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ESPORTS
DISCOVER + DESIGN
1 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business
Market Gravity is Deloitte’s global proposition design consultancy.
We work with companies around the world to design and launch new products and
services, and build their innovation capabilities.
DISCOVER DESIGN DEPLOY
The ‘Vision’: an identification of the The ‘Proposition’ including features, The ‘Beta Build’: a minimally viable,
customer and market needs, resulting experience, and commercial impact. lovable and profitable product,
in a portfolio of creative and Brought to life and validated through service or new venture that impacts
commercial concepts validated by multiple rapid prototyping loops. the lives of your customers.
customers.
LONDON EDINBURGH NEWYORK TORONTO VANCOUVER SYDNEY AMSTERDAM LEEDS SANTIAGO OSLO
2 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business
The D5 Methodology The future. Designed and built by Market Gravity and
Deloitte.
D5 is Market Gravity’s open innovation effort. Together with our partners at
Deloitte, we explore interesting questions, emerging industries, or new markets
and uncover key insights that allow us to design solutions that will help business
thrive in these contexts.
Check out our other work at: www.d5project.com.
3 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business
What is esports?
There exists many definitions of esports, but here is ours:
A form of competitive video games. Played in-venue at a professional level,
garnering a large and captive following. 1
2
• Multiplayer component
• Played competitively for prizes or money
• Large online or offline audience
• Active and involved community
• Infrastructure supporting tournaments
4
3
1 www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/the-explosive-growth-of-esports/
2 Newzoo, 2018 Global Esports Market Report
4 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business 3 www.cnn.com/2018/08/27/us/esports-what-is-video-game-professional-league-madden-trnd/index.html
4 www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/20733853/the-average-age-esports-versus-nfl-nba-mlb-nhl
Our D5 Mission Design 5 concepts that will capitalize on the most significant opportunities for sport organizations & their partners in esports.
Our Research
It’s easy to get lost in trying to understand an
industry from just the statistics. That is why
user-centered design is important - it allows
organizations to make sense of demographic
information and de-risk decisions by
understanding not only what works, but why it
works, and the projected impact it will have.
This process is useful for sport organizations
and non-endemics to better understand the
needs of the esport ecosystem.
Full persona descriptions at www.d5esports.com
6 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business
16 9
Professional Sport Esport
Organizations Organizations
Our Research
To achieve a holistic perspective on the
future of esports for sport organizations and 6 6
their partners, we travelled across Canada
Non-Endemic Provinces
to chat with a diverse set of stakeholders.
Brands
7 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business
Our Insights & Concepts
CONCEPT ANALYTICS - LEGEND
Sentiment Analytics
Measuring sentiment, live or retroactively, can help make informed
Metrics for Success
decisions on changes to content, venue, or engagement channels.
Through the monitoring and tracking of facial expression, either
individually or en masse, there is an ability to adjust on the fly to
change the environment, or presented targeted offerings, and
compare reactions.
As a unique platform that allows sport organizations and their partners to (e.g. Live in-stadium expression analysis, player expression analysis,
simultaneously build deeper fan relationships and become more insight- social media and stream chat sentiment analysis)
driven, esports is moving from neglected and ignored, to core.
Now, the conversation is shifting from “What?” to “How?”: Conversion and Engagement Analytics
Measuring conversion and click-through can help gauge the
How can I effectively monetize this? effectiveness of promotional offerings, influencers and streamers, as
well as the appeal of the event itself. Monitoring engagement
How do I identify relevant partners for the different engagement through social media and streaming channels will help inform those
channels and activities? which are most effective, and provide valuable insight into
consumer behaviour.
How do I bring all this together in generating germane customer
insights, intentional engagement strategies, and ultimately recurring (e.g. Quantifying shares, likes, and comments, click-through and
revenue? sales conversion percentages, promotion code attribution)
Therefore, for each of our five concepts we will provide a view on this
triangulation of fan – data – revenue. We believe this context is essential Viewership & Customer Analytics
for continued learning and experimentation, codifying best practices, By engaging with fans online, like through streaming sites,
and transposition across your sport and entertainment assets – to organizations can begin to understand their customers more
enhance the fan experience and execute against your core business deeply, both behaviorally and demographically. This can lead to an
understanding of average watch time, peak times of day, which type
objectives.
of customer is watching, when, and for how long.
(e.g. demographic and customer segmentation, concurrent
viewership measures, average viewing time)
9 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business
Concept Overview
Number one Number two Number three Number four Number five
Tournament-in-a-box Player Branding Player Development Matchmaking.gg Sponsorship
Outlining the elements of an esports Building player personalities through Building a competitive and sustainable A platform to facilitate collaboration in The next generation of sport requires the
tournament through the lens of the esports. funnel for esport players to become pro. hosting esport initiatives. next generation of sponsorship.
player’s journey.
