Tech
‘This isn’t a theoretical construct’: Brainlabs, Fanbytes CEOs on why influencer marketing can power global expansion
Brainlabs wants to continue its expansion into fast-growing areas of media like influencer marketing. Fanbytes has influencer expertise in abundance, but can only take it so far.
That’s the quick take on why independent agency Brainlabs acquired influencer marketing agency Fanbytes for an undisclosed amount in May.
With that we can dig deeper into the latest round of consolidation in advertising. Remember that in the last few weeks (and months), WPP acquired e-commerce agency Corebiz and We Are Social acquired above-the-line agency Metta Communications in Hong Kong. Like those deals, the one between Brainlabs and Fanbytes stacks up for both sides. There are issues, of course, but it seems closer to a perfect match than a marriage of convenience.
Sanguine-soaked as this sounds, the deal is also dipped in some straightforward logic.
For starters, Fanbytes didn’t need saving. Otherwise, CEO Timothy Armoo would’ve gone with one of the private equity investors that wanted to buy the agency. Similarly, Brainlabs isn’t exactly short of new business. It handles more than $1 billion in media billings annually, according to one source who declined to go on the record because the number is confidential. These are two companies that could afford to wait for the right deal, rather than settle for whatever was available.
It turns out that right deal was essentially the one that would give both businesses a better shot at growing their influencer marketing briefs now. On their own, this wouldn’t have been impossible — just improbable. Together, both businesses have a better shot at success — albeit not a clear one. The economy is on the skits, after all. Yes, ad dollars are still being spent, but sooner or later (if not already), that will slow. Downturns tend to do that to marketers.
Even so, Armoo and Brainlabs CEO Dan Gilbert seem to like those odds.
“If anything, this period is a moment when marketers rationalize where they spend their money and invest in the things that really work, including influencer marketing,” said Gilbert.
Not that advertisers needed a downturn to figure out influencer marketing goes deeper than likes, comments and a shout out.
“Over the last year, the fastest growing segment of the Fanbytes business was a product we built whereby marketers can use influencer content for their paid media,” said Armoo. “Brands were already thinking about how to make influencer creative work harder.”
This is great for attracting more media dollars, but not so great for the commoditization of influencers. The harder advertisers make content work, the more they see talent as a media product first and foremost, often driven by data. This can lead to a lack of creativity and authenticity, and a lower quality of content. The key is really understanding what influencer marketing can do but accepting that it can’t do everything.
“This was one of the things that really stood out to us about Fanbytes,” said Gilbert. The team acknowledged that influencer marketing isn’t an exact science, he added.
Indeed, it’s very hard to attribute breakfast cereal sales and footfall in a supermarket directly to an influencer marketing campaign. But understanding a digital footprint, brand uplift and engagement is more realistic. The important thing is incorporating this into the wider reporting picture.
Having proprietary insight tech will accomplish this for an agency: it lets Fanbytes executives understand the benchmarks and channel averages of the influencers they’re working with. For example, what does good look like to them and does that match the expectations of the brief? Being able to answer those questions with data gives marketers the means to give influencers’ clear KPIs for their campaigns and use a mix of qualitative and quantitative metrics.
“This isn’t a theoretical construct,” said Gilbert. “The Fanbytes team are in market building campaigns that deliver value, which is where the growth rate of our business is coming from. So we’re seeing fast-moving consumer goods? clients switch budgets from TV to influencer. The reason for that isn’t because of any trading deals or rebates, it’s because it drives results across the marketing funnel.”
Being able to prove those results is more important than ever.
Increasingly, influencer-led marketing is seen as a key component within the overall marketing mix, and is therefore playing a more central role in advertisers’ strategies. Of course, that’s going to ebb and flow through the current economic storm, but influencer marketing isn’t necessarily going to be one of the first line items on a media plan to get cut by clients, should the market go sideways. On the contrary, more big advertisers are recognizing that talent partnerships, when done in the right way, are a legitimate avenue for reaching and engaging with diverse audiences, and driving real impact.
“We haven’t seen a pay per click advertising my — only brief in years — it’s all integrated into wider ad spending and the same is going to happen for influencer marketing,” said Gilbert.
In fact, his clients are already asking for it, he said.
