* This article is a paid service of Digiday[Japanese version]a media for next-generation leaders responsible for branding.DIGIDAY+This is a reprint from.
During the third weekend of May 2023, teams from around the world will compete for a prize pool of $250,000 in the League of Legends international competition (Mid-Season). Invitational (hereafter MSI) has come to a close again this year. This tournament is one of the few annual international esports competitions and has attracted a lot of attention from esports fans around the world.
MSI is an opportunity for brands to enter two big esports markets simultaneously. But for marketers looking to do just that, it’s crucial to understand the huge differences in fan bases in these remote regions. Digiday reached out to a range of experts, including marketers, esports executives and media buyers.
“It can’t be uniform,” said Dan Conti, global head of live sports games at Wavemaker. “India and Australia are very different from the US, Europe and other markets.”
Asian esports fans care more about competitive success
In the West, it’s common for industry veterans to play professional games under franchise leagues like the League of Legends Championship Series and the Overwatch League. It is called “e-sports”. However, these leagues represent only a small fraction of the Western professional gamers, and are generally more interested in individual creators than high-level team battles.
“In the U.S., almost no one cares about esports and it’s a completely influencer-driven market,” said Maxim Vironogov, chief business planning officer and general producer at esports content production company Weplay Studios. It is.” “It’s important that personalities, shows, and competitive games are not esports, but influencer games like Twitch Rivals.”
In Asia, on the other hand, competition is killer content. The few individual influencers who can garner the endorsement of many users are the most successful professionals, like Lee Sang-hyuk, better known as “Faker,” who is the player and owner of South Korean esports team T1. Most likely a player. In the West, winning is just one way for esports organizations to establish their own brand identities. Winning is the only way to go in Asia, and brands looking to partner with Asian esports organizations would be wise to take note of this.
“It’s very important to stress that this is a relative difference,” said Carlos Arimurn, CEO of Southeast Asian esports media company ONE Esports. “I’m not saying influencers aren’t important in Southeast Asia. It’s a truism that influencers are important. What I’m saying is that there are different degrees of importance.”
Asia’s esports audience is diversifying
Competitive game fans in Europe and the United States enjoy several major titles called “Tier 1” esports, such as League of Legends, Call of Duty (CoD), and Counter-Strike. moving to the center. For example, CoD is popular in North America, Counter-Strike is popular in Europe, etc. There are rough regional differences, but for the most part, esports fans share the same core even if they are in different American states or European countries. You seem to be enjoying the game.
In Asia, such an overwhelming esports title does not exist. Although Asian countries are close to each other, there are large cultural and economic differences between them. As such, brands looking to reach Asian esports fans need to learn about the most popular games in each country. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
“Each country has its own focus. Singapore is a country with a high GDP per capita, and popular titles here tend to be PC titles,” said Alimoun. “Across the strait, in Malaysia, hundreds of kilometers away, the mobile game Mobile Legends has become mainstream.”
In general, console games are the mainstream in Europe and the United States, while mobile and PC games tend to be popular in Asia. Mobile esports is also growing in popularity in North America, but it’s still a niche market.
KPIs often differ between Asia and Europe
Now, Western marketers are well aware of the arrival of esports winter and are growing more skeptical about the cost-effectiveness of esports partnerships. As a result, esports teams in the US and Europe have focused more on proving that they have helped revitalize their brands.
This contrasts with Asian esports companies, which are more focused on brand awareness. Brand awareness is a central role for esports in the cultural context of Asian countries.
“For the North American market, results are everything. When you invest in game content or work with a team, they want to see results,” said Wiplay Studios CMO Irina Zhuhai.
In Asia, government policies are sometimes negative about games
Brands looking to advertise to Asian esports fans should be aware of the restrictions imposed on games by the region’s governments. In recent years, as gaming has emerged as a form of entertainment, negative perceptions of gaming have increased in Asia. The Chinese government restricts children from playing online games for more than an hour a day, while the Indian government has banned popular games such as Garena Free Fire outright.
“What I can say is that brands are not giving in to that policy because they know where millennials and Gen Z interests are going,” said Arimurn. “Esports has worked hard to create a brand-safe environment where participants feel comfortable participating.”
Still, actions like those of China and India stand apart from European governments that have recently decided on policies to officially support the development of gaming and esports. From a cultural point of view, esports have a huge influence in Asia. But the West is doing everything it can to catch up with Asia.
“European countries like Denmark and Sweden have esports in their blood, and national policies allow people to play esports and learn about esports,” Zhuhai said. there is “I know the Prime Minister of Sweden plays Counter-Strike. He’s an avid fan of the game.”
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(Text: Alexander Lee, Translation: SI Japan, Editing: Ryohei Shimada)
Source: BusinessInsider
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