Leveraging existing video gaming Establishing the infrastructure and Bringing together all the necessary Companies are presented with
behaviour amongst the players in your programming to mirror the familiar stakeholders to effectively organize and sponsorship opportunities in esports to
A tournament blueprint that allows any
sporting organization to create structure of traditional sports is necessary run a variety of esport events in a connect with a young, engaged, and
sport organization to run their own
marketable esports content, promote to build the future of esport athletes, collaborative, secure, and transparent tech savvy consumer, but they must
esports tournament. Designed to
their personalities, and support them while de-stigmatizing the industry manner. activate their sponsorship authentically
integrate seamlessly during game day,
in the development of their individual through educational and wellness to reach this audience. This requires a
the blueprint showcases:
brand. initiatives. This provides an asset different approach in connecting with
extension and further opportunities for the audience, by having a firm
• The player and fan experience
partnership. understanding of the need to be fulfilled
• Creative design and interactive
and integrating the activation
considerations
intelligently within the appropriate
• Tangible metrics to measure
context.
success
10 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessnumber one Tournament- in-a-box
THE INSIGHT THE OPPORTUNITY
How can we create a
The fan landscape is differentiated experience to
changing. better acquire and engage the
next generation of fans?
Sport organizations are facing an inflection point. Their
current customer continues to skew older and with the
changing “state of play” they can no longer rely on an Sport Avg. age in 2000 Avg. age in 2006 Avg. age in 2016
assembly line of youth sport participants to form the next PGA Tour N/A 59 64
generation of fans. Shifting demographics and emerging
LPGA N/A 59 63
modes of consumption have given rise to an increasingly
Horse Racing 51 56 63
diverse market with new customer preferences.
ATP tennis 51 56 61
These preferences are increasingly shifting to digital and NASCAR N/A 49 58
experiential. Therefore, sport organizations need to create MLB 52 52 57
a communal and interactive in-venue experience that will WNBA 42 49 55
reposition the venue and live-game experience as a WTA Tennis 58 63 55
desirable destination. Olympics 45 50 53
College football 47 48 52
College basketball 44 48 52
NFL 44 46 50
Boxing 45 47 49
NHL 33 42 49
NBA 40 40 42
MLS N/A 39 40
Source: Sports Business Journal
12 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
Outlining the elements of an esports
tournament through the lens of the player’s journey.
A tournament blueprint that allows any sport organization to
run their own esports tournament. Designed to integrate
seamlessly during game day, the blueprint showcases:
• The player and fan experience
• Creative design and interactive considerations
• Tangible metrics to measure success
TARGET AUDIENCE:
SAM ALLEN ERIN NANCY
THE SPORTS THE ALL-SPORTS THE ESPORTS THE NON-FAN
JUNKIE ALL-STAR ENTHUSIAST
13 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business Im age credit:
https://www.foxsportsasia.com /esports/1008921/the-top-10-highest-earning-esports-athletes-of-2018/TOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX OVERVIEW
AWARENESS SIGN UP CHECK IN PLAY & SPECTATE FINALS POST-TOURNAMENT
Driving awareness for an esports Whether it’s creating a microsite For esport tournaments, it is Esport tournaments can be At this point, the best players will Engagement with attendees from
event is critical as the target or adding the option to buy a common practice to reward those lengthy depending on the be competing against each other the tournament should continue
audience might not be following ticket within your current portal, who attend with a swag bag or number of players and the time for both prizes and bragging rights. after the event to ensure
or even aware of the current signing up should be fast and free in-game activations (e.g. allotted to each match. Therefore, Therefore, the final matches continuity and success with further
communication channels (e.g. easy. This also presents a unique skins). This ensures a tangible it’s important to effectively shouldn’t be limited to only the initiatives. With a limited offering
traditional media). This means opportunity to cross-promote the benefit for attending the communicate when people are esport tournament attendees, but of local esport offerings, this is an
employing a mix of traditional, sports event happening on the tournament and something they playing and to provide should also be integrated into the engaged group who wants to see
digital, and grassroots marketing day of the tournament, enticing can bring back home with them entertainment options when sporting match and showcased in the scene flourish and are keen to
efforts to ensure that the an esport fan to also attend the to commemorate the live players are in-between games. between intermissions. Prizes can help in making that a reality.
messaging is heard. This can take sporting match and enjoy a experience. This can include: include: Showcasing content could include
shape in many different, yet complete day of entertainment. the following:
intentional forms, such as: • Sport apparel & • Money
memorabilia • Meet & greet with players • Winners of the tournament
• Community outreach (e.g. • Venue specific incentives (e.g. • Exclusive stadium tour • Action shots of players
Reddit, physical gaming discount on food and • Signed sport competing
venues) beverage products memorabilia • Attendees engaging with
• Meet your target customer • Sponsored products sponsorship products
where they are (e.g. College
and universities, electronic
stores)
• Targeted ads (e.g. Twitch.tv,
social media)
*Disclaimer: Although this has been designed for the sport of Hockey, the outline of tournament in-a-box is applicable to any sport who is looking to run their own esport tournament as well as not necessarily having to be run on game day.
