Social Media Tracker: What igaming can learn from the beauty industry’s esports plans

Esports occupies a very interesting sphere within the world of igaming. Some brands are fully exploring what is on offer here, particularly in the realms of sports betting, but there are others who are choosing to take a step back. In doing so, they could be missing out on the chance to get involved with one of the fastest-growing sectors of gaming.

This is an industry that is growing year on year. While it might have started out as niche and relatively small, many other mainstream industries are now interested in the opportunities we see here. A surprising one is that of the beauty industry. Mega brands such as Benefit Cosmetics are creating opportunities and events that bring esports and beauty together. Notably, it is launching a women’s only tournament that stretches across nine events, with a total prize pool of $25,500.

This level of inclusion is something that many igaming brands could choose to emulate as they work out where esports fits within their own operations. To continue to ignore this growing industry or to only promote it minimally means that igaming brands could potentially miss out on some interesting opportunities.

Why esports?

Many might be quick to dismiss esports without actually realising how big the market actually is. There are multiple leagues and tournaments available for each game, and – of course – there are plenty of games that form the centre of these tournaments. Popular titles include League of Legends, Overwatch, Fortnite and CS:GO, but they are just four of many.

There are so many looking into the power of esports and what they are able to offer. According to Deloitte, investments from venture capitalists almost doubled between 2017 and 2018 – with 34 investors rising to 68. The global market revenue was estimated as being just over $1bn in 2021, but is predicted to grow to $1.6bn by 2024.

On top of this, the sport as a whole is being given platforms that we might never have expected to see, such as the pilot event of Esports Championships at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK.

Esports has sky-rocketed in popularity across the past decade and is now pulling in viewerships comparable to what we see for major sports events. It can be difficult to compare the two as esports viewers are often counted by peak concurrent viewership and sports count total viewers. However there are some comparisons that can be made. The League of Legends World Championship in 2019 collected over 100 million viewers, while the Super Bowl that year attracted 100.7 million viewers.

With all this in mind, it is unsurprising to see other industries flocking to the opportunities available here.

Case study: Benefit Cosmetics

Benefit Cosmetics is a makeup brand that was launched in San Francisco, US, in 1976, and now sells across 2,000 counters across 30 countries. It is known for its philanthropy and inclusive marketing and opportunities beyond its products.

The beauty brand claims that its new tournament is the first of its kind. It will take place on Rival’s platform and will stream on Twitch. The tournament has begun with an Apex Legends Invitational, featuring gaming groups The GameHers and Black Girl Gamers, with later matches becoming open to female-identifying amateur gamers across the US.

This also builds off the back of Benefit’s Game Face programme from 2020, which aimed to connect the beauty and gaming spheres on platforms like Twitch.

What the igaming industry could learn

So, what could the igaming industry learn from initiatives like what Benefit is pursuing? While an igaming brand might not want to set up and run their own tournament, looking at the marketing angle of the promotion of these tournaments and activities can show the potential that can be found here.

Benefit is using platforms like Twitch, Instagram and TikTok to build interest and engagement in its tournaments and wider cosmetic brands. It is bringing together groups that might have never seen that there could be a connection between the interests of gaming and beauty. It is this that igaming brands can consider capitalising on.

There is a lot of focus on creating platforms for the players who want to be able to do everything. Major brands will work to appeal to bingo players who might be interested in poker, or those placing football bets who also might want to check out a few themed slots games. However, very little is being done to drive traffic towards esports at the moment.

This is an industry that is growing massively and is showing no signs of slowing down. By finding common threads between the esports industry and other parts of their brand, igaming brands can create concrete marketing campaigns designed to show other types of players what this sector could offer, just as we can see mainstream brands like Benefit doing within its own spheres.