The growth of esports is obvious to anyone working in the industry, but over recent weeks the mainstream have started to get a taste of the future as stars of the virtual world begin to invade traditional marketing spaces. After a recent PwC report highlighted the power of esports now and moving forward, some familiar faces have started to appear on screens they aren’t often on.
The above video is a Gillette advert, and we all know the way Gillette like to sell us their wares. Hire a big sports star, or maybe a personality from around the game, and show them shaving in slow motion. On this occasion though, it’s Virtus.pro star Alexei "Solo" Berezin showing us why you don’t need 15 blades to feel silky smooth, if you so desire.
He’s not the only VP star with a connection to the world of male grooming, either. Team-mate Roman "RAMZES666" Kushnarev was recently caught appearing in an ad for Head & Shoulders, which is a fortunate connection for a player bound to wear black until the end of 2019. We're not sure why VP are such a popular choice, aside from their brand strength, but we’re certain they will give any team a run for their money when it comes to grooming and the flake-free life after seeing these ads.
Ninja never far away
It doesn’t end there, of course, and no article about esports stars in the mainstream could exist without Ninja, or Richard Tyler Blevins, as he’s known to his mum. Samsung decided to pair the Fortnite star with rapper Travis Scott for its latest attempt to flog phones that totally won’t explode, ensuring their 'fellow kids’ credibility is safe for another few weeks at least.
All of these come on the back of what is, for us at least, the best of the recent advertising/gaming crossovers, the G FUEL/Dr Disrespect ad, that beautifully played on the character created by Guy Beahm, the man behind the moustache. While the Doc may not strictly be an esports star, the same can be said for Ninja, and the reasons for working with a man like Beahm are obvious when you look at the effort put into his stream that ensures a high-quality product for the fans.
None of this is new to esports fans, as we said at the top, but it’s only a matter of time before your granny is asking who the nice young man with the blue hair on the mobile phone advert is and why he’s only around for two weeks. With the marketability of esports stars now ranking alongside traditional sports stars as well, this will continue to grow, and that can only be good for an esports scene that still needs traditional revenue to challenge the traditional giants.