14 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
AWARENESS
Driving awareness for an esports event is critical as the target audience
might not be following or even aware of the current communication
channels (e.g. traditional media). This means employing a mix of traditional
and grassroots marketing efforts to ensure that the messaging is heard.
This can take shape in many different, yet intentional, forms such as:
• Community outreach (e.g. Reddit, physical gaming venues)
• Meet your target customer where they are (e.g. College and universities,
electronic stores)
• Targeted ads (e.g. Twitch.tv, social media)
Key Consideration:
Create marketing materials that showcase the players from your sports
team playing the video game.
MEASURE
Ask attendees how they heard about the event to gain a
deeper understanding of the most effective channels for
communication.
Create a promotion code to make channel conversion
quantifiable and attributable. These codes can also be
disseminated to streamers, and be tracked as a measure
of their effectiveness.
15 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
SIGN UP
Whether it’s creating a microsite or adding the option to buy a ticket within
your current portal, signing up should be fast and easy. This also presents a
unique opportunity to cross-promote the sports event happening on the
day of the tournament, enticing an esport fan to also attend the sporting
match and enjoy a complete day of entertainment.
Key Consideration:
Promote the alternate event when a customer is buying a ticket (i.e. promote
the esport event for those buying a ticket for the sporting match and
promote the sporting match for those buying a ticket for the esport event)
MEASURE
Capture net-new purchases that arise through the
esports tournament by reaching out to those who
purchase both tickets.
Using referral codes/promotions to determine the
propensity of sharing the event.
Capturing data through cross-promotion will help
identify effective to convert a sports fan to attend the
esports event, or vice versa.
16 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
CHECK IN
For esport tournaments, it is common practice to reward those who attend
with a swag bag. This ensures a tangible benefit for attending the
tournament and something they can bring back home with them to
commemorate the live experience. This can include:
• Sport apparel & memorabilia
• Venue specific incentives (e.g. discount on food and beverage)
• Sponsored products
Key Consideration:
Provide an incentive (e.g. entry into a draw to win a prize) for attendees to
check into the event using social media.
MEASURE
Measure redemptions of venue specific incentives to
understand pull through from the tournament to
concessions.
17 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
PLAY & SPECTATE
Esport tournaments can be lengthy depending on the number of players
and the time allotted to each match. Therefore, it’s important to effectively
communicate when people are playing and to provide entertainment
options when players are in-between games.
Key Considerations:
Provide a free-to-play area where attendees can play a multitude of different
video gaming titles against each other.
Stream the most entertaining matches both at the venue and through.
Twitch.tv with live broadcasters!
MEASURE
Promote the free-to-play area and the matches being
streamed to bring in additional spectators. Provide the
option for registering to the next esport tournament or
game and measure conversion rates.
Through Twitch.tv, you can also measure conversion
rates on pull through for ticket purchasing through
targeted ads and push notifications.
Sentiment analysis (through Twitch chat and social
media) can be used to monitor and track fan
Im age credit:
engagement throughout the course of the event. https://www.foxsportsasia.com /esports/1008921/the-top-10-highest-earning-esports-athletes-of-2018/
18 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
FINALS
At this point, the best players will be competing against each other for both prizes
and bragging rights. Therefore, the final matches shouldn’t be limited to only the
esport tournament attendees, but should also be showcased in between
intermissions during the sporting match.
Prizes can include:
• Monetary
• Meet & greet with players
• Exclusive stadium tour
• Signed sport memorabilia
Key Consideration:
When showcasing the final matches, broadcasters should be engaged to provide in-
game live commentary.
MEASURE
Utilizing sentiment analysis to determine the change in
behaviour of the fans when spotlighting esports content
vs. traditional programming to quantify impact.
Social media monitoring to determine online chatter
and hype ahead of the finals. Engagement can be
prompted and measured through live Twitter polls.
19 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
POST-TOURNAMENT
Engagement with attendees from the tournament should continue after the event
to ensure continuity and success with further initiatives. With a limited offering of
local esport offerings, this is an engaged group who wants to see the scene
flourish and are keen to help in making that a reality. Showcasing content could
include the following:
• Winners of the tournament
• Action shots of players competing
• Attendees engaging with sponsorship products
Key Consideration:
Rewarding those who attended the event with incentives (monetary or perks) to
promote future tournaments through word-of-mouth.
