Rob Gronkowski Named ‘Madden 17’ Cover Athlete

Rob Gronkowski is being immortalized in digital form, and bringing his world-class spike and dance moves to a remote controller near you.

Electronic Arts revealed that the game-changing New England Patriots tight end will be the cover athlete for Madden 17 during a special segment on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Thursday.

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“My rookie year [in 2010], it was just an honor to be in the game, just using yourself as a player, throwing yourself the ball every single time you can at home, just playing the game,” Gronkowski told SportsCenter. “Now it’s a dream come true, going into my seventh season and being on the cover. … When I first found out, I was blessed. It was a surreal moment.”

EA also released the first trailer for the game, which will be available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation4 and PlayStation3 pre-order.

The next order of business for EA—and one that stars and their egos are certainly peculiar about—is the release of the positional player ratings before the game hits store shelves on August 23. Last year Gronkowski started the season at a 99 overall rating, the best at his position.

Finding out exactly what new gameplay and features will be bestowed upon fervent football fans doesn’t hurt either. Improvements to all three phases of the game in offense, defense and special teams were made for the forthcoming release, as detailed by EA.

In the meantime, EA Access members can play Madden 17 before the release as part of a Play First Trial, only on Xbox One. And if you already can’t wait to play with the franchise savior your favorite team drafted this year, the first-round picks of the 2016 NFL Draft—sorry Patriots—are available in Madden 16 Ultimate Team.

For the first time since Madden 2010, EA opted to choose the cover art internally rather than putting it in the hands of fans through a vote. In 2013, the vote for Madden 25 commenced with a 64-player bracket that would make March Madness jealous. It was later reduced to 16 players in 2014, and four in 2015 before being wiped away altogether this year.

Gronkowski takes the reins from Madden 16 cover man Odell Beckham Jr. Gronk was runner-up last year to the New York Giants wide receiver.

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Earlier in the day, Gronkowski also scored the cover of GQ Magazine, where the affable, life-of-the-party bro can be seen hoisting model Hailey Clauson on his shoulders and signaling the start of summer in the buff. “It’s been a great day,” the tight end said.

The 27-year-old is a marketing machine. Last year, he signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Monster. His likeness is already featured in coolers across America. In February, the SS Gronk hit the seas for a three-day voyage as part of a promotion dubbed as “Gronk’s Party Ship.” Yes, all 6-feet, 6-inches of the 265-pound beast was present—and in full party spirit.

In his 2015 book “It’s Good to be Gronk,” the all-world tight end said he hasn’t spent a penny of his contract earnings and strictly lives off the endorsement money he’s made from the likes of Nike, Dunkin’ Donuts, SMS Audio, DraftKings and BodyArmor SuperDrink.

A late-season knee injury in 2015 didn’t stop Gronk from tallying 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns en route to All-Pro honors for the third time in his career.

Gronkowski joins a revered list of luminaries like Brett Favre and Barry Sanders to grace the game’s cover. He’s the first tight end and Patriots player to do it, too.

John Madden, the Hall of Fame Raiders-coach-turned-broadcaster, was featured on the cover until San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst became the first player to grace the front flap with Madden 99. Shortly after, the Niners running back suffered a career-cutting injury that kicked off a string of stars who experienced shortcomings either on-or-off the field. The series of events gave birth to the “Madden curse,” a myth whose wrath has been mostly tamed in recent years.

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Gronkowski commented on the curse during his SportsCenter appearance. “It’s definitely reversed itself from back in the day. You have to look at the players that were on it recently. You have Odell, who had an unbelievable year last year. You have Richard Sherman, who went to the Pro Bowl the year he was on it. Calvin Johnson, who broke the receiving record when he was on the cover. It’s the present now. It’s the future of the cover. I feel like I’ve already gone through all my injuries at that time, so I feel like I’m good. I’m blessed right now to be on it. I feel like everything is going to go smoothly.”

The long-running professional football series first launched on Apple II computers in 1988 and has since earned a cult following from die-hards to become one of the top-selling games of all time—most notably after 2004 when EA signed an exclusive NFL video game contract.

The game enjoyed mainstream success with Madden Nation, a reality TV show that debuted on ESPN in 2005 and dived into the lives of top gamers. Last year, NFL Media teamed up with EA and Twitch to introduce “Madden NFL Live,” a weekly digital series covering news, tips and tricks.

In recent years, EA has changed the landscape of digital games on console by monetizing Madden through virtual currencies for microtransactions that account for more than a quarter of the game’s revenue.

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Madden 16 earned $76 million in revenue and Madden 15 pulled $73 million, respectively, according to SuperData Research. It was the ninth and tenth best-selling digital console games of 2015. EA had a net revenue of $4.5 billion in 2015.