“Certainly, over the next two or three years it’s going to become a significant part of media plans and subsequently integrated with other lines of spending,” Gilbert added. “Not many brands can afford to work with Michael Jordan but they can use people in pockets who have influence over more targeted pools of people to get great results.”
There are lots of caveats to this way of thinking, particularly when it comes to how linked ad spending is in these areas to the growth of agencies, given the seemingly endless stream of financial constraints foisted around those businesses. But as digital communications and customer experience become more central to the way businesses grow, it makes sense for marketers to tap into that expertise.
Take General Mills, for example. Marketers there are moving more of their ad dollars into influencer marketing, especially for vegan products like Lärabar, which have incredibly engaged communities on social media. These niche audiences demand a trusted and authoritative voice that branded content and traditional advertising often can’t deliver.
“We know we can impact every part of the marketing funnel with influencers — we have the data to back that up,” said Armoo. “But we also know that the other parts of that funnel are being managed by marketers in other parts of the marketing team like paid media, SEO and display. Coming together with Brainlabs allows us to reach those people more easily.”
Conversations with marketers are already starting to shift as a result.
“Budgets are getting bigger, the campaigns are longer as are the partnerships with influencers,” said Armoo. “The conversations have gone from giving us some money to launch a product to some fans to launching the product but then seeing how those people can be retargeted or marketed to over a 12-month period.”
There’s no doubt these are challenging times for agencies. The pandemic and subsequent downturns of 2020 and 2022 have magnified pre-existing trends — talent retention, squeezed margins and emerging competitors to name a few. In many ways, these trends amount to the ultimate stress test for agencies.
Brainlabs’ plan has withstood the pressure to date. It is projected to grow revenue 40% this year compared to 2021. Moreover, Gilbert told Business Insider earlier this year that his agency is headed toward $100 million in revenue. Most of this growth comes from the U.S., where more than 60% of Brainlabs‘ business comes from now. Needless to say, talks have already been had about taking Fanbytes over there.
Chances are the expansion — for both businesses — won’t stop there. Over the last year, Brainlabs has bought marketing services companies in Canada and India. And it remains on the lookout for businesses in Germany, France, Australia, China and Japan. In the next three to four years, it expects to be a fully global agency.
“Brainlabs is in a unique place of not being tied to legacy approaches to planning and buying,” said Greg Paull, principal at independent search consultancy R3. “They have built an impressive suite of sophisticated tools with the talent to match. More importantly, they have been putting the right dots on the map to give global clients the comfort of a strong worldwide presence.”
In the post-Covid world, all bets are off in terms of structure and alignment between agencies and advertisers. It’s just as likely that more marketers are going to bring chunks of media in-house as it is that there will be more pitches. The agencies best suited for this dynamic are going to be the ones that help reduce friction and measure business outcomes — the companies who can truly navigate how owned, earned and paid lead to real outcomes, said Gilbert.
The arrival of 2.4GHz wireless technology has made wireless gaming headsets more reliable than ever before, the best of which can now rival their wired counterparts when it comes to connection latency and sound quality. But no two wireless gaming headsets are made the same. Manufacturers cater to all tastes and budgets, so there are myriad different styles, designs, and hardware inclusions that can vary how they look, feel, and sound.
To hardcore gamers, gaming headsets have become another tool that helps them get an edge over competitors, hence personalization is a big consideration. Here players look for headsets with the best spatial audio, and software support to fine tune audio settings like EQ and to tailor-make presets for specific games.
Suffice to say, considering all the ins and outs of a particular headset can be a little daunting. To simplify things, our PCWorld reviewers have done the legwork by getting hands-on with each device. While we review everything that comes our way—the good, the bad, and the ugly—only those that have excelled in our testing make it into our list below. These headsets strike a balance between performance and usability, placing them in a league above the rest.
For a rundown on how we test wireless gaming headsets and for buying advice, read on below our recommendations.
1. Astro A50 – Best overall wireless gaming headset / Best premium option
Pros
- Charging cradle is smaller and still very unique
- Switches to the more reliable 2.4GHz band (finally)
- Comfortable and durable
Cons
- Middling battery life
- Poor noise isolation
- Expensive
Although it doesn’t come cheap, the Astro A50 packs in more gamer convenience than most similarly priced gaming headsets. In our PCWorld hands-on review we considered the A50’s onboard controls, which include an easy-to-locate volume wheel and a chat/game channel mixer, to be best in class. The mixer allows you to easily switch between your game audio and chat programs in an instant.