MEASURE
Deploy a survey to better understand what went well
and what could be improved for future tournaments.
Attendees can be given promotion codes for discounts
on future events – conversion from these would be
measurable.
Im age credits:
Wrap-up videos highlighting the event can be posted to https://www.nhl.com /news/dim itri-bastounis-gam ing-world-cham pionship-bio/c-297874778?tid=297963536
https://www.nhl.com /news/nicola-bruna-gam ing-world-cham pionship-bio/c-298231466?tid=297963536
social media and measured for engagement.
20 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessTOURNAMENT-IN-A-BOX
Let’s make this real.
Do you want to quantify learnings in terms of an esport activation and understand what that
means for your local and online market?
1 2 3
Next steps at a glance: Find a tournament partner (e.g. club, Test event, measure fan engagement, Scale across multiple organizations.
arena, brand) – customize blueprint media reach, commercial impact.
based on venue and constraints.
21 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessnumber two Player Branding
THE INSIGHT THE OPPORTUNITY
How might we leverage existing
Players are king. esport avidity among players to
promote their personal brand,
In esports you do not track a fly ball or follow a puck. The
create new marketing initiatives,
focus is split between the game itself and the athlete, with great
attention given to their commentary and gameplay advice. As a
and improve access and
result, affinity and loyalty to players can often trump those
towards a particular team. This has allowed esport athletes to
engagement for fans?
amass large and loyal followings as they build out valuable
individual brands. This is not to say that teams cannot build
avidity with fans under their banner, but rather that they should
be aware of the valuable fan assets they have in-house, and
players’ value extends far beyond their influence on
“traditional” game outcomes. Players’ fanbases are increasingly
determining which team you follow, what games you watch,
34%1
and what merchandise you purchase. The percentage of esport fans2 who actively follow a certain
online personality, Youtuber, vlogger, entertainer, streamer,
etc. This is compared to the 25% who follow a certain pro team.
As a platform, esports provides fans with unparalleled access to
engage with athletes in meaningful interactions, and for athletes,
as individuals, to display their authentic personalities. 1 Nielsen (2017). Nielsen Esports Playbook
2 From the United States
23 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER BRANDING
Building player personalities through esports.
Leveraging existing video gaming behaviour amongst the
players in your sporting organization to create marketable
esports content, promote their personalities, and support
them in the development of their individual brand.
Image credit:
http://ljonessb.blogspot.com/2012/10/cfl-stadiums.html
TARGET AUDIENCE:
SAM ALLEN ERIN NANCY
THE SPORTS THE ALL-SPORTS THE ESPORTS THE NON-FAN
JUNKIE ALL-STAR ENTHUSIAST
24 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER BRANDING
Streaming Players
Chances are likely that players on your sports team are
playing video games on the road during away games;
finding out who the biggest gamer is shouldn’t be too
difficult. A simple way to engage fans differently is to
showcase their gameplay by having them stream live on
Twitch.tv.
Key Considerations:
Candid commentary: Allow the players to express
themselves freely. This is a great opportunity for those
players who might not get a lot of exposure to fans, but
have great personalities.
Game day: Highlight when the next sporting match will
take place and provide a link to buy tickets.
MEASURE
Through Twitch.tv and supporting analytics tools,
engagement, concurrent viewers, and sentiment can be
monitored and gauged.
Click-through and conversion metrics can be quantified
from promotional codes and targeted ads are
measurable through view-time and chat engagement.
Gauge social media impact of activities through
monitoring of visits, new followers, and mentions.
Use facial analysis to be alerted when the streaming
player is stressed or agitated to adjust accordingly.
25 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER BRANDING
Play the Scratch
A key benefit of esports is the accessibility it provides in
bridging the gap between professional sport players and the
fans. Allowing the opportunity for spectators to play against a
pro player – before, during, or after the event – creates a unique
form of entertainment within the stadium. As the active players
might be too busy playing in the actual game, have one of the
healthy scratches or injured players play the fans – an alumni
would be just as good! To further build excitement and
awareness certain gamedays can be chosen and themed
accordingly.
Key Considerations:
Live broadcasting: Have the broadcasters provide the same
level of high-fidelity and exciting commentary to the esports
match as they would with the sporting match.
Monetization: Sell 50/50 tickets to select one lucky fan who can
win the grand prize by beating the player.
MEASURE
Utilizing sentiment analysis to determine the change in
behaviour of the fans when spotlighting esports content
vs. traditional programming to quantify impact.
Quantitative use of themed hashtag, live twitter and
Facebook polls, and other methods of incentivized
engagement during the match.
