DDB to Create an Esports Division
Doyle Dane Bernbach, also known as DDB Worldwide, is owned by Omnicom Group. It is an international advertising and marketing agency, with award winning advertising publications and campaigns. DDB Worldwide has worked on campaigns for Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Exxon Mobil, Volkswagen, McDonald’s, and others, working in over 90 countries.
Recently, DDB Worldwide announced that it will be launching an esports and gaming network agency. The name of the agency is DDB FTW (For The Win), and while it will be located in Prague, it will also collaborate with fellow DDB agencies in Paris, Hong Kong, Dusseldorf, and Amsterdam.
The gaming agency will be the first specialized network agency in the industry. DDB Worldwide has launched the new agency in respond to the growth of esports. The agency will be led by Darko Silajdzic, who said “In a changing world dominated by news of pandemics and social distancing, we are seeing acceleration of macro trends across all categories, and none with more momentum and potential than gaming and esports.”
The esports industry has seen tremendous growth over the past few decades, with COVID-19 acting as a catalyst for expansioh. Esports have allowed people to connect in virtual settings when in-person interactions are limited due to COVID restrictions. DDB’s creation of a new agency speaks to how esports is slowly becoming more legitimized. Other global network agencies are likely to follow suite.
Honda to Use Twitch in New Campaign
The new 2022 Honda Civic was revealed through a Twitch campaign on November 17th, 2020. The livestream allowed viewers to see the prototype of the new Civic, while livestreaming on a platform popular for esports. No other car manufacturer has ever used Twitch as part of their campaign.
Honda’s Manager of Media Strategy, PHil Hruska, stated that the goal of the digital reveal was to “connect with gamers on their turf.” The main target for the Twitch campaign was esports fans, but marketing to these individuals is nothing new for honda. In fact, Honda has already integrated itself, as a brand, with the gaming industry.
The key audience in the Twitch stream is esports players under the age of 35, which is an age group targeted by brands as first-time car buyers. The Head2Head Twitch channel, run by Honda, is a unique way to intereact with the target audience in an engaging way. For example, attendees had the opportunity to learn about the Honda Civic while watching a competition between streamers Bugha, MrSavage, Dakotaz, among others.
Additionally, Honda already sponsors Team Liquid as well as the League of Legends Championship Series. Their building of relationships in the esports industry is aimed at increasing brand loyalty, and strengthening their connections with esports fans.