The Redwood City, California-based publisher has also added value to licensed content on mobile through Madden NFL Mobile, a top-ten grossing app on Android and iOS. In an earnings report released earlier this week, EA indicated that Madden NFL Mobile’s monthly active players grew 30 percent in Q4 over the same quarter last year. In the same earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said their NFL, NHL and FIFA game franchises are each “taking a major leap forward in personalization, immersion and competition.”

Jesse Schell, CEO of game studio Schell Games and a VR expert, told [a]listdaily he thinks Madden’s next big move will be in virtual reality—and it could come as soon as 2020.

Time will tell how the game will mature. But for now let’s live in the moment and enjoy the summer of Gronk.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

Taco Bell’s Cinco De Mayo Promotion A Snapchat Hit

It’s no secret that Snapchat has become a major platform for brands, despite its increased asking price. Partners like Coca-Cola and Sony have already seen their fair share of success, and now you can add Taco Bell to the mix.

The fast food chain recently put together a promotion where Snapchat users could turn themselves into “taco people,” replacing their faces with crunchy tacos complete with eyes and mouth, and getting the chain’s traditional “BONG” effect right after. Despite it being a silly idea, it has paid off tremendously, as the Cinco de Mayo-themed promotion has brought in 224 million views in one day. That’s a new record for a Snapchat promotion.

The taco-based lens only took about six weeks to create, and cost around $750,000 to put together, similar to what Snapchat charged for holidays and special event advertising, including the Super Bowl. But considering the views that went into the video, and its popularity on social media, it’s a big payoff for Taco Bell’s marketing team.

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Even though the campaign only lasted for one day, it was more than enough to top the previous Snapchat record, which was Gatorade’s Super Bowl-themed promotion that garnered 165 million views.

The general playing time for the ad was around 24 seconds, resulting in a “Snap” being sent soon after. As a result, it managed to generate 12.5 years’ worth of play in a single day.

Considering that Taco Bell has been on Snapchat for three years prior to the promotion, and promoted its new Quesalupa item on it through various Snapchats, this new comical approach could prove to be an effective advertising tool for the chain in the future. Who’s ready for a Quesalupa face?

[a]listdaily Weekly: Super-Powered Marketing; Snapchat Knows It’s Cool

This time on [a]listdaily Weekly, we’re talking new media, New York and NewFronts. For digital brands, this week, it’s showtime, and for good reason. Over the past two years, both advertisers and media buyers have invested 114 percent more in original digital video programming, or roughly, a bajillion dollars in brand-love. Media companies would love to swan-dive into that Scrooge McDuck money bin, so it’s no wonder they’re breaking out the synchronized swimming routines.

Refinery29, a lifestyle publication geared to women, is exploring virtual reality storytelling and even The New York Times is stepping into 3D and virtual reality journalism.

If NewFronts was a fashion show, Snapchat would be “so hot right now,” and they know it. With users consuming 8 billion videos daily—matching Facebook video stats—Snapchat just did their little dance on the catwalk and doubled the costs to advertise, to around $40 CPM. Face-swapping with a taco for Cinco de Mayo was just the beginning, folks.

Captain America IMAXed-out American eyeballs this weekend with a $182 million gross, taking the #5 slot on the all-time openings list thanks to a $200 million ad campaign. Brand-placement has reached an all-time high and with Coca-Cola, Google, Samsung, Wrigley, and more signing up to be partners with Marvel, it seems like everybody wants to join The Avengers. With the power of money. (Hey, it worked for Tony Stark.) Audi has seen a 30 percent increase in brand awareness since the first Iron Man film, so the strategy is definitely working.

Speaking of cars, next time you’re at the car dealership, you could very well be strapping on a VR headset that, to quote 2 Live Crew, has you like, “Whooooooooaaaa… Sally.” Rather than host every vehicle color and option in the showroom, potential customers can literally visualize them all.

Have a topic in mind you’d like for us to address? Send your intel to @alistdaily.

Facebook Introducing 360 Photo Support And VR Viewing

Social media users can expect to add more dimension to their vacation photos by simply taking panoramic shots using their smartphones. Facebook has announced that it will soon introduce a “360 Photos” feature to its News Feed, which will use images created from panoramas taken from mobile devices and 360-degree enabled cameras, and are best appreciated using the Samsung Gear VR. Although any device will allow viewers to pan around a photo by tilting a device or dragging the image, Samsung smartphone users will have a “View in VR button,” which lets them see the photo in virtual reality using a Gear VR.

This opens a whole new creation angle for Facebook, as users can capture these photos without necessarily needing special equipment or applications to bring them to life. The feature follows the company’s announced 360-video support for its News Feed last September, but this expansion may be more accessible to users.