26 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER BRANDING
Fortnite Dance Off
Not all esports activations need to be specific to the sports
title of your organization.
Producing content that is relevant and entertaining can take
shape across a wide range of video games, such as
showcasing who has the best ‘Fortnite’ dance. Although this
may not enthuse hardcore Fortnite fans, casual and non-
fans alike will be entertained and exposed to the relevancy
and popularity of esports in a manner in which their
reactions and engagement can be measured and actioned
upon.
Key Consideration:
Incentive: Reward fans for engaging and voting by giving
the winners discounts on food, beverage, and merchandise.
MEASURE
Use live stadium sentiment analysis to determine
engagement, enjoyment, and selection of the winner.
Engagement measured through social media
participation (Twitter/Facebook Polls, posts and
hashtags).
Image credit:
27 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business http://ljonessb.blogspot.com/2012/10/cfl-stadiums.htmlPLAYER BRANDING
Let’s make this real.
Do you want to showcase the personalities of your athletes and grow their
brand through creative esport activations?
1 2 3
Next steps at a glance: Identify players with esports Trial activations with clubs and arenas. Measure fan engagement. Follow the
personalities and seek ways to engage Host a test stream to gauge preliminary social media impact on both your
them commercially. reactions, both from your audience and organization and the streamer’s social
streamer. media.
28 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessnumber three Player Development
THE INSIGHT THE OPPORTUNITY
There is no holistic How might we create an
development funnel for effective pipeline for holistic
esports athlete development?
esports athletes.
A traditional athlete’s competitive career is largely linear – it can be traced
through a clear set of steps often from school, through development
leagues, up to the top. This structured pathway is lacking when it comes to the
esports world.
Despite sharing uncanny parallels to traditional sports, many of the staple
53%1
support systems don’t exist for esports athletes. The result of this lack of a
support and development infrastructure extends beyond the in-game
performance, also impacting athlete nutrition, wellness and professionalism.
The percentage of fans2 that consider
Because of this, esports athletes can have very tumultuous careers, esports to be an actual sport.
jumping from team to team and sponsor to sponsor.
As esports continues to grow, and more players desire to reach the top and
have a sustainable career, it would behoove any esport team to surround
these athletes with a support infrastructure to ensure the success of both the 1
2
Nielsen (2017). Nielsen Esports Playbook
Esport fans across markets – US, UK, France, Germany
professional and the person. This type of holistic support and its impact on
sustaining player performance could be a significant competitive advantage
for the esport team in question. Corporations, especially sport organizations,
are perfectly poised with their breadth of experience in employee and athlete
wellness and development, to aid in this process and, in turn, create affinity
for their own brands as well.
30 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Building a competitive and sustainable funnel for esport
players to become pro.
Establishing the infrastructure and programming to mirror
the familiar structure of traditional sports is necessary to
build the future of esport athletes, while de-stigmatizing the
industry through educational and wellness initiatives. This
provides an asset extension and further opportunities for
partnership.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
SAM ALLEN ERIN NANCY
THE SPORTS THE ALL-SPORTS THE ESPORTS THE NON-FAN
JUNKIE ALL-STAR ENTHUSIAST
31 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER DEVELOPMENT
MEASURE
TIER 3
CANADIAN JUNIOR ESPORT LEAGUE Measure of participating clubs and
individuals, further segmented by
demographic and region.
In building out the future of player development in esports, it needs Measure of viewership and continued
to start at the grassroots level. engagement through social media
monitoring.
Establishing high school esports clubs and having them compete
against each other in a formalized league will be critical in building
a sustainable base of competitive players.
MEASURE
TIER 2 Measure of composure and player
sentiment during play, as a way to
ESPORT ACADEMIES quantify training and inform coaching
decisions.
Academies will need to be constructed in major city centers to enable Codify and share best practices for
recruitment of esport players from the surrounding area. development and learning. Transpose
these learnings back into traditional
sports activities.
These institutions will serve to vet a large swath of esport players to
Tracking the amount of players being
determine top talent and develop their skills through a rigorous and
signed to professional organizations
holistic training regimen. and being sponsored by companies.
MEASURE
TIER 1
Measure performance of professional
LEGEND PROFESSIONAL ESPORT ORGANIZATION players as they begin to compete.
Canadian Junior Esport League Quantify the contract values achieved
Professional sport and esport teams alike will be able to further by signed players.
Esport Academies
develop athletes and have them compete on the world stage by
Awareness gained from showcasing
elevating rising stars within the academy and signing them to their signed alumni, as represented from an
professional organizations. increase in engagement or
applications.
32 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Growing esports
responsibly.
