Fortnite Becomes Gaming Superstar With Revolutionary New Sponsorship Deal

Streamers Tee Up New Ad Opportunities For Live Sports

Measuring sports sponsorships is complicated enough – let alone measuring the impact of sports sponsorships in the digital age. Traditional sports sponsorships only go so far in today’s fragmented media landscape. Marketers need to engage sports fans outside the games themselves, and they need to look beyond TV to court the youths, who have never been tethered to cable.

That’s where video games come in. Since 2023, Ally Financial has partnered with youth marketing platform SuperAwesome to build interactive experiences inside the hit online megagame Fortnite. Using Fortnite’s open-source creator platform, Ally and SuperAwesome built a virtual location dubbed the Ally Arena, which hosts games inspired by Ally’s sports partnerships.

Relo Metrics is one of a handful of companies capitalizing on this niche measurement gap. It specifically measures sports sponsorships on TV and in digital channels, including brand and logo placements visible during a televised sports game.

Relo Metrics: A Solution for Measuring Sports Sponsorships

Relo Metrics measures sports sponsorships on TV and in digital channels, including brand and logo placements visible during a televised sports game. The company uses computer vision to identify logos or other sponsor placements within three-second frames and scores the quality of the sponsorship placement.

The company ingest broadcast data directly from TV programmers, streaming services and regional sports networks. Using computer vision, they identify logos or other sponsor placements within three-second frames. Then, they score the quality of the sponsorship placement, such as how many times it appeared and for how long, whether it was prominently in view and how many other sponsors were present.

Combining Results with Audience Measurement

Media buyers can combine Relo Metrics in measurement reporting for buyers, who have relationships with nearly all of the major streamers and TV networks. Relo Metrics is creating new brand metrics specifically for sports, such as return on fan engagement.

They partnered with data and measurement company Captify earlier this summer to add more search data to their reporting. Now, they can tie search lift to specific markets or regions to measure the sponsorship impact during and after a game.

Last year, they also integrated with VideoAmp to bring its TV viewing data – including set-top box data and automatic content recognition from TV devices – into their platform to more accurately measure brand exposure throughout a live event.

The Future of Measurement and Attribution

The rise of direct-to-consumer models is becoming increasingly popular, with streaming platforms and other companies relying on subscription-based revenue. This shift is changing the way brands approach measurement and attribution.

Household-level measurement is becoming increasingly important for tying ad exposures to actual identifiers, which is creating more opportunities for attribution. Relo Metrics is using household-level measurement to provide more accurate results for brands.

The Impact on Sports Sponsorships

The shift to digital-first sports sponsorships is likely to have a significant impact on the sports industry. Brands will need to adapt their approach to measurement and attribution in order to succeed.

According to our analysis, US viewers still watch roughly 80% of live sports competitions like hockey and basketball via local broadcast. Even with sports livestreaming on the rise, these viewers are underrepresented in small audience panels.

Real-World Implications and Practical Aspects

The future of measurement and attribution in sports will be shaped by the rise of digital-first sponsorships and the increasing importance of household-level measurement. Brands will need to stay ahead of the curve in order to succeed in this rapidly changing landscape.

The ultimate goal is to get Ally’s name out in front of consumers aged 18-30 in ways that feel connected to what matters to them. And Fortnite skews older than one might expect, with almost two out of three Fortnite players aged 18-24, and 23% aged 24-43, according to Verto Analytics.

To make sure players on Fortnite are aware of and engaging with Ally’s Fortnite activations, the brand implemented a strategy centered on social media outreach and influencer marketing. For example, “Tee Time Speedrun” went live last week and has a significant off-site marketing push.

Ally organized a speedrun tournament in which players competed for the quickest times. Ally promoted the tournament through sponsored influencer content on Twitch and on Ally’s channel on the messaging app Discord.

SuperAwesome connected Ally with a stable of paid influencers who represented Ally’s target audience, such as Sommerset (1.8 million Twitch followers) and Aussie Antics (1.3 million Twitch followers). These influencers participated in and hyped up the tournament in advance, driving additional organic engagement from other players and streamers.

The Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Models

Direct-to-consumer models are becoming increasingly popular, with streaming platforms and other companies relying on subscription-based revenue. This shift is changing the way brands approach measurement and attribution.

The ultimate goal is to get Ally’s name out in front of consumers aged 18-30 in ways that feel connected to what matters to them. And Fortnite skews older than one might expect, with almost two out of three Fortnite players aged 18-24, and 23% aged 24-43, according to Verto Analytics.

The Importance of Household-Level Measurement

Household-level measurement is becoming increasingly important for tying ad exposures to actual identifiers, which is creating more opportunities for attribution. Relo Metrics is using household-level measurement to provide more accurate results for brands.

Making sure players on Fortnite are aware of and engaging with Ally’s Fortnite activations, the brand implemented a strategy centered on social media outreach and influencer marketing. For example, “Tee Time Speedrun” went live last week and has a significant off-site marketing push.

Ally organized a speedrun tournament in which players competed for the quickest times. Ally promoted the tournament through sponsored influencer content on Twitch and on Ally’s channel on the messaging app Discord.

The Future of Measurement and Attribution in Sports

The future of measurement and attribution in sports will be shaped by the rise of digital-first sponsorships and the increasing importance of household-level measurement. Brands will need to stay ahead of the curve in order to succeed in this rapidly changing landscape.

The shift to digital-first sports sponsorships is likely to have a significant impact on the sports industry. Brands will need to adapt their approach to measurement and attribution in order to succeed.

