From decreasing distance of social isolation, to breaking up our day, gaming has played an important role in brightening up many of our quarantine lives. The positive power gaming possesses has also only just started to be recognised by governments and the WHO amongst others. So whether you’re completing a year-long backlog of AAA games or exploring gaming for the first time, everyone can play as they choose.

Travis Scott’s Fortnite event, Astronomical, attracted more than 12 million gamers on its first showing. The show was broadcasted a further 4 more times during the last April 2020 weekend. Scott transformed a whole island into his stage and treated his fans to a 10-minute performance of his biggest hits such as Sicko Mode and Goosebumps. Astronomical’s viewership numbers topped Marshmello’s in-game gig by 2 million. Marshmello’s show was held in February 2019 and was the first of its kind.

IPA released the Q1 2020 Bellwether report last week and it showed that marketing budgets experienced the fastest rate of decline since the global financial crisis. The report goes on to predict that ad spend will continue to shrink for the rest of 2020 but will recover in 2021. Read the reactions and view of some of the industry leaders, including Bidstack’s CEO, James Draper here.

With Facebook Gaming’s popularity on the rise, the social media giants are taking another step forward with the release of Facebook Gaming app to further increase their market share of streaming platforms. Originally scheduled for June 2020, the app was released 2 months earlier to try and take advantage of the current demand for gaming. The app is available on Android and Facebook are currently waiting on Apple’s approval before making it available on iOS.

BMW have partnered with a number of leading esport organisations (including Cloud9, G2, Fnatic, T1 Entertainment & Sports, and FunPlus Phoenix (FPX)) in an effort to reach a younger demographic. Unlike their traditional sports partnerships, BMW are handing the keys over to the esports organisations to let them connect the brand to fans in an authentic way. BMW admits that they do not have enough knowledge around Millennials and Gen Z to reach them effectively. So, the German car manufacturers are hoping esports will be their answer.

Unofficial Partners’ Sean Singleton wrote a guest piece for The Marketing Society which reflects upon the impact of the global shutdown on brand relationships with consumers. Quoting Marketing expert, Mark Ritson, ‘the best marketers should be upping, not cutting, their budgets’, Singleton reminds us that the audience hasn’t disappeared, they’re still here! We just need to find alternative ways to reach them. With gaming and esports rising to prominence as a form of entertainment, the article explores the marketing and advertising opportunities within esports and gaming and why they are quickly being adopted.