At any given tier, it is critical to look at player development for esports holistically:
Player Wellness Training Education Community Events
Ensuring that players are learning how Employing well rounded initiatives that Especially relevant at the Canadian Junior Integrating the community-at-large through
to play video games sustainably and effectively train esport players above and Esport League (CJEL), educating parents on different forms of programming and
being taught the fundamentals of beyond their abilities to play in-game to the esport industry and the holistic approach leveraging the inherent accessibility of
nutrition, mental health, and exercise. incorporate elements of reaction time, for player development will be crucial in de- video games by providing forms of non-
endurance, and strategic decision stigmatizing the career path in becoming a competitive entertainment at events and
making. pro esport player. venues.
33 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessPLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Let’s make this real.
Do you want to build a brand and performance advantage by establishing an
esports development funnel?
1 2 3
Next steps at a glance: Create the proposition blueprint Seek clubs/organisations willing Test & learn through bespoke
and supporting infrastructure for to collaborate with partners on esport initiatives. Run a pilot
esport academies. growing esports and their academy with selected partners to
respective video game sport titles. test with players and fans alike.
34 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessnumber four Matchmaking.gg
THE INSIGHT THE OPPORTUNITY
The ecosystem is How do we connect stakeholders
disparate, and it takes a who want to grow and be
connected community involved in esports, but can’t get
their initiatives off the ground.
to scale an industry.
One of the biggest obstacles facing esports is the disparity that exists
within the ecosystem between stakeholders. This disparity leads to a
dearth of local activations, particularly at the grassroots level, as
50+
passion and expertise to often exist in isolation. There remains high profile esports events1
untapped opportunity to connect, launch, and scale.
With over 50 high profile esports events, even at an international level
This disconnectedness can take form in many different ways, such as staying on top of it all can be an overwhelming task for sponsors and
tournament organizers seeking funding, organizations not knowing organizers alike. In actuality, this number is quite low, and a result of the
how best to enter this space, or even sporting venues trying to fully difficulty of organizing and aggregating all the necessary pieces.
utilize their facilities in the offseason. These are but two examples that Evidentially, this pales in comparison to the disparity at a local level:
highlight the opportunity to grow the scene by creating a platform to hundreds of regional Facebook groups exist as representation of the
facilitate dialogue and connections between different parties – various local scenes, with communication channels being informal and
sporadic.
collaborating and bringing together their resources and expertise to
launch exciting esports initiatives.
1 www.theroar.com.au/esports/esports-tournament-schedule/
36 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessMATCHMAKING.GG
A platform to facilitate collaboration in hosting
esport initiatives.
Bringing together all the necessary stakeholders to
effectively organize and run a variety of esport events in a
collaborative, secure, and transparent manner.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
SAM ALLEN ERIN NANCY
THE SPORTS THE ALL-SPORTS THE ESPORTS THE NON-FAN
JUNKIE ALL-STAR ENTHUSIAST
37 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessMATCHMAKING.GG
PROFILE & RATING
Matchmaking.gg is a web platform that A method for credentializing stakeholders within the
ecosystem and providing transparency through a
centralizes all the planning and production robust set of metrics and personal information. Such
activities that are disparate, but necessary for as:
events. The platform allows users to
Profile: Gives a peek into the organizers’ passion,
contribute in whatever capacity they can to through a written bio, and links to relevant profiles
help progress a tournament towards reality. (such as Twitter, Twitch, etc.)
Rating & Reviews: Allowing users to be rated based
Pictured is a tournament Gary is looking to on their fulfillment of roles and contributions adds an
element of self-governance and assurance to the
run across multiple days in the downtown ecosystem.
area of his hometown. Despite getting a
venue on board, Gary needed a way to find Badges: Recognizable accolades help gamify the
experience, highlighting those users that have made
sponsors and staff, all while prompting contributions to the ecosystem and the platform.
people to register and attend.
PROGRESS BAR
Matchmaking.gg allowed him to
crowdsource the necessary equipment and An overarching and up-to-date summary of the
event’s goals and progress.
expertise, as well as dialogue with sponsors
easily in one place. Funding Goal: Matchmaking allows for monetary
goals to cover event expenditures, such as transport
costs, prize pools, and more. Funding goals can be
Visualized here are the key features and tools crafted as stretch goals to encourage further
contribution to liven and enhance engagement in-
available to users that empower and enable venue.
the crowdsourcing and effective
collaboration needed to run esports events. Event Requirements: In addition to monetary
contributions, technical equipment and expertise is
also required. Individuals/organizations can
contribute consoles, production equipment,
expertise, and more to enhance event production
MEASURE quality.
