Great potential for marketing: e-football on the rise

With the help of large-scale market research, the research and consulting agency Nielsen Sports and the sports marketing agency B2Sports, which has just emerged from the Bavarian Football Association, are shedding light for the first time on the marketing potential of the ever-growing group of e-football players.

For this purpose, a representative sample of 800 people between the ages of 14 and 55 who play one of the two football simulations FIFA or PES at least once a week was surveyed. Demographic and socio-economic characteristics in the target group should come as little surprise: E-football players are predominantly male (82%) and have a high household net income.

But the findings about their affinity to classic football are exciting. For 95% of those surveyed, the Bundesliga is the most popular competition, followed by the UEFA Champions League (91%) and the DFB Cup (89%). This is reinforced by the fact that 49% of respondents play football themselves once a week and almost as many (42%) are members of a football club themselves.

Over 50% of gamers state that they can imagine attending an e-football event. Among club members, this willingness is even significantly higher at 62%. But there is not only potential offline. 73% of players watch tutorials, live streams and e-football events online.

The target group surveyed is also exciting for advertising companies: over two-thirds rate it positively when brands get involved as sponsors in traditional sports and sports. 64 percent of the e-football gamers surveyed said that brands that get involved in traditional sports or e-sports as sponsors gain sympathy. Similarly, these sponsors tend to be perceived as more modern and innovative by 64 percent of respondents.

The study clearly shows the potential for brands in this area and the conclusion seems clear: "Regardless of whether it's a club, association or brand - you should not be shy and engage with the target group of e-football gamers. Building on the knowledge gained, possible points of contact can be identified and a strategy can be set up if you want to reach FIFA and PES players via the various, partly new, digital platforms".

Dennis von Malottke, Head of B2Sports, says in the press release: "With this study, we have investigated for the first time what the target group of e-football players in Germany looks like in detail and where they can be reached. Our goal is to help associations, clubs and companies to better understand these gamers and to design a more targeted approach and communication - be it for the development and implementation of attractive formats or to win potential members and customers."

The most important study results are summarized in the white paper "E-Football Players in Germany", which is now available free of charge on the website of B2Sports(www.b2sports.de/insights) and Nielsen Sports(www.nielsensports.com).