During this year, Esports has fared better than many other sports, with the industry being thrust into the spotlight as the first competitive sport to breakthrough pandemic restraints and deliver world-class gaming and betting entertainment to a global audience. In-person events shifted online, and although arena tournaments are now warmly welcomed back, online-only battles have continued as a well-followed mainstay of the Esports sector.
Esports betting bookmaker Pinnacle saw this as a huge opportunity to change how the betting, streaming and sponsorship functions of the industry can work together. Taking its decade-plus of Esports betting experience, this notion developed into the now hugely popular Pinnacle Cup series in 2021.
HUGE SUCCESS
Flipping the sponsorship model on its head, the Pinnacle Cup has allowed the company to create its own tournament, designed to maximize the enjoyment of the bettor while providing world-class content for millions of streamers too. Results were magnificent, with almost 14 million views of the first two CS:GO versions, which were won by Esports heavyweights Team Spirit and Gambit, with both teams taking home the lion’s share of the USD 100,000 prize pool for their successes.
These events are well-funded, well-supported and built to encourage up-and-coming teams’ development, giving them a chance to fight it out against the biggest names in their respective Esports. Following CS:GO events, which included teams across Argentina, Peru, and Brazil fighting it out against European titans, plans are now afoot for a World Championship in 2022, which will see the winners of previous events and selected invitees to face off for a bigger bank and status.
LOCALIZED CONTENT
Taking its content as local as possible is a constant objective for the company. With that in mind, in 2021, the cup was adapted for DotA 2, with specific targeting of the Peruvian community with an impactful, engaging influencer campaign. Giving back to its fanatical fans, Pinnacle worked with the likes of Daad, Umi, Jericho and ztok to drive conversation, educate and amplify the status of the local gaming community in their language, allowing for easier access to the content they demand.
Education is in Pinnacle’s DNA, and using charismatic social superstars, known and trusted by the community, creates a bridge that allows bettors to be informed and educated on the intricacies of Esports betting, driving their entertainment levels and brand trust in the process. This social media and influencer strategy has bled into Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Danilo Pereira and Alvaro Morales are two notable names who have driven home the benefits that make Pinnacle so desirable to the LatAm audience, namely high limits, low margins and the want to welcome winners as favored customers.
Florencia Brancato, Head of LatAm, Pinnacle, indicated: “This year’s Copa America allowed us to channel these USPs, with a strategy combining the ultimate football betting offering with a social media campaign and influencer relay that put Pinnacle as the go-to destination for education, information and better value betting throughout. With 2 million impressions across our organic content, huge revenue gains and acquisition targets smashed, it’s clear there’s an appetite for what Pinnacle is delivering to LatAm bettors. With the introduction of Peruvian Soles as a currency in time for the tournament, we wanted to give back to our loyal customers and make their betting experiences as seamless as possible when enjoying the Pinnacle betting ecosystem.”
ATTENTION TO THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
This attention to the customer experience is key across all areas of the company’s business. Offering sharper prices and bigger stakes is essential, but without the product to back it up, increasingly demanding customers won’t stay around for long. As well as continuous tweaks and evolutions to its sportsbook front-end, this year the firm has also released the Esports Hub to their global customers for the first time.
The Esports Hub is a prime example of taking on customer feedback and delivering a betting environment that the unique community demands. As a betting destination, it presents a slick and responsive user interface, with an Esports-led aesthetic and UI, allowing bettors to find their bets easier, stream content in-screen, and, most importantly, give Esports fans a betting home, as opposed to tagging content onto a sportsbook built for traditional bettors and traditional sports.
About this, Brancato concludes: “This 2021 has been a big year for Pinnacle. We’ve scaled up our localization to bring our product closer to the individual bettor, both in LatAm and in other corners of the world. We have backed that up with the campaigns, product development and delivery of the Pinnacle DNA that makes for a truly world-class betting experience. This will only evolve and get bigger in 2022.”