With much of live sports on hold for the forseeable future, Adidas is turning to video games to reach sports fans and audiences.

 

We know and have talked about the rise of e-sports in the past few years, but with many leagues on hold due to the COVID-19 crisis, some brands are trying to find ways to reach their usual audiences of sports fans.

 

In the case of Adidas, they turned to video games, more specifically FIFA 2020 to rebuild their audiences of soccer fans. With the European Championship cancelled, they decided to hold an “Uncanceled Cup” on FIFA 2020 with 51 games (just like the real tournament).

 

Handem Celenkler, marketing director for Adidas in Turkey, says: “The game has become the media for us.”

 

It is not only a branded content play, as they are also retargeting viewers with creative that drives them to the e-commerce component of the brand, where they can buy regular products, but also branded “Uncanceled Cup” swag.

 

Not all brands could do what they are currently doing, but it is nonetheless interesting to see how they are thinking outside the box (can’t believe I just used that expression) to reach audiences they previously had “easy” access to.

 

Take a couple minutes to read Seb Joseph’s article on Digiday, and don’t hesitate to ask yourself: what are the audiences I was reaching easily four months ago that I cannot anymore and how can I reach them now? What is MY “Uncanceled Cup”?