Propeller headed down to Shoreditch this week to learn all about the future of sports marketing, specifically referring to the rise in popularity of eSports.

Our hosts Fnatic are a professional eSports brand, with teams that compete in a variety of games and platforms, and the panel was held in their office and competitive gaming arena which is fittingly titled the ‘Bunkr’.

Offering their expertise and gazing into the future of global eSports were Skip Fidura, Client Services Director of Dotmailer, Matt Wilson, CEO & Founder of Ball Street Media, and John Parker, Head of Sport of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, with The Drum’s Entertainment Marketing Reporter John McCarthy refereeing the debate.

The overwhelming message of the panel was that eSports has already arrived and the longer brands refuse to see the benefit of moving their advertising budget to these global competitions the harder it will be for them to connect with an entire generation of teens and young adults. That being said, brands are not advised to take part in eSports just for tokenism, and must understand the culture of this community in order to become a part of it.

Matt Wilson delivered the stand-out quote of the evening saying, “As a kid they lied to me when they said I couldn’t play games all my life!”

A thoroughly entertaining panel and a couple of (not so) friendly games of FIFA afterwards ultimately made for a highly informative and enjoyable evening. We’re looking forward to the progress of this exciting industry!