing is that the results are much easier to measure; and another is that a digital campaign can reach an infinite audience. It is also possible to tailor a digital campaign to reach a local audience but it can also be used on the web and reach the entire globe when appropriate. Digital marketing is also a very interactive means of reaching an audience since it makes use of social outlets. There can be plenty of direct contact between the audience and the business which means that the business can get some very valuable consumer feedback. One of the disadvantages to using digital media marketing strategies is that it can take some time to realize measurable success. Is there a realistic balance between the two? The world has transitioned into a very digital environment. Not only are magazines going digital, we perform many of our daily tasks such as banking online and much of our reading is done on e-readers. Because of the rise of the digital age, it just seems like common sense to invest in a digital campaign. Even though traditional marketing still has a place, it is diminishing in our digitally based world. For today’s businesses, it is imperative to have a website and use the web as a means to interact with their consumer base. There are some successful traditional marketing strategies, particularly if you are reaching a largely local audience, but it is important to take advantage of digital marketing so as to keep up in today’s world.

#digital marketing #traditional marketing

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vinnx24-blog · 6 years

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I am a Marketing Student

As a business management major in marketing student like me, I'm sure you are used to all the questions by now: "What do you want to do after you graduate?" "What can you do with that degree?" "What kind of business are you going to manage?"

I essentially chose my major by eliminating things I hated or wasn't good at. Science, math and history – those programs were all crossed off the list instantly. I also wanted something practical, and something I could actually make a career out of relatively easily. I eventually concluded that every business needs managers, and that I could decide later which department or industry I preferred.

I would consider business management an open-ended major, in that it really does give a great foundation to a limitless list of careers, from working as a clerk, to a high-rise company manager. Let's be clear: in most cases students are not going to be senior-level managers the day they graduate. But that degree in business management is a great start if you eventually hope manage the company of your dreams. Do you have to know precisely which one and have all the answers as soon as you graduate? Definitely not! It's just a foundation, like that of a building. You decide on the general plan early on, but many small details and changes happen throughout the entire process. The key to moving forward in business is patience. Take great opportunities and add them to your foundation as you go, even if you aren't exactly sure of where they fit into the whole. If you keep building in the right direction you will get there. Maybe not as fast as some of your peers, and your plan might change a few times, but you'll get there.

#marketing insight student awordofadvice

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vinnx24-blog · 6 years

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To all you current and future marketing students, here's a list of 20 things, under the umbrella of five key categories, of what you actually need to know before entering the professional marketing world. The list is a collection of advice from current members of the HubSpot marketing team -- including full-time marketing professionals who have graduated in years past as well as marketing interns who are graduating this year or in the future.

Academics

1) Don't be afraid of numbers.

I can't tell you how many students I've come across who tell me they avoid taking any classes that involve quantitative analysis or statistics. News flash: marketers need statistics.

You need to be prepared to analyze everything you do. Don't use the excuse that you plan on being a "social media marketer." When I was on the social media team at HubSpot, and I spent every single day looking at and interpreting charts and graphs. You need to be able to look at a spreadsheet of numbers, make the proper calculations, and analyze what they mean.

Otherwise, you're wasting a whole lot of time making decisions without proof that they work and/or benefit your business in some way. So pay attention in your stats class.

2) Don't obsess over the 4 P's or C's of marketing.

Whether your marketing courses preach the P's or C's of Marketing, it doesn't matter. While they can help introduce you to the core concepts of marketing, the chances of you brainstorming how you meet price, product, place, and promotion in the a real-life marketing situation is unrealistic. You need to be thinking about much more, which will come in later parts of this list.

3) Don't think your classroom experience mimics an actual job.

Simulate "real-life" scenarios as much as you want, but you won't actually learn to make important decisions in tight time frames until you're managing real dollars, working to uphold a real company's reputation, and investing your energy in real projects.

You can't practice it either. You have to be there and do it a few times, and then you'll learn. Use internships as an opportunity to do this, which takes us to our next section.

Experience

4) Having an internship on your resume isn't "impressive."

You had a summer internship at a marketing agency last summer? Great! So did everybody else. The fact that you had an internship isn't impressive, it's what you did while you were there that is (or isn't).

Students have accepted this false notion that even if you're just answering phones, the fact that you had some big company's name on your resume will get you a job. It might get you in the door for an interview, but if you can't share the benefit you provided to the company, you won't be seen as a valuable resource.

5) Having the multiple marketing internships isn't "impressive."

Okay, so we've already established that it's not just about having an internship; it's what you do there. A subcomponent of having great internship experiences is gaining diverse experiences and perspectives.

If you're interested in marketing, don't just apply to internships at marketing agencies every summer. Switch it up and test your skills in different marketing environments, such as at a company that executes its marketing in-house.

That way, you're staying true to your ultimate goal while also using your talents in different types of environments. Another great thing about this is you'll learn which type of marketing job you're best suited for.

6) Having endless extracurricular activities doesn't make you an "expert."

I get it -- you love being involved in every organization you can possibly be a part of. You think putting it all on your resume will show your great versatility and extensive experience.

But all it really does is confuse recruiters.

I've heard employers say they get turned off by students who seem too involved because they don't show any one true strength they can bring to the table. Instead of being an expert in one area, they just have their toes dipped in a bunch.

Employers are looking for something unique that you can do, not that you have tried everything -- that's what marketing teams are for. If you've participated in a lot of different activities in college, narrow down the few that you can actually say you've learned from, excelled at, and helped you grow.

7) Having a standard resume doesn't exemplify modern marketing.

Is your career advisor handing you a template for your resume to adhere to? Ignore it.

Marketing is changing. Buyer behavior is changing. That means your entrance into this evolving industry should be changing, too. Create your own resume template. One that highlights your uniqueness and is set up to show, not tell, what your value is.

