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Are Fordzilla & Mercedes 'Most Valuable Fan' Campaign Proof of Mainstream eSports Acceptance?
By Shane Addinall Aug 30, 2019 EntertainmentFord and Mercedes-Benz pull ahead of their competition with investment in the virtual racing eSports market segment. Will this be enough to tip the scale and bring about large scale acceptance of the medium?Without a shadow of a doubt, eSports is here to stay. The transition from child’s play to multi-million-euro industry has certainly left most mainstream corporations scratching their heads in confusion. With the kinds of prize money and advertising budgets these events were garnering it is no small investment to get involved, especially when normal online marketing channels offer such rich pockets of user data, the impact and potential upside of eSports is an unknown quantity.
In a surprising turn of events the first two mainstream motor vehicle brands to commit to partnering with eSports are Ford and Mercedes! Many would have assumed brands such as Honda, BMW or even Nissan, those with a stronger name in street racing, would be the first to use eSports to connect with an audience already used to racing with their cars in video games like Need for Speed.
✓Watch Your Step, It’s Fordzilla!
Ford announced that they will be diving into the eSports scene by creating their very own virtual racing teams under the awesome name, Fordzilla. The teams will comprise a global selection of premier eSports driving talent in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and of course the United Kingdom. They will also be creating an All-Star team combining the most talented drivers from each region into a super team.
Roelant de Waard, VP Marketing Sales & Service, Ford of Europe said:
“We at Ford have a racing pedigree that others can only envy. Now is the time to take that know-how and apply it to the world of esports – capturing the imagination of a new generation of virtual racing drivers, inspiring them to take a ride in one of our Ford Performance vehicles,”
Their game of choice will be none other than the award-winning Forza Motorsport 7. The reason was simple it is a well-established racing game with a gargantuan fan base, and it's player numbers already show strong support for Ford as a brand with over a million players selecting Ford as their in-game car.
✓Mercedes-Benz Gives Back To The Fans
Mercedes have been a part of the ESL since 2016. To date, they have awarded top players across the tournaments with no less than five high-end Mercedes-Benz cars worth about €250,000 in total.
The Mercedes-Benz Press Office said
“The Russian esports community is among the most engaged and active communities in the world,” … “However, the fans’ devotion to their favourite disciplines, teams or tournaments is rarely rewarded. We want to say “thank you” to all the fans”
To this end, they have launched an exclusive Most Valuable Fan promotion for Russian eSports enthusiasts. The premise is simple, record a short video showing your devotion and support of virtual racing eSports and you stand to win a hot new Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan with all the bells and whistles.
The lucky winner will be announced at a closed awards dinner at the ESL One Hamburg 2019 final race stage.
✓eSports Is Here To Stay
With the continued investment from two such globally recognised brands as Ford and Mercedes-Benz, it seems the future of virtual racing eSports is in good hands. It will be interesting to see which brand/game partnerships develop in the future as brand recognition and global reach begin to take their place among direct return ad sales and click-through rates.
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