“Adtastic” with Andrew Dubois from Damage – the Esports Agency

Andrew Dubois
Head of Brand Management
Website Address: damage-esports.com

Each week on “AdTastic,” our host talks to advertising and media experts across the country.  This week our host speaks with Andrew Dubois from Damage – the Esports Agency. To learn more, check out damage-esports.com.

What is the main pain point that you solve for your customers?

Helping brands/clients/partners engage with modern consumers through gaming, esports and live-streaming.

What is the biggest change in the advertising industry that you see coming in the next 2 years?

A real focus on the consumer. This is especially true for gamers. Most marketing sucks! That’s because it looks and smells like marketing. Or actively tries [too hard] not to. The future is going to be led by the consumer.  Those of us who have been doing this for a while realize the shortcomings lie in the process, the politics, or the drama of marketing. We need to get back to the consumer and try to add real value. That’s the statechange.  Good thing everyone reading this article is one. So keep speaking up, turning away from the crap, and sharing the things that move you. Eventually, advertising and marketing will catch up to our expectations as people. 

How is the trend towards streaming television (CTV) impacting your advertising strategies?:

It doesn’t really impact it. We rarely activate via traditional media or means. We show up as a live experience, a competition, a VR mobile computing build, a discord server, a Reddit thread, a Twitch stream with the most amazing streamers you can imagine, really anything that interacts and engages people in two-way communication how a modern consumer needs. TV is a valuable tool but that’s not how we talk with the folks that matter most to us; gamers.

What’s your biggest challenge with attracting and hiring talent in the past 2 years?

Finding people that fit our DNA. Great minds, good people, that know their discipline. Working in our field requires a “doer” mindset. We don’t have a lot of hierarchy. We also don’t have a lot of “process.” We are just a good old-fashioned, action-oriented, smart, and accountable squad that don’t mind grinding together. It’s pretty magical actually.