Competitive gaming has been growing steadily over the years, but the recent success of Fortnite has launched eSports into the mainstream.  More importantly, besides celebrities latching onto its popularity, young women are joining in and creating new advertising opportunities. Using E-Score^® Brand we looked at some of today’s top video games to help brands and agencies navigate potential opportunities.

Most Popular eSports

Although Fortnite has made the most waves, competition is fierce among eSports titles. To better understand how these titles stack up against each other, here are their top attributes among men and women under age 35.

• While Fortnite continues to grow in popularity, it still hasn’t topped NBA 2k in Appeal likely due to its short lifespan compared to NBA 2k’s 19 years of existence.

• Fortnite differs from other videogames in that it boasts the highest Awareness among females under 35. Although it isn’t the only “battle royale” game on the market, Fortnite leads our list in Better Than Competitors among males under 35

Reaching the eSports Audience

eSports are a great vehicle for brands targeting the elusive under-35 demo. We found a big bump in Appeal with this group versus the general population, which is not the case for non-sponsors.

• Adidas holds a 15-point increase in Appeal among men under thirty-five compared to the total population, and has even begun sponsoring eSports jerseys.
• In contrast, non-sponsor Nike has only a small boost of 2% among men under 35.
• The NFL has recently partnered with Fortnite giving gamers the option to wear their favorite team’s uniforms in the game. The move seems poised for success as the NFL holds one of the largest differences in Appeal between men under 35 and total population (12 points).

 

E-Sports Star Power

Rising star Tyler Blevins, a.k.a. Ninja, has emerged as the face of eSports – recently featured on the cover of ESPN the Magazine and signing endorsements with brands like Red Bull and Uber Eats. eSports has attracted celebrities as investors/players (Ninja’s game with Drake has streamed to more than half a million viewers). Celebrities bring extra attention to eSports, since even the biggest players have low awareness today.

• Despite his recent success, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins still has a relatively low overall Awareness for men under 35 (8%) but his image awareness among males 18-24 peaks at 22%.
• Shaquille O’Neal and Alex Rodriguez have both joined as investors in NRG eSports focusing on Counter-Strike and League of Legends.
• Other popular gamers like Tfue or TSM_Myth could be emerging targets for advertisers, and are among the group we are monitoring for future evaluation.

Resources

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