While paper resumes will always hold their own value, you also need to be present where marketing employers are looking. In fact, 89% of all recruiters report having hired someone through LinkedIn, according to Herd Wisdom.

Beyond LinkedIn, think about other unique ways to present your experience: infographics, tweets, slideshares, or even ebooks (which is what I did).

Marketing

8) Marketing moves fast.

Chances are, whatever your professor taught you your freshman year of college no longer applies. Need an answer to a pressing marketing problem? You won't find it in that years-old textbook.

Effective marketing isn't about looking up the answer, it's about creating the answer. For example, social media wasn't taught in a classroom until recently, yet it's been around for years. Nobody taught professional marketers already in the business how to "do social media"; they had to figure it out on their own.

That's your future: figuring out marketing. Forever.

9) Marketing isn't about pretty pictures and viral videos.

Effective marketing campaigns focus on creating content that benefits your audience. You can't spend your marketing career creating humorous videos for the sake of bringing attention to your brand. You need to be prepared to think critically and analyze the needs of your target audience. What do they want? What are they confused about? How can you best serve them while serving your business? Answer one of these questions correctly, and your content will naturally become viral.

10) Marketing is not just about branding or awareness -- it's about making money.

Gone are the days of going to the marketing department for happy messages and to Sales for revenue -- today, the two must work together.

We keep talking about how everything you do should benefit your company, but haven't said what that benefit is. The benefit is simple: revenue. What is the return on investment of that email send? That tweet? That press release? Each of these efforts should be positioned to represent your company culture, but they need to fit into the sales cycle. They need to have a monetary value.

11) Marketing doesn't have to be evil.

The negative connotation surrounding "marketer," "public relations professional," etc. is pretty pervasive. But that doesn't mean it's okay to act out these stereotypes. Don't lose your morals and ethics when you graduate -- they need to be omnipresent in your marketing career. And yes, it is possible to create marketing that people actually like.

12) Marketing is more than big brands and agencies.

Yes, you can work at a marketing agency. And yes, you could work for a big brand like Nissan or Pepsi. But there are SO many more options. What about working in-house at technology company? A small business? A hospital? Just because your professors only talk about the campaigns big brands have executed, doesn't mean those are the only marketing jobs out there.

13) Marketing is a balance of art, science, and tech.

Many marketing curriculums focus on the art. You craft advertising campaigns, brainstorm billboards, and storyboard commercials. In modern marketing, this art is critical in visualizing calls-to-actions, writing landing page copy, and launching products.

But marketing is more than that. On the science front, we already discussed the importance of a data-driven mentality in point one. Beyond that, you need to embrace the infusion of technology in marketing.

In an article by Marketing Magazine, Jamie Kenny writes, "On the one hand, new technology offers marketing fresh and more efficient routes to market, along with exciting prospects such as the capability for personalised, one-to-one marketing at scale. On the other hand, the marketing department is having to learn new skills, take on responsibilities and build other relationships within the organisation."

As an emerging marketer, being tech savvy can help differentiate you from the crowd.

Personal

14) Don't be afraid to be wrong.

How many times have you said, "I thought the same exact thing ... but didn't say anything." '

Well, if you ever get to that point, it's too late. If you have an idea or opinion on something being discussed at an internship or on at your first job, speak up! Experience helps create proper judgment, not ideas. Anyone is capable of thinking of the next big thing; it's just a matter of not being afraid to share it.

15) Grow thick skin.

As a marketer, you'll have to deal with complaining customers, social media bashers, unresponsive sales reps, frustrating clients, the list goes on and on ... and through it all, you have to bite your tongue and let them feel like they are always right.

If you get too emotional over how people treat you, you won't last in the business. Take all negative feedback as constructive criticism, and spin it into something positive. I failed at this big time when I was interning at HubSpot -- but I learned from my mistakes.

16) Be your own best case study.

Prove your skills by marketing yourself. Don't wait for someone else to give you the opportunity. There's a number of ways to accomplish this:

Write content -- on your own blog or for an existing blog -- demonstrating your knowledge and writing ability.

Build your social media reach. Start conversations on Twitter or leverage LinkedIn to connect with other professionals.

Demonstrate your passion for marketing by properly marketing yourself. If you can't market yourself, how will you market for others?17) Never burn bridges.

You know that annoying teacher's pet who never stops talking in class next to you? She may end up being your manager one day. Or your co-worker. Or the woman who gets to decide if a company hires you.

You never know where people may end up. In fact, last year I received a LinkedIn message from a young man who wasn't the nicest to me in high school. All of a sudden he was a total sweetheart and asking for a job referral -- you can imagine my response was, well, nonexistent.

18) Network with everyone.

Yes, you've heard this before. But the important part of networking is doing it with everyone. If you decide you want to work at XX company, don't only find ways to talk to people from XX company. Maybe that random stranger in the corner from Y company will one day be an employee at XX company, and then you'll be bummed you missed the opportunity to tell that person why you rock.

Point is, you never know who could end up helping you out the future. Get to know as many people as you can.

Miscellaneous

19) Get familiar with HTML/CSS.

You don't need to be a full-on engineer, but you do need to understand the basics. What happens when your web designer goes on vacation? What happens when you need to make a quick fix on your website? Or even just need to talk to your web designer?

You don't want to sound like a complete doh-doh head. Understand how coding works and be prepared to make little tweaks. If you end up in a product marketing role, this will be even more critical.

20) Understand the difference between B2B and B2C.

I'm surprised I was never exposed to such basic acronyms at school, but most businesses are classified this way. B2B = business-to-business. B2C = business-to-consumer. Look up the difference; it'll teach you a lot about different forms of marketing, and possibly where you want to work one day.

#future marketing

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