HOW HAS FORTNITE SUCCESSFULLY BRANDED THEMSELVES?

This blog post aims to outline the communication strategies Fornite has adopted to successfully brand themselves.

Branding has been defined as a concept which has either positive or negative connotations in a consumer's mind, which is formulated through organisations products or services. Steve Hoeffler and Kevin Lane Keller (2002) have identified two kinds of brand associations public relations practitioners will create in consumers minds:
1. Being portrayed as doing good things.
2. Demonstrating sincerity dimensions of brand personality.

The rapid development of information communication technologies has influenced branding strategies, as prior internet branding, public relations practitioners could control the flow of messages and influence the narrative on their stakeholders. However, due to the change in the media landscape, this has resulted in a shift of power between stakeholders and organisations. As stakeholders can access information on an organisation to create informed decisions, allowing them to talk freely utilising information communication technologies.

Fortnite is a multiplayer survival game which is compatible on Windows, Mac, Xbox and PlayStation platforms. Two versions of the game were released in July 2017, 'Fortnite: Save the World' (which you have to pay to play the game) and 'Fortnite: Battle Royale' (this version is free and popular).

'Fortnite: Battle Royale' is an online brawl, where 100 players are transported into an arena to fight until one survivor is on the island. To achieve this, players have to scout for weapons, items and materials, including traps, grenade launchers and rifles to arm themselves while exploring the island. As the match progresses, the arena becomes smaller, which encourages players to become close to battle until there is only one survivor.

To identify how Fortnite has branded themselves, Aaker's Brand Personality Model will underpin the analysis. It can be argued that elements of ruggedness, excitement and competence are encoded into the Fortnite branding strategy.

Arguably, Fortnite's branding strategy includes an element of ruggedness, as the game is pitched as a survival game, showing the sub-elements of masculinity and toughness. In addition, we can also see the organisation branding their product as exciting, through the wide range of cleverly designed weapons and gadgets, dance trends and regular competitions. Fortnite can be branded as competent, as the game is highly successful in the gaming industry with 9.6/10 rating by IGN whilst, Call of Duty (a popular survival game) has been rated 7.7/10.

It can be viewed that the success of Fortnite's branding strategy is due to the fostering of relationships with stakeholders through two-way communication, which has resulted in the development of online brand communities. Susan Fourier and Lara Lee (2009) have identified three types of brand communities:
Webs - individuals who have a bond with each other due to similar or complementary needs.
Hubs - individuals will have a strong connection with a central figure, however, have a weaker association with others.
Pools - people who have a strong association with each other due to a shared goal or activity.

It can be argued that Fortnite has successfully built a Pool and Web brand community, through the encouragement of users to participate in regular challenges such as the Love and War event. The challenge encourages individuals to team up in a group of six to win a free animal wrap. The encouragement of uniting together to fulfil a common goal can demonstrate an established Pool and Web brand community.

As part of the organisations branding strategy, Fortnite has been able to create a successful Hub community. This can be explored in Fortnite's regular World Cup Finals, where streamers and celebrities compete to win $30 million. Fans can watch the tournament live via streaming platforms or watch in-person. In this environment, fans will have a strong connection with a central figure such as the streamers and celebrities, however, will have a weaker association with other fans, therefore demonstrating the establishment of a Hub brand community.

I would personally like to thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I would be interested to hear your opinion on my analysis and whether you believe Fortnite has been able to create a successful branding strategy through other methods. I look forward to reading your response, and please keep an eye on my blog for more content surrounding public relations activity.