This feature was announced today on Oculus’ blog page, as part of the news that the Gear VR has expanded to a much bigger audience. The blog notes that the device has managed to reach over one million people in the past month alone, an impressive feat for a device that’s only been on the market for about six months. The company also touted its diverse line-up of over 250 apps, including popular games like Minecraft and Bait!, as well as special events like the Kentucky Derby and March Madness.

For the Facebook, Oculus is setting up a specific app, titled Oculus 360 Photos, where users can upload their photos and then see them using the device. It’ll definitely recreate that feel of being at a popular vacation event like the Rio Carnival.

Don’t be surprised if this starts a boom in panoramic photos. Having a full 360-degree view of a tropical resort or lavish vacation site is always welcome.

‘The Brookhaven Experiment’ Set To Invade China’s VR Arcades

The Brookhaven Experiment, a survival horror game releasing on June 22 for the HTC Vive, challenges players to survive against waves of terrifying monsters. Although the virtual reality game has yet to release officially, its demo has already made a huge impact on gamers, and it will soon achieve international renown, as Phosphor Games announced today that it is the first U.S. company to sign a direct distribution deal with the Chinese company Shunwang.

While video game arcades are hard to find in the U.S. and most other Western countries, they’re a thriving business in China, as demonstrated by the huge number of iCafés where customers can come in to play computer games. Shunwang operates over 100,000 locations, which comes out to more than 70 percent of the iCafés in China, reaching over 110 million gamers each year. Now the company is working to upgrade all of them with VR Zones featuring The Brookhaven Experiment as a premier experience.

At a time when one of virtual reality’s biggest challenges is getting the technology in the hands a wide audience, VR arcades may prove to be the biggest point of entry for many consumers. It might not be long before we see more VR arcades, similar to the VR Zones found in Shunwang’s iCafés, to start showing up in the U.S.

Justin Corcoran, CEO of Phosphor Games, speaks to [a]listdaily about how The Brookhaven Experiment is spreading across China, and is poised to become one of the most well-known titles in VR history.

How did the partnership to have The Brookhaven Experiment featured in Shunwang VR Zone arcades come about?

When HTC and Shunwang announced their partnership back in December of 2015, we were already working on Brookhaven, and quite consciously designing it for multiple markets and play styles. Once we learned that HTC had trusted Shunwang to be their key partner for Mainland China, and that they served 100,000 internet cafes with their game platform, we decided then and there to approach them about Brookhaven once we announced it, as it was designed to play well in an internet café setting. We were pleasantly surprised to have Shunwang beat us to it as soon as the Brookhaven demo was released on Steam. They played it, loved it, and wanted it for their VR Zones, so they reached out to us. We met at GDC, had very aligned visions about the future of VR, and put our plans in place to have The Brookhaven Experiment be one of the first games Shunwang is using to debut VR Zones all over China.

How does The Brookhaven Experiment translate into an arcade experience? Will it be the full game, demo, or a special arcade version?

Brookhaven translates very well into an arcade experience, and in fact, that was one of the intended play experiences from the beginning of development. Shunwang is already getting a great response and seeing lines queue up just from the demo.

All the versions of the game will have two modes: a campaign mode, where you are progressing through waves of monsters in a series of locations that follow the story of The Brookhaven Experiment gone terribly wrong, and an endlessly escalating challenge mode that will get harder and harder so you can compete to see how long you survive. Shunwang expressed that their audience would like both modes. The big difference in the Chinese iCafés mode is that it will have IAP (in-app purchases), which is a common and welcome practice in that market.

What makes The Brookhaven Experiment the ideal game to have in a VR Arcade?

Brookhaven is a great VR experience in general because you feel truly present in the game—the environment and situation feel so real around you, and pretty darn scary and thrilling without going overboard. Once you get the hang of it and start getting head shots and beating waves of monsters, you go from feeling helpless to feeling like a badass, and just want to keep playing to see how good you will get. It’s an immersive shooting experience like nothing you’ve ever had before as a gamer.

What works especially well for the arcade setting is that it comes in waves, giving you a break in between the moments of adrenaline and terror, and giving you a chance to see how well you did verses your last playthrough, or against your friends’ playthroughs, so you can try to beat it.

Also, based on over 10 million views worth of YouTubers over the past month, it’s pretty fun to watch people play and freak out!

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Do you think VR arcades have a chance to take off in the US or other Western countries?

Based on how many different VR arcade startups from all over the world are reaching out to us, we think that it has about as good a chance as it ever will. There is a window right now when a lot of people are hearing about and are curious about VR, but may not want or are unable to make the investment to buy a setup.

