Hand out or sampling products in traditional sports is more accessible if compared to esports. Traditional sports fans are easy-going; they are there to have fun, and they are more likely to get familiar with brands advertising in the arenas. Rebecca Longawa believes that esports fans don’t want to be marketed to; they want to be part of the conversation and that the brand is there for the right reasons.

Rebecca Longawa is an esports brand builder and strategist. She is the founder and President of Happy Warrior, advisor and mentor at Stadia Ventures, and advisor at Mission Control GG, ESPAT, Fanticipate, and Brickhouse Ventures Corp. Rebecca is the creator and host of The Future of Marketing in Esports podcast and a moderator in multiple Clubhouse rooms covering Esports 101, Esports Marketing, and Health & Wellness in Esports.

In this episode, Rebecca talks about her background in traditional sports and the transition to esports. She shares her vision on why she considers traditional marketing metrics are obsolete in esports and gaming and what her approach is in that regard. We talked about how different esports and traditional sports audiences respond to marketing and branding and the best ways for gamers to connect with their audiences.

You can hear more from Rebecca on Clubhouse: https://clubhousedb.com/user/rlongawa

You can also follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca_longawa/?hl=es

or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccalongawa/

You can visit Happy Warrior’s website: https://www.happywarrior.us/

To follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/J0hnDavids0n

The DLC Drop Podcast is part of the Esports Futuri Podcast network. To see this show, and all of our other shows, visit: https://EsportsFPN.com

Full Episode Breakdown:

1:51 – Rebecca shares a bit of her background working with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

4:28 – Rebecca talks about her transition from traditional sports to esports.

8:27 – John and Rebecca talk about the differences between the traditional sports and esports communities.

11:55 – Rebecca explains why the streamer community is so passionate and intimately connected with streamers.

14:13 – Branding is easier in traditional sports. Rebecca explains the different marketing challenges between conventional sports and esports.

19:15 Before creating something, marketers need to ask themselves some questions. Rebecca talks about understanding the gaming community and traditional marketing metrics.

24:03 – John and Rebecca talk about brands’ mantras and how they resonate with their audiences.

25:03 – Brands creating moments. Rebecca explains the metrics she looks at instead of traditional marketing metrics.

30:01 – Rebecca talks about how gamers respond to brands that are part of the community.

35:03 – Traditional athletes and esports. Rebecca and John talk about esports and traditional athletes and the challenges they face.

39:19 – There is a movement happening. Rebecca talks about what traditional athletes are doing to join the gaming community since the pandemic.

44:12 – John and Rebecca talk about how people in the esports and gaming industry connect with their audiences and how traditional athletes understood they need to build their brand.

46:31 – Traditional sports are filtered and protected. John and Rebecca talk about the risks for traditional athletes to stream and be on without safety nets. 

50:14 – Rebecca shares some brilliant examples of how some things can slip during a live stream.