 |
| From left to right: Dave McKenzie, Colin Webster, and Richard van der Schyff. |
With the explosion of eSport onto the mainstream global gaming arena,
local governing body Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) has chosen a
recently launched division within the BOO! Surprising Media
Solutions stable, BOO! Sports Marketing to launch a
commercial strategy promoting gaming and maximising sponsorship and
branding opportunities within the industry.
Gaming – a
R1.3-trillion industry globally drawing together nearly two billion
players – leapt in SA from a R29.7 million industry two years ago,
to an industry worth R100-million today. Once a sub-culture, eSport
is drawing huge audiences, both online and to stadiums, and now
rivals mainstream sports.
‘eSport is a new frontier,’
says Richard van der Schyff managing director of BOO! Sports
Marketing - who brings many years as a sponsorship guru in the
sports marketing field to eSport. ‘It’s a dynamic and exciting
multi-billion dollar industry that is developing a new consumer and
spectator interaction. Brands are finding this
mix irresistible.’
‘MSSA provides a full
year-round calendar of eSport championships and leagues from
Premier and Student, to Schools, and with the likes of
SuperSport providing a dedicated channel to eSport and the
Tuluntulu app live streaming MSSA content, eSport is being
exposed to a broader consumer audience and brands are enjoying
significant exposure as a result,’ says van der Schyff.
eSport
and digital gaming were recently cited by Richard
Scuadmore, chief executive of English football’s lucrative Premier
League as the biggest danger to football’s long-term popularity on
BBC Radio Five Live. In a bid to keep young fans on board, Premier
League clubs such as West Ham United and Manchester City have signed
on eSport Fifa players who play e-gaming, drawing huge crowds to
eSport arenas.
eSport is also under
consideration as a medal event for the 2024 Olympic Games.
‘When
the SA Proteas played Thailand at the last eSport World Cup, almost a
million people watched the game online,’ says Colin Webster,
General Secretary, MSSA, who currently has his sights on the
participation of the 11-member national eSport team in the
International e-Sports Federations (IeSF) ninth World
Championships in Busan, South Korea from 8 to 12 November
2017.‘eSport receives the same coverage as any other sporting
event, but they are growing bigger and more dynamic by the day,’
says Webster. The MSSA is also responsible as a governing body for
eSports which encompasses school and university teams and private
clubs. To date 60 schools, mostly in A/B income groups, are members,
although there is huge potential for gaming in developing communities
too.
‘eSport represents the future interests of the youth,’ says
Webster. ‘It is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s
destined to become one of the largest. It is already knocking at the
door of the IOC, requesting recognition and entry into such
events.’
‘The exploding worldwide popularity has
proved that there is a massive appetite for gaming as a spectator
sport,’ says Dave McKenzie, media and marketing expert and chief
executive officer of BOO!. ‘BOO! has been tasked with taking MSSA
into the professional era by implementing a commercial strategy for
the federation, followed by a sponsorship programme designed to
attract and retain prospective sponsors.’
‘We will
look to leverage our relationships across other divisions in our
company, specifically our media opportunities and relationships in
malls, airports and university campuses. Our aim is to work with our
long-standing advertising clients, to professionalise and grow
eSports, while strengthening the national team.’
BOO! is
sponsoring the eSport Proteas for the World Championships 2017 to
leverage the online marketing opportunity.
‘eSport is
big and it is here to stay,’ says van der Schyff. ‘With MSSA
providing the necessary structure for eSport and BOO! providing the
commercial expertise, we can guide corporate South Africa on how best
to invest in eSport in order to achieve maximum return.
'We also have great insight into the gaming community,
who the gamers are and what games they play, and this allows us to
assist brands in segmenting the market and targeting their approach
to fit their objectives,’ says van der Schyff.
Ends
Issued and prepared by Paula Wilson Media Consulting for BOO! and
MSSA. For media queries contact Paula Wilson on 021 789 1904 or 082
659 9187, paula@pwmc.co.za,
wwwpwmc.co.za or @PaulaWilsonPWMC. To contact Dave McKenzie call 021
448 3656 and ask for Linda or email dave@boomedia.co.za.
No comments:
Post a Comment