ESports Group Evil Geniuses Plots Branding Evolution Under New Global Marketing Head Krystal Hauserman

After being purchased by Chicago-based investment firm Peak6 in 2019—which was followed by a rebrand the same year, and two logo changes—eSports organization Evil Geniuses is continuing to build up its brand reputation. To better position itself amid the rising popularity of eSports, Evil Geniuses has hired Krystal Hauserman as vice president and global head of marketing. Since its founding over 21 years ago, Evil Geniuses has earned $25 million in prize money—more than any other eSports organization in North America. The company ranks third worldwide in the amount of cash its earned through its wins. Still, the brand is attempting to re-establish itself in an eSports market that has grown significantly. The global eSports audience will reach $474 million by the end of the year, with revenues from competitive gaming set to be just short of $1.1 billion according to market researcher Newzoo. Facebook Gaming Adds New Social Features for Streamers, Viewers The brand faces challenges from several competitors such as FaZe Clan and 100 Thieves. While winning tournaments is part of cementing its brand position, Evil Geniuses ability to elevate its status also depends on doing more to connect players with fans. "Some people don't know about us," Hauserman noted. "Our fandom does, but the challenge and what's really exciting is how do we break through that next layer of fans out there and find them." Hauserman says that entertainment, engagement and community are the three hooks to reach that new fanbase with innovative partnerships as another focus. "We're really leaning into behind the scenes content of who our players are, what they do, and what makes them tick," she added. "The stuff that fandom really gets excited about." Citing her experiences in brand transformations and marketing partnerships with companies like Fullscreen and WarnerMedia, Hauserman expects to widen the brand's reach by breaking into expanded categories such as beauty, wellness, fashion and lifestyle. Hauserman spoke with Adweek about her previous marketing experiences, altering her career path and building a diverse and inclusive environment at Evil Geniuses. Adweek: You worked at WarnerMedia and Fullscreen. Did you have any experience or knowledge with the gaming and eSports world going into this?Krystal Hauserman: As a young kid in Oklahoma, I went to my parents and said I want to be an entertainment attorney to the stars. By 26 years old, I was sitting in a century city high rise with a list sheet and clientele, but something was missing. In undergrad I studied marketing and studied filmmaking. After four years, I transitioned over to marketing. I eventually went over to Fullscreen and really got my hands into digital. We sold the company several years later to AT&T and became part of the WarnerMedia empire. In my time there, particularly at Fullscreen, I got to work with what I will call digital content creators. Tons of players from FaZe Clan that were at the top of their game like Ninja from Fortnite. We also acquired Machinima while I was at Fullscreen. What made you go from law to marketing? Do you remember that moment where you thought about it?I do. In the best ad woman tagline ever, I decided I wanted to make art not war. The idea of working with creative teams and creating art was undeniable in terms of my soul. I had that epiphany at 26 years old and I'm incredibly thankful to that young woman who shifted from a path that was probably into the unknown. And I'm in awe that I did that to be honest. What shapes your marketing instincts from these stops in your life and your career?I've gone through an absolute revolution in terms of marketing. The way I view the world in the last two years has changed. Suddenly, you saw every marketer from every fantastic brand that could no longer rely on the external world, outdoor advertising or really fantastic events and all the super fun stuff that we do as marketers. Suddenly, it became how do we get creative with a computer or a virtual experience. I could see what all these marketers and brands that I look up to were doing on every platform. I started making connections with my peers because I love networking and I love connecting. I reached out to people that I admire. I've invited them to come over to talk to my internal team. That's what I aspire our brand to do and continue to embody. It's learning, sharing, witnessing and having great admiration for the fantastic stuff that our peers do. What are some initial goals that you have that you're hoping to execute in the near future?We are in that process right now. Step one was getting ourselves organized, to be quite honest. It's really building up the team. I'm hiring like gangbusters right now. I have a whole leadership pantheon on my team that I am hiring. It's goal number one right now. The eSports and gaming field has had its own reckoning with racism and allegations of sexual harassment. Evil Geniuses cut two gamers last year for sexual harrassment and inappropriate comments. What has Evil Geniuses done to improve its diversity and inclusion efforts around gaming?When we think about our role there, how we create an environment that is welcoming to all starts at home. We must ensure that our people in the back of the house reflects what our fandom is. I think we've done a good job. There is always more room to get better. If you don't have that leadership and that perspective behind the scenes, it's really hard to come at those issues that are incredibly complicated in a way that is productive. I am new to the role but in the last year we launched press forward, which is a gaming summit series devoted to women and gaming that celebrates diversity while creating forums for those discussions. We are closely involved with the GameHERS organization. Our CEO, Nicole [LaPointe Jameson] is on their board. We're the only first-tier eSports organization that has a collegiate program. The purpose of that is to educate young people on what it means to work in eSports. It also opens the net to a varied and diversity-rich number of people that we're communicating with and letting understand that this is an industry that you can pursue, regardless of what community you come from. How does Evil Geniuses separate itself from its competitors?What really makes us different is an absolute unwavering commitment to competitive excellence. Everything we're building in terms of the players we train and recruit. Competitive excellence is always at our core. Corollary to that is building entertainment and fandom, and serving that community. There are other teams out there that lean into the entertainment component and competitive results may be a different priority. And then there are others that swing the other way where it's all about competition and entertainment value. We sit in an interesting cross section where winning is always at the core. But being entertaining while we're winning and building that fandom is the ideal cross section, the Venn diagram where those two things intersect.