Customer Spotlight: Team Heretics’ Alejandro Roldán
Team Heretics has been a part of the Blinkfire family for the past four years. The organization boasts the widest fanbase, with 7.4 million social media followers, among Spanish esports clubs and continues to work daily to stay at the forefront of social media, while delivering commitments to sponsors and managing the various teams, players, and influencers under its purview.
In our Customer Spotlight series, we aim to learn more about the leading professionals who use our platform daily like Alejandro Roldán, Business Intelligence & Data Analyst at Team Heretics. Alejandro stands out for his ability to generate valuable insights on social media.
He’s a LinkedIn Top Voice in Gaming and Social Media, an achievement that reflects his dedication to sharing content related to his professional field and esports. Alejandro also is a tutor and teacher at Squarebox, a space dedicated to specializations in esports management or digital entertainment marketing.In 2022, Alejandro founded RoldoBoost, a consultancy specialized in GenZ and New Entertainment through which he publishes benchmarking reports and shares valuable sector insights.
What is your role at Team Heretics?
I’m a Business Intelligence & Data Analyst. My main function involves analyzing the club’s metrics to provide detailed reports for brands. Additionally, I work to identify areas of improvement in reports and benchmarking tasks to support the commercial team’s activities.
Esports, by nature, are inherently connected to social media. Do you think this can be a double-edged sword?
Being digitally native offers advantages by adapting to new technologies and understanding the language of new generations. Additionally, the use of User Generated Content (UGC) facilitates the amplification and virality of content, which can boost the visibility and reach of campaigns organically.
You’re very active on social media, and one of your flagship pieces is the dissemination of insights, team comparisons, and analysis. How did you start publishing this content?
When launching my consultancy brand in the sector, I implemented the content strategy we had developed at G2 Arctic. This involved providing value and offering useful information to potential clients, as well as disseminating knowledge about the sector.
You also share and analyze the latest developments on social media. How do you stay informed of these updates?
By being very much day-to-day, reading national and international reports, and being a user myself. In short, by not standing still and maintaining continuous learning.
My approach is to stay active day-to-day, maintain continuous learning, and be constantly immersed in reading both national and international reports. This practice allows me to stay updated with the latest trends, developments, and discoveries.
What are the KPIs you consider when analyzing the performance of an entity in esports?
Engagement and retention in videos are key indicators for evaluating the success of a social media strategy, as they reflect how the audience interacts and engages with the content. This data provides a more accurate view of the real impact of our posts and helps us adjust our strategy effectively.
Do you think they are equally significant in traditional sports?
Traditional sports have much to learn from native digital ecosystems like in esports where a large percentage of young fans consume their entertainment digitally, and not only in metrics but also in terms of sponsorship. Digital platforms offer unique opportunities for direct interaction with fans and content personalization, which can significantly improve connection with the audience and value for sponsors.
You work directly with brands and agencies. Do they value the same KPIs as esports teams and/or organizations?
No, and I think that’s a mistake. They are still immersed in the trend of measuring success on social media by the number of followers, but this metric is not relevant today. Depending on each social network, we have to focus on some metrics over others; it is essential to understand the specific metrics that are most meaningful on each platform. For example, for TikTok, I value video retention more than reach or video views.
One of Heretics’ most acclaimed pieces of content is Club 113, a weekly podcast hosted by content creators: Goorgo, Nil Ojeda, and Werlyb. Since its inception in 2022, the program has experienced continuous growth. Club 113 offers a unique interview experience that brings viewers closer to their favorite influencers, allowing them to immerse themselves in their conversations and closely follow their daily lives.
During the interviews, some of Heretics’ sponsors, such as San Miguel and Chupachups, are seamlessly integrated into the set. The highlights of Club 113 are turned into TikTok clips. With a duration of over an hour, the program provides numerous moments that, when well managed and edited, allow Heretics to generate a large amount of highly viral content.
In your experience, what has been the most successful marketing strategy you have implemented, and why do you think it worked so well?
I remember more of the strategies that failed and the reasons why they didn’t work, as I firmly believe that we learn better from mistakes. When analyzing the data from less successful campaigns, it’s easier to identify the exact points where we went wrong and understand why we didn’t achieve the desired results. In contrast, when a strategy is successful, the reasons why it worked so well are usually not deeply explored.
Esports organizations are made up of different profiles: content creators, streamers, teams.= How do you ensure that the message follows a consistent direction?
It’s crucial to understand what the team’s message and vision are, not just to recount for the sake of it, but to present a solid narrative that explains the reason behind our actions. This involves conveying our values to our followers.
How do you create a marketing strategy in such a changing world as social media?
Very short-term. Strategies are very short-term because the world of social media changes so quickly. You can’t plan beyond six months because algorithms change, consumption modes change, and platforms appear or disappear.
What challenges have you faced when activating sponsorships and influencer marketing strategies in the esports world?
The list can be long. I would highlight the lack of professionalism among workers or influencers. In the same line, another challenge is the lack of commitment or errors in commitments.
Short videos are the most successful content in all types of entities. Do you think their reign will last a long time?
Currently, you only have three seconds of user attention, which is a challenge because you either create an interesting storytelling narrative or lose them. We want things that are instantaneous and easy to consume. It’s a challenge we are facing.
What challenges do esports entities face by 2024?
As is common in most years, one of the main challenges is to diversify sources of income, gradually reducing dependence on sponsorships.
Your professional career also involves teaching. How do you integrate your teaching experiences into your professional approach?
In the end, it’s very enriching in both aspects. When teaching and sharing my experiences, I also learn something new, and that the management of students, motivation, and teaching generates skills for team management that you don’t get in a more traditional way.
What aspects of the industry do your students find most challenging?
Getting into the sector mainly. There aren’t many public job offers, and it’s mostly about contacts and personal branding. But for that, you have to move first and not mind investing time in smaller agents to build a career.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in esports?
Above all, be proactive and confident. Start building your personal brand, reach out, and talk to sector agents to collaborate. The “no” is already there before you start.
In what ways should esports be more like traditional sports? And vice versa?
In my opinion, academies, schools, and more amateur teams — traditional sports teams have a structure in place before reaching the highest level. In a sport like soccer you pay to play on a team in the early years to be trained, formed, and reach a certain level. In esports, it’s the other way around, and I think it’s a mistake.
On the other hand, I believe that traditional sports organizations should be more akin to esports in terms of how narratives are crafted on social networks and other content.
Track your esports organization with Blinkfire
Blinkfire’s product suite allows you to track various entities within your organization. From the networks of different teams to influencers, content creators, and media companies; manage all your social media on one platform. Additionally, you have access to different types of reports such as the Streaming Report or the Broadcast Report.
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