Social Media Marketing and gamer events: the case of the launch of Apex Legends as a model of entrepreneurship

Abstract

Spain has become the ninth largest gamer market in the world in terms of the number of eSports players. The participants correspond to a profile of a young public susceptible to be approached in an effective and efficient way by the digital marketing. In this sense, new technologies have altered the traditional role of the receiver, forcing communicators to implement new communication strategies to interact with this target. In parallel, the so-called influence marketing starts from the use of social networks on a regular basis to communicate with their followers. The aim of this study is, therefore, to deduce the possible instrumentalization of event organization as a specific management and communication tactic in the video game industry through influence marketing. And, besides, to check whether this type of campaign is effective or not. To do so, we start with the methodology of discourse analysis and direct observation, through the monitoring of content creators, completed with the bibliographic technique. The results obtained confirm the use of influence marketing as an effective technique for achieving advertising and communication objectives. Influence marketing is a key element in the purchasing process as a prescriber, due to the credibility it implies. The organization of events is a more persuasive and effective form of twoway communication than traditional advertising campaigns.