The document discusses how sports marketing is adapting to the digital age and rise of esports. It notes that esports has a huge, passionate audience for brands to engage with. Major brands like Coca-Cola, Intel and Red Bull are highlighted as examples of companies that have successfully adapted their sports marketing to embrace esports through long-term sponsorships and custom content. The document also compares the popularity of traditional sports like soccer to esports like League of Legends in Vietnam, finding esports is increasingly engaging audiences there.

1. Sports Marketing in the
Digital Age
Riot Games
May 2017

4. The most overused social media quote ever

6. How is media adapting
to the
attention economy?

7. Attention Economy Results:
Record High levels of Cynicism Fake News more important than Real News.

8. How are brands adapting?
Celebrity Sponsorships Shortform Daily Content PR Stunts

9. And sponsorships. Lots and lots of
platform sponsorships

10. Social media is a beast that consumes
content

11. Sponsorships are content creation
engines that power social media

12. And when was the first sponsorship?
1870s

13. As everything evolves:
Magazines
to
Websites
News
to
Fake News
Sports
to
eSports

14. Esports – Sports for the Digital Age

16. Which website has the fourth highest traffic
after Google, Netflix, Apple and Facebook?

17. Sponsorship revenues

18. USA Today – October 31 - 2016

20. Sports versus eSports
2013 viewership numbers

21. Our Worlds Finals by the Numbers
• 14.7m Peak
Concurrent
Viewers
• 43m Unique
Viewers

22. Traditional Sports Ratings are feeling the impact.

23. Traditional Sports Franchises Adapt

24. eSports fans by the numbers
43% have a
higher
income
than the US
average
30% are
Women
57% support
companies
that support
their causes
58%
looking to
try new
brands
53% willing
to share
personal
info with
brands
48% first to
buy new
tech
*MEC – Spotlight on eSports 2016

25. What eSports Sponsors get
Authenticit
y in a
Cynical
World
A Clean Slate
– Few brands
have yet to
embrace
eSports
A Gigantic,
Passionate
Audience

27. Doesn’t every
brand want to
be young,
dynamic and
digital?

28. 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)
• Recently launched eSports Weekly
in collaboration with IGN.

29. Intel
• Intel Extreme Masters has
been running for 10 years
• Feturing bluechip game titles
like like Counter-Strike, League
of Legends, and Starcraft.
• More than 100,000 people
came to their 2015 event in
Poland.

30. Red Bull
• The energy drink has extended
content marketing strategy into
eSports
• An entire section of its media
house is dedicated to eSports
• Red Bull hosts college
tournaments across the world,
and is especially strong in the
UK market.

32. What is Vietnam’s biggest sport?

33. When was the last time you saw a soccerball?

34. A comparison of League of Legends (LMHT) versus Soccer
(Bong Da)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Troll
Bong
Da
Footballer
Công
Phượng
Vietnam
Manchester
United
Fans
Vietnam
Arsenal
Fans
OpFmus
Saigon
Jokers
MisThy
QTV
Vietnam
Esports
Youtube
Lien
Minh
Huyen
Thoai

35. Hard Questions
And what does Vietnam look like for eSports?

37. THANK
YOU