Eventually, the cost of entry will come down, and VR will come into more homes. But until then, VR arcades can be a way to experience the next great revolution in virtual interaction and learn what all the excitement is about—because VR really is as awesome as people are saying, when it’s done right. As PewDiePie put it when playing Brookhaven, “That was intense, I feel like a badass. VR is here, and it’s fucking beautiful!”

What role do you think VR arcades will play in encouraging adoption of home VR?

We feel that VR arcades can be for the global VR market what the iCafés over the past 20 years have been for the Chinese PC gaming market: a low-cost-of-entry exposure to a fantastic experience that paves the way to widespread adoption. Eventually VR experiences like The Brookhaven Experiment won’t need an expensive headset and an even more expensive computer, or high-end console, to run it. But until then, it’s a significant investment to bring the best of VR home, so going to a VR arcade gives you that experience for a few dollars at a time, just like the old days of arcades.

How does it feel to know that The Brookhaven Experiment may be played by thousands of people across China?

It feels fantastic! It has been a plan of ours for as long as we have been both working on VR, and watching what was happening with the Chinese gaming market, to bring our games there in a major way. But, to be honest, our goal is not to have thousands of people playing it in China—it’s to have millions. Shunwang serves 100,000+ internet cafés (70 percent of the market), and has over 100 million users on their platform. They are already well ahead of anyone else in the world (that we’ve heard of) by having VR Zones in 50 iCafés in major cities in China, with plans to get the rest of the 100,000 iCafés setup with VR over a few short years. That means that Brookhaven will continue to be a novel experience for thousands of new players every month, as more and more VR Zones come online, for years to come. We could not be more excited!

Will you be keeping the arcade experience in mind should you decide to develop another VR game?

We most definitely will. We already do, in fact, have other VR games in active development, and even more in planning—and they are all being designed with multiple markets and play styles in mind. We don’t see the audience for our VR titles as a single group that all want the same thing. That is not the reality of the modern global gaming landscape, and it definitely won’t be the reality as that audience immerses itself in VR.

As we move aggressively into VR as a studio, we are looking at every title and thinking, “What will the Western audience want in their version? What will the Asian market want? What will work best for the Chinese iCafés and VR Arcades? How will this translate to mobile VR? How could this work on a casino floor? How will this work best in room scale vs. stationary 360 degrees vs. 180-degree front-facing setups?”

A well-designed VR game can be customized in different ways while still maintaining its heart, if you go in from the beginning of the design process with that in mind. Our original mobile games like Horn, The Dark Meadow and The Path to Luma were played to critical acclaim the world over, and we plan to repeat that in VR.

VRstudios Exec Reveals ‘Barking Irons’ As First Multiplayer Wireless VR Arcade Game

At the International Consumer VR Exhibition and Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre on May 14, VRstudios will debut the first of several out-of-home multiplayer virtual reality games. Barking Irons is a multiplayer Western shooter that features wireless head-mounted displays that don’t rely on mobile phones or backpacks.

This game is one of several in development at VRcade, the gaming and entertainment division of Bellevue, Washington-based VRstudios. During the last month, VRstudios has signed worldwide agreements for its VR gaming technology with amusement theme park and arcade companies Meraas’ Hub Zero in Dubai, Simuline of Korea, and Denmark’s Smartlaunch.

Mary Jesse, chief strategy officer at VRstudios, will be speaking at the Consumer VR Show about “VR Family Fun and Entertainment.” She talks about what untethered gaming means for the entire virtual reality experience in this exclusive interview.

What role will the Consumer VR Show play for your company?

The International Consumer VR Conference and Expo will offer the public an opportunity to be educated on VR and also try systems like Oculus, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, and VRcade.

VRstudios is a featured platform on the exhibit floor. We will have two full-motion multiplayer capture spaces operating. The CVR show is the first time players will have a chance to experience the new wireless and multiplayer capabilities offered only by VRstudios.

Can you talk about your VRcade technology for destination gaming?

Our VR technology does not require portable laptops. We have the only “true wireless” multiplayer system. In addition, the VRstudios system is based on a flexible, dynamic content model. No physical construction is required. The portable system can be set up in under an hour and content can be changed on a customer-by-customer basis if desired.

How big of an area can players navigate in the real world for this game, and how many players can join at once?

Barking Irons is designed for physical spaces up to 30ft x 30ft with two users moving across the entire area. Multiple spaces can be linked together (up to four capture volumes) for a max of eight players in the game together competing for the high score.

What kinds of environments, avatars and weapons will be available?

Players start in the desert outside of town, where they can test out their gun on destructible targets like bottles, barrels, and lanterns. Players see each other as cool, futuristic robot avatars and are equipped with a Western revolver with a sci-fi twist. When ready, the current sheriff of the town introduces the rules and loads the players into the center of a Wild West town. There are several variations of animatronic bandits that spawn throughout town and start shooting at the players. The player who is able to dodge incoming bullets and shoot the most bandits will be crowned the new sheriff.

