Unilever ‘triples’ its gaming investment: A question and answer session with global head of sports and entertainment partnerships Willem Dinger

Willem Dinger: “From a cultural perspective, it really helps our brands become more relevant and increase conversation in gaming – it’s where all the different points of passion come together, from fashion to film to music to sports, kind of a cultural epicenter from an engagement standpoint. “Perspective. But also from a commercial perspective in terms of using gaming as a platform to drive a corporate culture that leads to change. Because at the end of the day, we are a company; We have to sell products.”

Digiday: Dinger’s response to the potential commercial benefits of the metaverse offers insight into the long-term value of platforms like Fortnite and Roblox to Unilever. In the past, brands’ forays into the metaverse have often involved “digital twins,” fully virtual replicas of their products that users can own and display in virtual worlds. This type of activation makes far more sense for a fashion or lifestyle brand than for a consumer goods brand; After all, there just aren’t many gamers interested in owning a virtual can of Ax body spray. But as platforms like Roblox introduce real-world e-commerce tools, it might be smart for Unilever to establish a presence in the metaverse ahead of its e-commerce revolution.

Willem Dinger: “We would do a little bit of both, right? We would definitely do in-game inventory and advertising, but in order to properly engage with players and fans who actually play Minecraft and Fortnite, it’s really important to be present and actually add value to their overall gaming experience create, which is why we worked with Dove to ensure that black hairstyles are represented in different gaming environments. Yes, we will still be able to run in-game ads to ensure we stay top of mind, but it’s important to tell these social impact and product stories in a fun and relatable way. You have to be in the game, at the game, around the game and outside the game.”

Digiday: Although Dinger acknowledges that both custom activations and intrinsic in-game ads are important elements of Unilever’s marketing mix, his response highlights one of the weaknesses of programmatic in-game ads: namely, that they are considered more impersonal and inherently be viewed as less valuable. as deeper branded game worlds. As platforms like Roblox look to expand their programmatic offerings, they must contend with this perception of in-game ads, which are sometimes viewed as less authentic in a community that values ​​authenticity above all else.

Willem Dinger: “I think esports offers unprecedented scale in some ways. It gives you fandom. I’ve been to the League of Legends finals before and it’s like being at a FIFA World Cup soccer match. So it’s passion, it’s excitement, it’s competition. If you just look at the Esports World Cup, it is an eight-week competition with over 500 million viewers consuming 250 million hours of content. 500 teams, 1,500 players. It’s huge, it’s growing, it’s global. In order for us to be able to integrate with content, media and players and be active on the ground in Saudi Arabia, we cannot ignore this.”

Digiday: Unilever was one of several major non-domestic brands to sponsor the Esports World Cup, alongside advertisers such as PepsiCo, Amazon and Adidas. Dinger not only pointed out the pure media value of the event, but also made it clear that the opportunity to become active on site in Saudi Arabia was a particular advantage of the sponsorship agreement.

Although some observers have speculated that developing closer ties with Saudi Arabia was a motivation for sponsors to get involved in the Esports World Cup, Dinger clarified that this was not a driving factor in Unilever’s sponsorship of the event. He said that Unilever viewed the EWC as more of a global opportunity, with the intention of “uniting all of our different global markets and our global brand”.