According to our analysis, US viewers still watch roughly 80% of live sports competitions like hockey and basketball via local broadcast. Even with sports livestreaming on the rise, these viewers are underrepresented in small audience panels.

Real-World Implications and Practical Aspects

The ultimate goal is to get Ally’s name out in front of consumers aged 18-30 in ways that feel connected to what matters to them. And Fortnite skews older than one might expect, with almost two out of three Fortnite players aged 18-24, and 23% aged 24-43, according to Verto Analytics.

To make sure players on Fortnite are aware of and engaging with Ally’s Fortnite activations, the brand implemented a strategy centered on social media outreach and influencer marketing. For example, “Tee Time Speedrun” went live last week and has a significant off-site marketing push.

Ally organized a speedrun tournament in which players competed for the quickest times. Ally promoted the tournament through sponsored influencer content on Twitch and on Ally’s channel on the messaging app Discord.

SuperAwesome connected Ally with a stable of paid influencers who represented Ally’s target audience, such as Sommerset (1.8 million Twitch followers) and Aussie Antics (1.3 million Twitch followers). These influencers participated in and hyped up the tournament in advance, driving additional organic engagement from other players and streamers.

The Impact of Video Games on Sports Sponsorships

Video games like Fortnite have come to fill a similar role for Gen Z as golf fills for older generations. “It’s just like my dad would have been out there playing golf and hanging out with friends – there’s a bit of playing the game, but there’s also a social experience around it,” said Nicholas Walters, president and chief strategy officer at SuperAwesome.

With Fortnite activations, Ally is looking to build brand recognition by getting in front of the platform’s massive audience – about 30 million players a day, according to ActivePlayer.io. In comparison, even The Masters, a men’s tournament in April that’s the highest-rated golf broadcast of the year, had a peak viewership of 12.5 million.

The ultimate goal is to get Ally’s name out in front of consumers aged 18-30 in ways that feel connected to what matters to them. And Fortnite skews older than one might expect, with almost two out of three Fortnite players aged 18-24, and 23% aged 24-43, according to Verto Analytics.

The Role of Social Media in Sports Sponsorships

To make sure players on Fortnite are aware of and engaging with Ally’s Fortnite activations, the brand implemented a strategy centered on social media outreach and influencer marketing. For example, “Tee Time Speedrun” went live last week and has a significant off-site marketing push.

Ally organized a speedrun tournament in which players competed for the quickest times. Ally promoted the tournament through sponsored influencer content on Twitch and on Ally’s channel on the messaging app Discord.

SuperAwesome connected Ally with a stable of paid influencers who represented Ally’s target audience, such as Sommerset (1.8 million Twitch followers) and Aussie Antics (1.3 million Twitch followers). These influencers participated in and hyped up the tournament in advance, driving additional organic engagement from other players and streamers.

The Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Models in Sports Sponsorships

Direct-to-consumer models are becoming increasingly popular, with streaming platforms and other companies relying on subscription-based revenue. This shift is changing the way brands approach measurement and attribution.

The ultimate goal is to get Ally’s name out in front of consumers aged 18-30 in ways that feel connected to what matters to them. And Fortnite skews older than one might expect, with almost two out of three Fortnite players aged 18-24, and 23% aged 24-43, according to Verto Analytics.

The Importance of Household-Level Measurement in Sports Sponsorships

Household-level measurement is becoming increasingly important for tying ad exposures to actual identifiers, which is creating more opportunities for attribution. Relo Metrics is using household-level measurement to provide more accurate results for brands.

Making sure players on Fortnite are aware of and engaging with Ally’s Fortnite activations, the brand implemented a strategy centered on social media outreach and influencer marketing. For example, “Tee Time Speedrun” went live last week and has a significant off-site marketing push.

Ally organized a speedrun tournament in which players competed for the quickest times. Ally promoted the tournament through sponsored influencer content on Twitch and on Ally’s channel on the messaging app Discord.

SuperAwesome connected Ally with a stable of paid influencers who represented Ally’s target audience, such as Sommerset (1.8 million Twitch followers) and Aussie Antics (1.3 million Twitch followers). These influencers participated in and hyped up the tournament in advance, driving additional organic engagement from other players and streamers.

The Future of Measurement and Attribution in Sports Sponsorships

The future of measurement and attribution in sports will be shaped by the rise of digital-first sponsorships and the increasing importance of household-level measurement. Brands will need to stay ahead of the curve in order to succeed in this rapidly changing landscape.

The shift to digital-first sports sponsorships is likely to have a significant impact on the sports industry. Brands will need to adapt their approach to measurement and attribution in order to succeed.

According to our analysis, US viewers still watch roughly 80% of live sports competitions like hockey and basketball via local broadcast. Even with sports livestreaming on the rise, these viewers are underrepresented in small audience panels.

The Role of Relo Metrics in the Future of Measurement and Attribution

Relo Metrics is using household-level measurement to provide more accurate results for brands. They ingest broadcast data directly from TV programmers, streaming services and regional sports networks. Using computer vision, they identify logos or other sponsor placements within three-second frames.

Then, they score the quality of the sponsorship placement, such as how many times it appeared and for how long, whether it was prominently in view and how many other sponsors were present. They take into account the costs of running a 15- or 30-second commercial within particular sports games to determine the impression value of sports sponsorships.

They also directly survey sports fans that have watched particular events. Media buyers can combine Relo Metrics in measurement reporting for buyers, who have relationships with nearly all of the major streamers and TV networks.