SPONSORSHIP STRETCH GOALS / COMMITMENT
Measure of visits, sign-ups, FLEXIBILITY
shares, and conversions on
sales and registration. Different esports events vary widely in many aspects,
from type of venue, amount of games, and number of
attendees. Matchmaking.gg has features to facilitate
Number of successful events transparent and flexible sponsor commitments.
hosted. COMMUNITY BOARD
SHOP VENUE & CONTRIBUTORS
Flexible Commitments
Site surveys, comments, and Sponsors can make tiered commitments, unlockable As part of the crowdfunding process, organizers or Contributors are able to post info on event pages, Contributors, registrants, and sponsors can all
reviews to gauge feedback and based on whatever parameters they set. (e.g. number sponsors can add elements to the shop to help describing the values and offerings of their communicate in one place to discuss and build hype
sentiment. of attendees, certain engagement numbers met) contribute to the funding of the event. organizations. This provides education and awareness around events. Prospective attendees can post
to both sponsors and grassroot organizations, by questions and interact with organizers to provide
Open Communication Branded Merchandise: Organizers or sponsors can doing the following: feedback or inquire further.
Monitoring of message boards Sponsors can directly dialogue with other organizing create event specific merchandise, in which the
to determine credibility of users stakeholders to discuss involvement and engagement FAQ’s, rulesets, and considerations are made
proceeds can contribute to their stretch goals and Sponsors can post promotional material highlighting
and sponsors. at the event. This allows sponsors to easily connect at event fulfilment expenditures. their products and what they’ll bring to the transparent and editable, such that it is created
all levels of involvement (e.g. grassroots, national, venue/entertainment experience. collaboratively.
international) and co-create along the way. Sponsorship Discounts: Sponsors can attach
discount/referral codes to the event that are directly Venues can highlight other events happening or Important updates, promotions, and other materials
Multiple Outlets attributable. This way, a portion of sales made being hosted concurrently, to grow awareness, and can be posted and pushed to users to keep the event
Sponsors are encouraged to contribute in diverse through this channel can be funneled back into the further establish legitimacy as a destination to visit. top of mind (e.g. reaching a stretch goal, attaining a
ways. This can include in-venue entertainment or event budget. sponsor, etc.)
activations, promotional discounts, or in-kind
sponsorship (either product or prizing.)
38 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessMATCHMAKING.GG
Let’s make this real.
Do you want to build the infrastructure and facilitate collaboration for your
local esports community?
1 2 3
Next steps at a glance: Build out blueprint with exhaustive Create MVP for key use cases to Scale with partners across venues
feature set. test, learn, and iterate. and events. Invite prominent
tournament organizers to use the
platform to gain traction.
39 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessnumber five Sponsorship
THE INSIGHT THE OPPORTUNITY
Fans are skeptical of passive How do we activate sponsorships
and uninformed brand plays within the esport community that
are genuine, impactful, and long-
within esports.
lasting?
Esport fans and players are passionate about their games
and about growing the scene. Most have grown up with the
dreams of their favorite pastime being legitimatized, along with 600+
its required skill-set, much like the attitudes exuded
towards traditional sports counterparts.
Esports sponsorship agreements since the start
of 20161
Now that we are seeing these dreams come true with the
emergence of esports as an increasingly mainstream and even 50% of esports fans have either a negative or neutral stance towards
popular activity among youth, big business interests are starting sponsors entering the space. There is an immense opportunity for
to creep in. This makes sense as corporations see esports as a brands, but they must work to earn and win over the trust of half the
lever to capture an increasingly affluent and engaged industry.
demographic, however, the community is weary of passive and
uninformed outreach attempts. If you activate sponsorships or
Nielsen (2017). Nielsen Esports Playbook.
partnerships incorrectly, you risk alienating your brand among
1
an incredibly engaged and young audience.
41 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessSPONSORSHIP
The next generation of sport requires the next
generation of sponsorship.
Companies are presented with sponsorship opportunities in
esports to connect with a young, engaged, and tech savvy
consumer, but they must activate their sponsorship
authentically to reach this audience. This requires a different
approach in connecting with the audience, by having a firm Im age credit:
https://twitter.com /fortnite_br/status/998250738303275008
understanding of the need to be fulfilled and integrating the
activation intelligently within the appropriate context.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
SAM ALLEN ERIN NANCY
THE SPORTS THE ALL-SPORTS THE ESPORTS THE NON-FAN
JUNKIE ALL-STAR ENTHUSIAST
42 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business
Im age credit:
https://gam ebanana.com /guis/28834IN-GAME SPONSORSHIP
Identifying the Need:
With consistent action and non-stop concentration being required, it’s
understandable that some video game titles are hard to put down. However,
The #1 provider of wellness products. consistent eye breaks, stretching, and exercise is necessary to avoid fatigue and
even injury.
Recognizing this, Wellness Inc. sees an opportunity to encourage healthy lifestyle
choices in esports, and to become a trusted name for mental and physical wellness
amongst the younger generation.