What game engine technology are you using and how has that helped development?

We have a Unity SDK and Unreal SDK. We strongly believe in adhering to open and standard interfaces whenever possible to allow the VR and AR ecosystems to grow and thrive, yielding the best products and services for the end customers.

What separates this level of VR from what we’re seeing on Oculus Rift and HTC Vive today?

True immersion can only occur if you are free to move around in full-motion, potentially over very large areas. And full-motion over large spaces is only possible with an untethered system. Without full-motion, there will always be a conflict between your sense of motion and what your eyes are telling you.

There is also a strong social element with out-of-home VR. Barking Irons is the first example of a dual player experience where people can cooperate or compete instead of just going solo. The emphasis on multiplayer and throughput is one of the key features driving interest in our systems and our sales worldwide. Cultures outside the U.S. are particularly oriented toward a group experience.

We think Oculus, Vive and other VR/AR consumer products are great products, just aimed at a completely different market.

What role do you see these types of VR experiences playing at theme parks and other venues in the U.S.?

We are experiencing enormous demand and inbound requests for engagements from all over the globe. We will not only see increasing numbers of VR and immersive attractions in entertainment destinations, but we believe we are entering a new era of  “Arcade 2.0.”

How are Meraas’ Hub Zero in Dubai, Simuline of Korea, and Denmark’s Smartlaunch going to use this game?

We will offer Barking Irons (among many others under development) and releasing new titles on an ongoing basis to all of our customers worldwide to offer to their customers.

What’s the rollout plan for this game, and will U.S. gamers be able to play?

We have several likely venues in the U.S. and would expect people to be able to play this game in the second half of 2016 at multiple U.S. locations.

Does your technology allow for a location to seamlessly swap out Barking Irons for the next new game?

VRstudios solution allows for a one-button, effectively instantaneous, selection of games and experiences and a full-service offering for all our location-based, arcade, and family entertainment center customers.

The Void just announced a Ghostbusters VR game experience. Is Hollywood licensed content something you’re exploring with VRstudios?

We are in discussions with several major IP holders including studios, consumer brands, and AAA studios. VRstudios offers a fast-growing new distribution channel for content and a great opportunity to build brand equity and attract new customers for new and existing IP holders.

The old-fashioned arcades went out of business when the home consoles caught up. How do you see VR entertainment for out-of-home evolving to stay ahead of the home VR product?

VR for out-of-home will be most of the first exposure to VR gaming and entertainment. We see out-of-home as being uniquely social and able to provide experiences not available at home. We also see out-of-home as a powerful partner to in-home gaming VR and AR experiences.

How big a business do you see this out-of-home VR industry becoming?

VRstudios believes the out-of-home VR market has huge growth potential. New and existing amusement park and arcade companies are looking to VR, and VRstudios, to provide innovative new attractions and continue to grow an already healthy industry.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) reports that global theme park spending currently exceeds $40 billion per year. There are 6,287 Family Entertainment Centers (FECs) in the U.S. alone, generating more than $2 billion per year according to IBISWorld.

In addition to our focus on entertainment, VRstudios is providing business solutions to commercial enterprise customers worldwide, such as construction, architecture, engineering, and aerospace.

Mike Sepso Explains Why ESports Is The Perfect Digital Content For Marketers

At the 2016 IAB Digital Content NewFronts inside the PlayStation Theater in Times Square, Activision Blizzard Media Networks (ABMN) senior vice president Mike Sepso showcased the MLG.tv Enhanced Viewing Experience (EVE), which was tested at the recent CS:GO Major in Columbus Ohio. The technology is a high-definition video stream with a built-in algorithmic system that provides viewers with match statistics, up-to-the-minute leaderboards and situational insights based on the competition they are watching. It’s the first time this technology is being demonstrated to advertisers in New York City.

Also new for ABMN is a daily ESR broadcast on MLG.tv by veteran broadcaster and retired professional gamer Chris Puckett, which provides up-to-the-minute premium highlights, interviews and news segments to be distributed via multiple distribution platforms.

This content will launch during the MLG Anaheim Open, a two-day Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 tournament set to kick off on June 10, 2016. The MLG Anaheim Open will also be the inaugural event as part of a deeper collaboration with Facebook to broadcast live competitions and deliver ESR content to the 1.6 billion people on the social media platform.

Sepso explains why now is the perfect time for non-endemic brands to invest in eSports—a sport that was born and lives on digital platforms—in this exclusive interview.

How are things advancing with the MLG.tv advanced viewing experience (EVE) that you tested at the MLG Major in Columbus?

