Event Engine's Hayden Shields and Daniel Chlebowczyk presented 'Going Native How to Engage with Esports' at the Mumbrella Sport and Entertainment Summit

1. GAMING AND ESPORTS
SPECIALISTS
Embracing Digital:
How to Engage with
Esports

2. GAMING AND ESPORTS EMBEDDED IN OUR DIGITAL
CULTURE
⚙ Global esports viewership: 30 million in 2022
⚙ Compared to last year, Australians play video games
44% more since COVID
⚙ 92% of households have a gaming device
⚙ 17 Million aussies play games.
⚙ 11M Aussies have watched esports
⚙ 1.8 Million Australians are esports fanatics
⚙ 66% of esports fans are 16-35 years old
9/1
0
Australian esports
fans block ads,
private browse or
delete cookies
90
%
Can name at least
one non gaming
related sponsor in
esports
70
%
spend more time
engaging with
esports than
traditional sports
61
%
of esports fans do
not watch TV on a
weekly basis
Sources: PwC, Neilson, Newzoo, Yougov, IGEA and Bond University “Connected By Games” DA22 Report)

3. CouchWarriors
League
Previously known as Australian
Cyber League, (ACL), local team
took on the ESL license and
became part of global
infrastructure. Hosts of several
leagues and events including IEM
Sydney and Melbourne Esports
Open (12,000 attendees)
ESL Australia
Premier league of Aus fighting
game scene featuring Street
Fighter, Tekken Smash serving
avg 97,000 monthly viewers.
Major event BAM is part of
global world tour circuit with over
1,000 unique competitors & 7
million minutes watched live.
League of Legends
Circuit Oceania
Lets Play Live
(CyberGamer)
For over a decade, Cybergamer
was the #1 spot for online
competition for PC gamers, with
ranked ladder events across
several titles. NZ based LPL
purchased the tech and
community database of 350,000
players in 2019
LCO is the reformation of the
official Riot Games series for its
League of Legends title. Picking
up from the publisher managed
series, the circuit retains its
qualifying pathways to LOL mid
season and world finals,
watched by over 4 million
ESPORTS IN AUSTRALIA
● ESPORTS ORGANISERS
● TOURNAMENT CIRCUITS
● DEVELOPER INITIATIVES
Esports is the professional level of gaming. Top level players compete to win national or international glory in front of deeply passionate fans
Non exhaustive organiser list - below, events and leagues who have risen up from gaming communities and developed from a grassroots base
● ACTIVE TEAMS
● PLAYERS
● AUDIENCE
Rainbow 6
Oceanic Nationals
Publisher Ubisoft’s owned
league for their popular team
tactical shooter. R6 esports is
known for its excellent support
structure for teams. In
Australia the league streams
to approx 50,000 unique
viewers each broadcast day.
● LOCAL EVENTS
● ONLINE GAMING
● SOCIAL GROUPS
GAMING COMMUNITY ESPORTS STRUCTURE VIBRANT ECOSYSTEM

4. tbc
SO HOW TO GET ON BOARD AND DRIVE
SUCCESS?

6. 1: Experimental marketing
Dabbling and Toe dipping
● Danger of superficial effect, “slap a label” on it
● For your strategy to work, plan for longer term.
● Benefit Cosmetics is at the start of their gaming
journey, building a gaming twitch channel and
supporting a team of streamers globally.
MARKETING APPROACH - GO BEYOND EXPERIMENTAL
2: Engaged marketing
Meaningful activity with brand alignment
● Support and uplift existing leagues
● Establish credibility as an esports brand
● Circles Life has partnered with ESL across
several Australian verticals for the year,
providing heavy spread of integrated activity
3: Owned or Embedded Branding
Works if you build bottom up, not top down
● Doesn’t have to mean your brand IS the esport, but
you can become synonymous.
● Red Bull globally succeeds because it established
step 2. Supported leagues and players, like Capcom
Pro Tour and Best Seats in the House to
BattleGrounds.
● Intel so synonymous with IEM its become subliminal

7. Celebrated by many esports fans and observers as
supporting esports well and taking the space seriously.
● Uplifts and showcases moments from existing esports -
in this case DOTA2. “The International” at $40m is the
richest prize pool in esports
● Focuses on the excitement of the fan experience
● Not overdone with brand messaging
● Messaging that is there is authentic and supportive
● “Grow up” tag takes a gaming stereotype head on
without cringe factor
● At live events MB Have used pro players and
cosplayers to promote their vehicles, among other
activations to ensure there is a throughline with real
presence.
MERCEDES BENZ HITS THE RIGHT
NOTES

8. ● Go beyond finding a “gamer”. We’re all gamers. Look
at those engaged in gaming communities, organising.
● Partner with a community and it's organisers (who
know the workers), and build a brand VS introduce a
brand and hope to generate community afterward
● Sniff test - has this league / creator been around and
built its own audience?
● Does it match community credential? Plus is there a
team you can work with? Or can you work with a team
who will connect the dots?
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

9. Q&A / CHAT

10. UPCOMING EVENT