Vivian Siow – Womenize! – Inspiring Stories
Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational individuals from games and tech. For this edition, we collaborated with ESBD – eSport-Bund Deutschland e.V. and talked to Vivian Siow, Global Gaming & Esports Manager at Red Bull. She speaks about how her psychology and sport science background, combined with diverse marketing experience, has shaped a human-centric, data-informed approach to esports fan engagement. Read more about Vivian here:
Hi Vivian! From your academic background in psychology and sport sciences to your current role as a Gaming and Esports Manager, how have your studies influenced your approach to fan engagement and building sustainable strategies in the gaming industry?
My academic background has been fundamental in shaping a data-informed and human-centric approach to esports and gaming.
Before specializing in sport psychology, I built a broad foundation across neuropsychology, social psychology, counseling psychology, and clinical psychology. This 360-degree perspective on the human psyche provided me with deep insight into behavior, motivation, and emotional drivers. These knowledge that was initially applicable to general populations and now translates directly to understanding esports fans, my current audience.
Rooted in my academic philosophy, I’m a strong advocate for data-informed decision-making guided by scientific frameworks. This mindset allows me to assess not just what resonates with audiences, but why it resonates, leading to more meaningful and lasting engagement.
Studying sport psychology, particularly focusing on personality traits, emotional intelligence, and performance in esports athletes, has helped me understand what drives player motivation and how that connects to fan loyalty on a deeper level. When combined with sport science frameworks, I’ve come to view competitive gaming not just as entertainment, but as a high-performance ecosystem.
This perspective has influenced my approach to esports and gaming: I prioritize authenticity, emotional resonance, and long-term community trust over short-term hype. In practice, that means building campaigns that reflect player narratives, celebrate fandom, and capture key cultural moments in the scene, ensuring both engagement and sustainability.
You’ve held various roles across different industries, from social media strategy to marketing copywriting to merchandise and fan marketing. How did these experiences shape your skills and enable you for a career in gaming and esports?
Each of my past roles has been a building block that shaped the way I approach gaming and esports today. Working across social media strategy, copywriting, merchandise, and fan marketing gave me a unique blend of creative, analytical, and fan-first thinking.
Social media taught me the importance of real-time communication and cultural fluency; how to speak the language of a community, ride momentum, and stay relevant without losing authenticity. As a copywriter, I learned how to distill complex ideas into compelling narratives that align with brand identity, an essential skill when working with teams, talent, or sponsors in esports.
Merchandise and fan marketing, on the other hand, grounded me in tangible fandom. It’s one thing to talk about brand love, but another to see it expressed through what people wear, collect, or display. I learned how to bridge passion and product, how to create physical and digital experiences that fans actually want to be part of.
In esports, where culture moves fast and communities are deeply emotionally invested, this cross-functional background helps me see the full picture. It allows me to build campaigns that aren’t just flashy but culturally meaningful, scalable, and rooted in what fans truly care about.
As someone who focuses on creating long-term value for teams, players, and organizations, what advice would you give to aspiring marketers in esports about building impactful campaigns and navigating this fast-paced industry?
My biggest piece of advice for aspiring marketers in esports is simple: build relationships, not just activations.
This is still very much a people-first industry, and while campaign metrics matter, your network, your credibility, and how you collaborate often have a longer-lasting impact.
Esports moves quickly, and it’s easy to get caught up in chasing trends or creating flashy one-offs. But the most impactful work I’ve seen and been a part of, comes from long-term partnerships rooted in trust and shared purpose. That means investing time into understanding your stakeholders: players, talents, partners, and the community itself. Be genuinely curious, listen intentionally, and create value based on what the community wants.
Also, don’t underestimate the importance of consistency. In an industry that thrives on momentum, showing up with integrity, reliability, and a collaborative spirit can set you apart more than any single campaign ever could. Long-term value in esports isn’t just built on innovation, it’s built on relationships, and the ability to turn shared vision into shared success.