Justin Stefanovic is the VP of Partnerships at Misfit Gaming Group, the company that handles The Misfits, The Mayhem, and The Mountaineers Franchise Leagues. In this episode Justin discusses how brands can engage more fully with esports teams, how they are bringing value to their partners, and what brands need to know before engaging in esports.

They also discuss a post pandemic world, and how they’re still working in events and transitioning in a time where everything is only online.

Full Episode Breakdown:

1:15 – Justin discusses what the Misfit Gaming Group is, and what properties make up their brand.

2:21 – When it comes to building three different teams how does the Misfit Gaming Group prioritize the content and social efforts? Justin talks about his team, and how they manage to build all of them.

3:15 – When it comes to finding the right match for a brand to a group within Misfit, Justin talks about how they work with regulations, rules, and other criteria to make sure the sponsors are getting in front of the right audience base.

5:00 – Justin discusses his role, and his team, and where we focuses within the business.

6:01 – When it comes to finding marketing success, what is Misfit Gaming Group doing to connect with the non-endemic brands? Justin talks about why really painting pictures for brands can make a huge difference in bringing them onboard.

9:10 – When it comes to COVID and the change in no more live events, how as Misfit changed direction, and what kind of results are they seeing as they move into this new frontier? 

11:05 – Misfit has had the opportunity to work with great brands like Efuse and Esports Engine. Justin discusses where those relationships started, and why it’s been crucial in partnering and putting together events.

15:52 – With the success of their recent online event, Justin talks about why he wants to continue to make this something ongoing, even when in-person events eventually come back.

17:23 – When it comes to activation, how are brands approaching the conversation, and why is collaboration so important when it comes to working with sponsors? 

18:30 – Brands need to see results, and Justin talks about how they’re measuring KPI’s for their customers, tracking results, and making sure sponsors are seeing the right results. He also discusses working with influencers, and why it’s so important the right data is being tracked and presented.

22:45 – When it comes to working with influencers, Justin discusses the difference between working with players and working with leagues, and what sponsors should know about the difference. Not all players are influencers, and it’s important to truly know who you’re working with.

26:01 – How do mid season moves effect a sponsorship agreement, and do sponsors pay attention, especially when they see users engaging with specific players. With everything, communication is key, and ultimately, it’s important to put the player with the right team, and sponsors know that too.

Justin also talks about media training for the players, and how they work on developing them to work with sponsors.

31:45 – Justin talks a little about Misfit Gaming Group’s Incubator program, and how that’s helped to bring new brands to fruition.

34:36 – So what changes when in-person events come back to life? Of course, not being able to predict the future, Justin talks about what Misfit Gaming Group is planning on, and how they will continue to navigate the landscape of these changes.

37:12 – With gaming growing over 99% in 2019, how has Misfit leveraged and leaned in on this growth? Justin discusses why they’ve double downed on tournaments, and other initiatives they’ll continue to build in order to take advantage of this immense growth.

To learn more about Misfit Gaming Group, visit: https://misfitsgaming.gg/

You can also connect on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/misfitsgg

To connect with Rebecca, visit: https://www.happywarrior.us/

And follow her on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/RLongawa