What to know as communicators looking to expand into esports

As sports fans, we’re yearning for the days when we were inundated with live sports around the world and around the clock. Despite the infiltration of replacement content coming at us – sports documentaries, classic game replays and at-home athlete content – the void remains.

But for all the challenges COVID-19 brought to the sports community, it’s also created a huge and unique opportunity for esports. FleishmanHillard Sports has been working across esports for years with publishers, event organizers and first-mover brands that saw the potential of esports early on. Recognizing the pandemic as a potential accelerant to the category, we conducted an esports deep-dive analysis to assess the evolution and key drivers in traditional and social media conversation with the help of our TRUE Global Intelligence practice.

Unsurprisingly, our research found that esports conversation nearly doubled from February to March 2020. The most prominent topics driving the conversation centered on watching pro-athletes compete, betting on esports, enjoying live commentary around competitions and overall support for beloved streamers. The ability of esports to more seamlessly transition to virtual community engagement and online tournament play has translated into enormous audience reach, captivating audiences who are able to unlock immediate access. As adoption and engagement rates continue to grow, it’s clear that this period will undoubtedly be remembered as a catalyst for the category that helped it reach mainstream relevance.

So, how can we as communicators help brands climb aboard the rocket ship?

For enterprising brands, there are many ways to show up – but the risks are also heightened. The esports community has high standards and will be quick to call out companies that appear to be taking from, versus contributing to, it. As in traditional sports marketing, brands must keep authenticity and reciprocal value firmly top of mind. Here are some other keys for consideration:

Expand esports storytelling to non-endemic audiences to grow your base

As consumers continue looking for new ways to socialize and connect, many are moving into gaming for the first time. Be a part of a solution that helps them do so, providing entertainment and social connection now, and on a global scale.

Meet fan demand by mirroring traditional live sports experiences

Fans are craving the competition and pageantry that live sports provide. Create esports experiences that offer these same elements and be rewarded with positive conversation. Can your brand play a role in providing popular sports commentators, half-time shows or pre- and post-event content that brings authenticity and drives greater engagement?

Lean into talent to drive conversation

Our analysis found pro-athlete and pro-gamer involvement in esports competitions dominates the conversation. Fans are hungry to know what their favorite athletes are doing in quarantine and esports is an excellent opportunity to blur the lines between esports and traditional sports. Deliver this to them, but use caution when enlisting pro-athletes or celebs for the first time and make sure their connection to the game is real.

Don’t alienate the core community, stay true to your purpose

While the opportunity for expansion to new audiences is ripe, make sure that your storytelling is grounded in how your brand is supporting gamers right now. Gamers expect seamless gameplay and a competitive experience, and disruptions to what can be considered the basics can overshadow larger initiatives.

The direct health impact of COVID-19 is flashed in front of us every day in the staggering numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths recorded around the globe. But the indirect impact of the pandemic due to the massive disruption in the healthcare delivery system – the cancelled surgeries, delayed appointments and undiagnosed illness – will only be fully revealed over time. Sadly, it’s likely to tell another tragic story.

Results from a new study of primary care doctors in the U.S. released by the Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) shows that 60% believe that some of their patients will experience avoidable illness, and 38% believe there will be non-COVID-19 related deaths among their patients after the pandemic ends due to diverted or avoided care.

As health systems quickly pivoted to COVID-19 triage, doctors’ offices closed and elective, non-emergency procedures were postponed – the whole system turned its attention to the critical issue at hand. But what happens when the acute phase of the virus response recedes? Will patients quickly come back?

The PCC study shows that many clinicians fear that patients’ trust in the healthcare system is eroding. A quarter of respondents say that they anticipate the pandemic will result in “a broken sense of trust between the public and the medical world.” Are these doctors right? Will people feel it’s just too risky to visit hospitals and clinics – the “ground zero” of the COVID-19 crisis?

A FleishmanHillard TRUE Global Intelligence study of 600 U.S. consumers fielded May 3-4 backs up the concerns of physicians showing that a majority of consumers would not feel safe getting any type of medical treatment in the next 3 to 6 months. It showed that 76% do not feel safe having elective surgery at an outpatient facility; 73% don’t feel safe visiting their dentist; and 66% say the same about visiting their primary physician. Notably, women and those over 60 feel the least safe in accessing care.

It’s clearly going to take a lot of reassurance to convince us that the very places we used to view as places to get well are safe enough to set foot in again.