The enhanced viewing experience is something we’re only using during major live broadcasts. The initial alpha tests went well and we’re expanding on that. For the advertising community this is a very new technology, just as eSports is still very new for them. We’re bringing the EVE player to the forefront here in New York and explaining how unique it is, and how we can build cool and innovative initiatives to fans.

What do you see EVE and the new MLG.tv daily ESR broadcast opening up for sponsors?

They open up new things for advertising. MLG has a history of positioning partner brands as heroes that support our activity. We’re talking to brands about different ways the enhanced viewing experience can be used, including the traditional sports scoreboard sponsorship as well as native advertising units. It’s still very early, but this event is a way to launch into conversations with bigger brands and agencies. We want to maintain an open innovation-friendly relationship with the advertising world.

How much education still needs to be done with non-endemic brands?

They’re still largely pretty new to the space, so we’re going to be the tour guide for them into eSports. We’re a big partner that can combine both the scale of our network and authenticity with MLG in the eSports space with the size and experience of Activision Blizzard. We’re big and we’re innovative and we’re leaders in the space, and we’re also going to represent brands in a safe and authentic way. There’s still fear out there with a lot of brands that don’t want to jump into a new space that they don’t understand.

With both ESPN and Turner bringing eSports to traditional television, what role does digital play for advertisers interested in eSports?

One of the major themes of this year’s NewFronts is how much ad money is moving from traditional TV to digital video, and how quickly it’s happening. IPG (Interpublic Group of Companies) is moving a quarter billion away from TV to YouTube. If that’s not an indication that advertisers should start looking at digital, I don’t know what is. The millennial audience is consuming more content from digital than traditional television. It’s the native platform for eSports content. It’s the first sport that’s gotten to hundreds of millions of global viewers online and has succeeded in the digital space. Not being on TV is a strength at this point. It’s not just that eSports wasn’t designed for TV, but because of the power of digital reach and the ability to reach the entire globe simultaneously.

What do you see Facebook Live opening up for your digital reach?

We’ve seen a tremendous amount of reach through Facebook. We’ve been working with Facebook for a year-and-a-half now. We’re deepening our engagement with our video content and investing more with Facebook. The sports partnership team, which is led by Dan Reed, who came from the NBA, has been great to work with. It’s been a very collaborative partnership. We’re going to be creating exclusive Facebook Live content and broadcasting some content from the MLG Anaheim Open in June.

I’ve interviewed Dan Reed before and he was early into the eSports game, viewing eSports just like any traditional sport.

Facebook is successful for a reason. We’re going to invest more there. It’s a huge growth platform for us in reaching a new, more mainstream audience with content. We’ll weave brands through Facebook Live. We won’t do branded content, but weave brands into our own storylines.

How have you seen things evolve with traditional brands and non-endemics, who still like old-fashioned television?

You’ve been covering eSports long enough to remember that we did a TV series on USA Network 10 years ago. It’s important to establish the longevity and strengthening of the sport. But most millennial viewers never got cable. They consume everything digitally.

Our first CS:GO Major (MLG Columbus) generated over 45 million hours of views. And that was during the NCAA Final Four weekend. Some people weren’t watching basketball that weekend.

I was at Nationwide Arena in Columbus and it seemed like you could have sold even more seats there. The atmosphere was amazing with people cheering the Americans.

We were concerned with making sure everyone had a great experience in the arena, and we were experimenting with a huge stage that’s 200 feet wide. But if we had to do it again—we’d sell more seats.

How have you seen the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 live event viewer being used?

With the MLG.tv integration into PlayStation 4, we’ve seen fans watch the Call of Duty Worlds in Black Ops 3.

But this partnership with Sony isn’t restricting our distribution—we’re expanding our reach with Facebook, and we continue to work with Twitch and YouTube. We’re working with Twitter, we’re looking at Snapchat and Instagram. With ESR, we’re taking as wide an approach as possible and tailoring the content to the platform.

How are you choosing which eSports titles to focus on?

As MLG and Activision Blizzard Media Network, we always focus on working directly with the publisher and we tend to be more conservative. We’re not going to create a lot of new stuff because one game is hot. Most of our success with the CS:GO Major in Columbus was the direct result of working closely with Valve. We have a CS:GO Minor at our MLG studio in Columbus May 22. Working closely with Valve has allowed us to do things like the enhanced viewing experience.

We’ve been around long enough to see the trends. There’s a lot of room for a lot of games to be successful in eSports. The key is how do we get to a sustainable business. What’s really important for me is celebrating the players and putting those personalities front and center.

[a]live: Ayzenberg’s Chris Younger Breaks Down Frontline Marketing

On [a]LIVE today, Ayzenberg’s Chris Younger joined host Andrew Volpe to discuss how Frontline Marketing is putting brands at the forefront of the consumer relationship. Brands are now beginning to shift to meet consumers where they are and engaging them on a level that is both authentic and consumer-first. 