Integrated Activation: “Reflex Fitness Challenge” Fortnite Emotes, by Wellness Inc.
Capitalizing on the Fortnite dance and emote mimic craze, Wellness Inc. adds a
branded Fortnite exercise and stretch emote. This limited edition emote appears
during the pre-game lobby and encourages you to mimic the actions of your
Fortnite character in-person. Not touching your controls for the duration of the
stretches and exercises rewards you with a small amount of V-Bucks that can be put
towards other purchases.
Call to Action:
Wellness Inc. also encourages you to link your Fortnite account to the platform to be
further rewarded with limited edition emotes and more.
MEASURE
Measuring engagement levels through the amount of
successful exercise completions.
Conversion rates can be determined by the amount of
users who sync their Fortnite and Wellness Inc. profiles.
Image credit:
43 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business https://twitter.com/fortnite_br/status/998250738303275008IN-GAME SPONSORSHIP
Identifying the Need:
Money management is an inherent part of video games, especially for titles that
include purchasing items like weapons and armor.
As such, there is an opportunity for Bank Inc. to encourage and educate players on
The #1 provider of financial products. aspects of money management in the esports space. Through their activation, Bank
Inc. is looking to grow an awareness of their service, teach players about the power
of saving, and recruit a younger generation of customer.
Integrated Activation: “Power of Saving” moment, brought to you by Bank Inc.
Players earn money by getting kills and winning rounds, and can either save this
money round-over-round, or use it to buy/upgrade weapons and armor. After losing
multiple rounds in a row, teams are forced to play ‘eco rounds’ where they save
money and are therefore at a disadvantage – but this doesn’t mean they should be
completely written off! Bank Inc. can sponsor the exciting moments when a team
plays an eco round but outclasses their opponents, despite being the financial
underdog, and proving that sometimes it pays to save.
Call to Action:
Whenever a team beats the odds and wins an eco round, 100 random viewers live
on Twitch who have typed “EZSAVE” into the chat during the round, will receive a
$5.00 credit on the Steam Marketplace. Viewers can then be pushed to deposit
$10.00 into their Bank Inc. savings account, and upon deposit and the submission of
a unique code, earn another $5.00 credit on the Steam Marketplace.
MEASURE
Sentiment Analysis, measured as the average number of
unique viewers who type “EZSAVE” for each eco round.
Conversion Rate, measured as the ratio of selected
viewers who deposit their money and enter the
confirmation code over total selected viewers.
44 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte business Image credit:
https://gamebanana.com/guis/28834OUT OF GAME SPONSORSHIP
Identifying the Need:
Esport gamers and streamers travel for a multitude of reasons, from esport
competitions to meetings for their day-to-day jobs. However, it’s not always easy to
The #1 provider of out-of-home comfort. hone your gaming skills or create content when travelling.
That’s why Hotel Inc. is providing their patrons with the option to “Gamify” their
Room; they understand that bringing your console or streaming equipment when
travelling is too difficult for most.
Integrated Activation: “Gamifying” your hotel room, by Hotel Inc.
When booking your hotel room, Hotel Inc. provides you the option to “Gamify” the
room by including your console of choice, headset, snacks & beverages, and a
streaming set-up.
Call to Action:
Hotels Inc. might be a non-endemic brand when it comes to esports, but
sponsoring events through celebrating a service they specifically curated for this
audience will allow them to communicate their company in an authentic fashion.
MEASURE
Survey to gauge guest experience after their stay as well
as determining if there stay was net-new or incremental.
Measure use of service by recording amount of time
spent using the console, or streaming platform from the
hotel room.
45 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessOUT OF GAME SPONSORSHIP
Let’s make this real.
Do you want to understand how to effectively activate your brand and
engage customers in a new way?
1 2 3
Next steps at a glance: Test concepts and designs with Measure engagement with both Create MVP for key use cases.
brands and publishers as well as players and fans.
with key gaming influencers and
streamers.
46 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessNext Steps
Iain Montgomery
Senior Manager & Managing Director of MG Canada
iain.montgomery@marketgravity.com
Jeffrey Harris
Senior Lead - Deloitte Canada Sport Business Advisory
jeffharris@deloitte.ca
Luc Ryu
Senior Associate & Esports Specialist
lryu@deloitte.ca
Jeff Owen
Senior Consultant & Project Lead
jeff.owen@marketgravity.com
Let’s chat.
Emma Tanaka
Consultant & Design Lead
emma.tanaka@marketgravity.com
Ben Blium
Analyst & Insight Lead
bblium@deloitte.ca
WWW.D5ESPORTS.COM
48 | © 2019 Market Gravity, a Deloitte businessYou can also read