How will we know when it is safe to get care? Who will we trust to tell us? What signs and signals will we be looking for to reassure us that necessary precautions for our safety have been put in place? The results of the TRUE Global Intelligence study give us some helpful clues:

• Consumers want simple ways to be assured that it is safe to return to healthcare settings. Of those surveyed, 80% say they “do not feel that there are clear signs or signals that tell patients that it is now completely safe to go to a hospital or any other medical facility unless it is an emergency.”
• They want to hear information about the safety of electively returning to healthcare facilities directly from their physicians (60%), top infectious disease experts (48%) and local CDC officials (43%).
• And they want tangible signals and signs that every precaution is being taken to make a medical visit safe. Sixty percent want confirmation that hospital/outpatient staff is being routinely tested for COVID-19. They want to hear directly from a physician that social distancing and disinfection procedures are in place at outpatient facilities (54%).

After months of lockdowns and constant messaging about the risks of going anywhere outside our homes, it’s no wonder we’re apprehensive about seeking care. How healthcare facilities communicate that they are “open for business” again will be critical to helping people overcome their fears and get back to care. Our health depends on it.

We’re now months into a fundamentally changed economy and society where the nature, quality and structure of work has had to rapidly change with facts on the ground. But in truth, COVID-19 is simply accelerating the evolution of work, which was well underway already. What would have taken years to digitally transform industry, writ large, has been accomplished in a matter of months. Factors like automation and artificial intelligence, employee-employer trust, mobility, purpose and reskilling-upskilling have moved from serious considerations to drivers of change.

While too many variables remain to accurately predict the future of work, we can search for clues about what’s next from previous paradigm shifts and trends that were already in motion.

PHOENIX RISING

The success of open markets, and capitalism itself, relies on the idea of creative destruction – where one new idea, product or service replaces the old one. The catalyst for said newness occurs organically in free societies but is supercharged when a major event injects widespread variability into the mix. The more disruptive the event, the more difficult it is for the status quo to remain intact and the wider the opening for new entrants. What follows in these scenarios is a blossoming of solutions.

The 2008 recession birthed many of the direct-to-consumer services you know and love today. World War II catalyzed Silicon Valley’s already growing tech dominance and led to significant advances in computation and telecommunication technologies. The Flu Pandemic of 1918 provided major leaps in medical technologies and innovations in transportation.

Necessity is the mother of invention and COVID-19 has certainly presented massive volatility in need of navigation. We don’t yet know which companies will successfully steer themselves through a fundamental rethink of products and services to meet the challenges of this reality, but we do know the movement is afoot and so is an emerging workforce powering those innovations. In this environment, clients should balance the need for a consistent workforce experience against their appetite for experimentation with emerging solutions.

WORKING, 9 TO 5?

Remote working, pre-COVID, was acceptable but not a deeply established practice with only 7% of US workers having a flexible workplace benefit. Now, 74% of CFOs expect that at least 5% of their workforce will stay in permanent WFH status versus returning to the workplace. A recent study from FleishmanHillard’s TRUE Global Intelligence revealed that 61% of those who would normally need to be at their place of business to do their job are now working from home.

Entry-level, back- and mid-office positions with little critical need for physical interaction fall into this category – and are most likely to integrate automation in the near future. Further analysis of what functions can be performed onsite or offsite reveal two additional categories of jobs of the future. Some jobs, especially those in services industries, will continue requiring sensible physical contact and are at minimal risk of major disruption. Are you eager to visit a tele-salon or get a haircut via robot, after all?

The third category of jobs will require intermittent physical interaction and are especially critical to those in leadership positions and in industries that require serendipity, discovery and continual collaboration in the workplace. A crude parallel exists in how businesses approached cloud migration, which now blend on-premise, off-site and hybrid solutions to find the right mix of physical and virtual.

In all of the above cases, a decreased dependence on the physical workplace increases the demand on programs and tools that build culture and strengthen internal communications. Our experts are ready to assist clients who understand the importance of frequent and meaningful communication, especially important to younger generations within the workforce.

TRANSITIONING FROM REMOTE WORK TO TELEPRESENCE

While necessary and certainly up to the task, the collaboration solutions we’re currently using are only one part of recreating the workplace. They will continue to evolve and further redefine the future of work as competition to be the platform of choice intensifies and deepens. 5G, augmented and virtual reality, the Internet of Things and quantum computing have the potential to pull our 2D WFH experience into something richer and fulfilling.

The convergence of these powerful, paradigm-shifting technologies will be leveraged by a visionary (who’s possibly said, “You’re on mute” one too many times) to approximate what it’s like to share a physical space with someone. This could be picking up on nonverbal and environmental cues, being available for quick engagement versus connecting in rigid on-camera meetings, overhear a conversation that inspires or collaborate on the fly with seamless synchronization. These telepresence solutions will be delivered though emerging technologies like digital proxies, avatars, mirrored setups, and yes, even holograms.