Dell Is Defining Virtual Reality Solutions, And Meeting Marketing Demands

One of the biggest knocks on virtual reality is that there aren’t computers that can meet the threshold of the gigabyte-demanding visuals the immersive technology has to offer.

Understanding a potential industry-crippling impediment, Dell has introduced three workstation tower computers targeted for both consumers and creators alike that will enable them with the recommended minimum system hardware configurations to support the intensely demanding visuals for an optimal VR experience.

Dell has defined VR-ready solutions in recent months by working closely with its hardware and software partners, like the HTC Vive and Oculus. The VR ready 22-core Precision desktops have cutting-edge graphics card and Intel’s new Xeon E5-2600 v4 chips.

The PC giant’s video game outfit Alienware is currently promoting VR through Lunar Golf: The Future of Golf Experience, an HTC Vive experience that’s on a travelling show during the PGA Tour. The game’s title hints at the task at hand—to feel like you’re playing golf on the moon, just like Apollo 14’s Alan Shepard.

Bryan Jones, vice president of commercial marketing for North America, global OEM and IoT at Dell, has spent the last 17 years with the company in a variety of executive positions in marketing and sales. He joined [a]listdaily to discuss how Dell is formalizing its commitment to the future of VR.

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How is Dell currently navigating the waters of VR and AR?

VR is really starting to come into its own. From a consumer side, gaming and gamification is well on its way. What we’re focusing on the commercial side is the adoption of VR and AR. We’re kind of at the tipping point for that. A lot of companies are looking at AR. That’s where the first entry points would be in the commercial space, and where it would make sense from a technology perspective. VR is still a little ways out from a commercial perspective. We’ve had a lot of customers see our OEM and IoT division. They are starting to look at AR solutions in the commercial space.

What are some examples?

In any environment where you’ve got a dangerous or hazardous situation, most of those people are already wearing protective lenses. So, embedding technology and second-screen effects to help them with there job—and be safer—is really big. We’ve seen a lot of adoption in that space. Then there is the whole gamification piece. As you’ve seen the exposure of data in the commercial world, depending on which industry you talk to, corporate data is doubling every four-to-six months. There is a lot of structured and unstructured data. VR and AR applications can help a user make sense of all of that information, and utilize it. There’s a marketing, manufacturing and product development and design aspect of it—but it’s still very specific-use cases.

What are the challenges you’re facing in getting VR to be mass adopted?

I think a lot of it is still bound by two things—cost, and the experience bubble. There’s a lot of top-of-the-line [rigs], but it’s starting to come down. If you’re going to create this environment, you have to get the most out of it, yet be very careful about how fragile the experience bubble is. That’s where some of the cardboard experiences are not quite as immersive or ready for application. It has to come down from a cost perspective. There certainly is a technology barrier. I think there are a lot of companies pushing that envelope, which will create more adoption. I think the other is that it’s still a very specialized use-case. We have not seen that killer app, or tip-over functionality, except in really specific spaces.

How is Dell attempting to gain audience ownership with its line of products?

On the consumer side, Alienware is a natural extension from high-end gaming to incorporating VR. The work we’re doing with Alienware is a bridge into that space, and that’s where we’re really looking to drive the brand acceptance.

Industry prognosticators strongly believe video gamers will propel the VR industry. Does Dell feel compelled and somewhat responsible to help make that happen?

If you look at Dell’s corporate values, what we’re always really focused on ‘how do we increase capability, but at the same time, take out cost and complexity.’ And you can apply that to the B2B space, in the deepest, darkest part of the data center, all the way out to the consumer edge with VR and gaming. We want to make the computing side of VR much more affordable for the end-user then it is today. You can still have a very powerful machine. The cost of a good machine is $1,100-to-$1,500 in glass and audio to get that experience right. A big part of it is leveraging our DNA.

What is Dell’s DNA? What is your brand message?

It’s the democratization of IT, and enriching and enabling the user community through the adoption and power of technology. It’s ‘the power to do more,’ which is our tagline.

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How do you find the right influencers like Adrian Grenier and his VR project to deliver Dell’s brand message?

We don’t really want or need to engage with brand ambassadors at the very top level of Dell. People know Dell. People know what we do. We want to engage with people like Adrian who come along and help us tell our story. There has to be a commonality. We’re not interested in just going high on celebrities and endorsements. There’s almost zero value to us from a marketing perspective. I don’t criticize other brands who do it because maybe it fits better for them. For us, we have a very strong brand and we’re kind of the rock star of the industry in my opinion. If influencers want to come along and support and complement our platforms, they need to be passionate. We don’t want someone that’s just going to show up, have a drink, sign a few things, and leave. We want people like Adrian who engage and help drive value.