You may guffaw at the idea and think that 2020 is not the future we were promised when these solutions should’ve already been in place. You’re right. But technology capacity, computation, bandwidth, complexity and even user sophistication aren’t the limiting factors anymore. Instead it is our failure of imagination, leadership and chutzpah that will prevent us from delivering the future of work we deserve in new, creative, inclusive and sustainable ways.

In the 1980s as the AIDS epidemic took root in America, there was no test for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Rather, once developed, the HIV-antibody test was used as a surrogate marker to identify the infected. Particularly before there was a treatment, an antibody test became a marker for discrimination, resulting in lawsuits. As a disability, it became illegal to discriminate against a person with AIDS and an HIV-antibody test under most circumstances could not be compelled.

In the COVID-19 America of 2020, an antibody test – this time to assess exposure to Sars-COV-2 – is being contemplated as a tool in the toolbox of those planning return to work scenarios and the notion of “immunity passports” has been reported by the media to be under consideration by some policymakers in Europe and by some employers in the U.S. The notion raises legal, communications and public health implications that loom large.

• What is the practical value of the test? One of the foremost considerations in using an antibody test is a practical one. What does a positive test result tell us? Whether or not the development of an antibody confers immunity on the part of the person tested is not clear. If there is immunity as a result, it does not tell us how long that immunity may last or whether all people who develop an antibody have an equal amount of protection or whether it depends on the level of the individual’s exposure.
• What are the legal implications? Can an employer compel an employee to take a test as a pre-condition to coming to work? And is there a health privacy consideration, either at a federal or state level, at stake in freely identifying – or compelling those who test positive – to publicly identify their antibody status. Can an employee demand antibody tests of co-workers? Can access to a doctor’s office or daycare center be premised on antibody status? Can a person’s livelihood or access to services or other venues be put on the line based on an antibody test?
• Is there a public health concern? Use of an antibody test as a “passport” to employment, to access to services, or to attend a theatre or sports event puts a premium on being antibody positive (the exact opposite of the HIV/AIDS days). Does this possibly mean that there will be people who purposely expose themselves to the virus in order to get their passport? It may sound farfetched. It isn’t.

Finally, there is the communications lift that is associated with explaining all the nuance associated with this. Use of the antibody test as a tool at first glance sounds easy and neat. It is hard and it is messy.

At this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are two tectonic plates pushing up against one another. One represents the enormous pressure to return to some state of economic normalcy with the freer flow of commerce and return to work and school. The other is the innate desire for safety — for a minimization of risk not only to one’s own person, but as a society in containing and diminishing infection and mortality. The pressure on each plate is tremendous with much at stake. These plates are in sharp relief when it comes to envisioning a return to the workplace. In a rush to get back to some state of normalcy the issues raised by antibody testing as a means for allowing freer and safer movement cannot be ignored. It should not be rushed into without a thorough consideration to the outstanding questions and potential ramifications.

Last year, small businesses employed nearly half of the United States’ workforce, driving job creation and economic growth. Under normal circumstances, we would celebrate the accomplishments of the small business community this National Small Business Week.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended those plans, with the Small Business Administration indefinitely postponing the annual commemoration. Meanwhile, small business owners are grappling with the increasing financial and emotional toll of the global health crisis, making now a critical time for companies with a small business customer audience to support them.

FleishmanHillard’s COVID-19 study found that 88% of respondents said that local businesses play a role in responding to the crisis. Larger brands that cater to entrepreneurs are in a unique position to help small businesses do just this.

Over the years, our work with clients with a small business focus has taught us the value of communicating with these special customers. Here’s what we’ve learned:

• Be empathetic. Creating and maintaining a small business was always hard work, but today’s pressures are causing new challenges and struggles. Express empathy in your communications, acknowledging the situation while reaffirming your commitment to support them.
• Give advice. Small businesses are looking to various sources to figure out how to stay afloat. Use your branded or owned content to give guidance and help build your own reputation among the small business community.
• Celebrate entrepreneurship. Find unique ways to recognize entrepreneurs for their ingenuity and hard work. From a campaign encouraging individuals to patronize local shops to a nationwide contest investing in start-ups, brands have put the spotlight on small businesses with success in the past. It’s always inspiring to see the enduring spirit of entrepreneurship.

These tips go beyond the current situation. During the recovery and resurgence phase, small businesses will be key to bringing the economy to life once again. Establishing yourself as a thought leader and supporter of small businesses now builds trust in the future. Create goodwill now; be rewarded later.