How about social media influencers, like the ones YouTube? Is that something you practice in order to tell your brand story?

Oh, absolutely. Especially on our consumer side. When you look at our consumer side and commercial side, there are dissimilarities. On the consumer side, we’re investing very heavily into our all of video channels, not just YouTube—right content, right place, right time. That strategy is important to tell and drive a story. On the commercial side, we use some of those same tools. But I think the biggest thing that we’re trying to harness is ‘there no longer is just a consumer person or commercial person.’ You are in and out of that persona all day because you’re constantly connected with the digital world. We have a social responsibility. We have a corporate responsibility to engage with you the right day, and one that enhances and enriches your life rather than just sell you products. If you’re a channel that’s always on shouting products, people disengage immediately, and wonder off. Things like social, and social video are really huge in telling a story and connecting people. Long-form video is six seconds now. You need to use that effectively, but also tie it back in to a more traditional media play. For the Dell Match Play, for example, we made TV commercials because commercials make sense in sports; people watch it in real time. But then all of the other streaming capabilities and digital capabilities make sense and serve different demographics and different interest levels. How do you pour all of that together? Because there is no such thing as a commercial plan, and a consumer plan. They have to come together.

How is Dell positioned to continue growing in the tech space?

Innovation comes from everywhere, so we’re focusing on empowering entrepreneurs. It’s about making tech manageable, simplified, and cost-effective. Innovation doesn’t occur inside the four walls of a corporate environment anymore. We want to extend the range of innovation. It’s not good tech if a grandmother has to ask her grandson how to use it.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

Newzoo: ESports Awareness Reaching One Billion This Year

There’s no question that the world of eSports has grown quite a bit over the past few years, becoming a phenomenon for both die-hard and casual fans alike. Now, according to a new Global eSports Market Report from Newzoo, it’s about to reach even bigger heights.

The report indicates that the total number of consumers worldwide that know about eSports will reach one billion this year, which is a staggering 36 percent increase from 2015. This is drawn from data taken from 16 countries across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, including Japan and Korea. Meanwhile, general awareness of eSports has reached 65.7 percent for this year, up from 53.7 percent the previous year.

According to Newzoo, there are many factors to consider when looking at the success of eSports, including explosive growth in coverage from global media, increased efforts from game publishers responsible for a number of eSports-friendly titles (from League of Legends to Call of Duty), and the rise in new leagues and events catering to both pro players and newcomers.

Both “Occasional Viewers” and “ESports Enthusiasts,” as categorized, have seen a jump, with 144 million Occasional and 148 million Enthusiasts, for a grand total of 292 million viewers.

Newzoo CEO, Peter Warman, spoke to [a]listdaily to provide more insight into the growth of eSports. “Firstly, with the enormous increase in the number of events and leagues on a global and especially on a local scale ensuring there are top games to watch at most times of any given day.

“A second reason, directly related, is that there are now more teams and players competing, meaning there are more ‘heroes’ for people to admire and follow. For instance, the local Spanish G2 eSports team is hugely popular in Spain itself and sponsored by telecom giant Vodafone but not as famous on a global scale as their top team that recently won the G2 LCS Europe finals. So, the fragmentation into national leagues and events has a huge impact on the number of people eSports will entertain. By the way, this is happening on a global scale, from the U.S. to Spain, from China to Malaysia.

“Thirdly, traditional consumer media has seriously picked up on eSports only recently, drawing in hordes of new viewers and increased awareness amongst non-gamers. A nice example is the Top 10 Plays of the Night, broadcasted end of April, that includes a moment from a Dota 2 match.

As far as where the potential for eSports can go following this year’s record reach, Warman states, “ESports will be in the DNA of any game that even has the slightest multiplayer competitive play mode. Communities now have the tools to set up tournaments or leagues online, stream each game and build an economy around that. Some of these consumer-driven initiatives will take niche games all the way to eSports events in stadiums, if the community wants this and is big enough to support it. When it comes to the games that already are acknowledged huge eSports franchises, things are going to get much bigger. Not the size of single events, but in terms of frequency of events and local granularity of leagues.

“Ultimately, a sports bar needs a top eSports game to put on the screen at any moment of the day if the eSports economy wants to come close to generating revenues per fan known in traditional sports. Soon, you will see serious initiatives that will aim to structure and connect local, regional and global competitions in a way we see with sports. These new bodies will also play a key role in legislation, player protection, etc.

“And a thought that I am floating at the moment is that teams will become the most powerful parts of the ecosystem—even more powerful than the publishers. Teams and their players could potentially have more fans than an individual game has players… not a prediction I will write in stone, but definitely one to think about.”