As well as a refined audio profile, the A50 features a sleek and convenient charging cradle that displays your chosen EQ profile and your selected audio mode—Dolby or stereo. The headset uses the current best-standard 2.4GHz band Wi-Fi signal for the most reliable wireless connectivity. It’s also comfortable and durable.
Read our full
Astro A50 (2019) review
2. SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – Best audio quality
Pros
- Great quality audio
- Dual wireless functionality
- Lots of software options for personalization
Cons
- Quite expensive
- Active Noise Cancellation won’t block out all external sound
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro features just about everything you could possibly want in a wireless gaming headset, including excellent sound quality, style, comfort and a durable metal headband. With support for 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless, as well as wired connectivity, the Arctis Nova Pro is easily compatible with your PC, laptop, or Xbox device. It also comes with a GameDAC base controller that lets you switch between your PC and Xbox One or Xbox X/S at the press of a button.
The headset incorporates technologies that elevate your listening experience, including Active Noise Cancellation, 360 Degree Spatial Audio, and Pro Grade Parametric EQ. All this functionality will set you back $349.99, which admittedly isn’t cheap. But for a headset that sounds this impressive and can actually make you a better gamer, that could be a price worth paying.
Read our full
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless review
3. Razer Barracuda Pro – Best surround sound
Pros
- Excellent audio through the bass, mid, and high tones
- THX Spatial Audio is a treat in games
- Lightweight and comfortable design
Cons
- No boom mic means the mic audio suffers somewhat
- ANC works but could be better
Gamers wanting a full surround sound experience—either for the strategic advantage that brings, or just for thrills, should dig this headset that features arguably the best spatial audio we’ve heard. The pro-grade Razer Barracuda Pro supports THX Spatial Audio that delivers excellent sound directionality in games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Battlefield I. Razer’s Synapse app also lets you personalize the spatial audio by tweaking the audio’s directionality and creating profiles for specific games and media.
The Barracuda Pro is a little different from other gaming headsets in that it doesn’t have a dedicated boom microphone, relying instead on innocuous slots to pick up the sound of your voice for chats. The advantage of that is that it can pass off as a convincing headphone at anytime, making it a highly versatile device.
Read our full
Razer Barracuda Pro review
4. Logitech G935 – Best mid-range wireless gaming headset
Pros
- Leatherette is a classy change from the G933’s sports mesh
- Hidden microphone and dongle storage are great features to have
- One of the best-sounding headsets at this price
Cons
- Bulky and boxy compared to the competition
- Mediocre battery life
- Very little noise isolation
It may be a mid-range device but the G935’s flowing S-curve design and stylish leatherette earcup coverings class up the headset’s overall look. The G935 also sounds impressive thanks to 50mm audio drivers that deliver a rich bass-presence and warmth through the mid tones.
The G935’s microphone reproduces voice chats with a clarity you’d scarcely expect to hear from a mid-range device. In what amounts to a nifty piece of engineering, the mic also folds up into the headset’s body when you don’t need it, keeping it out of sight. There’s also a handy onboard compartment to store your Wi-Fi dongle so that it doesn’t get lost.
Read our full
Logitech G935 review
5. HyperX Cloud Core Wireless – Best budget wireless gaming headset
Pros
- Decent audio quality, with deep bass and clear mids and highs
- Durable, strong, and portable design
- Highly comfortable earcups with memory foam cushioning and leatherette coverings
Cons
- No Active Noise Cancellation
- Metal headband attachments can sometimes trap your fingers
The HyperX Cloud Core Wireless ticks off must-haves, like great audio quality, but also backs those up with a few nice-to-haves like durability and excellent spatial audio, which for just $99 is exceptional value. The spatial audio comes courtesy of DTS Headphone: X which is managed in the third-party DTS Sound Unbound app. This app leverages Microsoft Spatial Sound technology so it gets decent Windows support and it’s easily downloadable in the Microsoft App Store.
The headset’s Wi-Fi signal is delivered over the 2.4GHz band and in our hands-on it proved very reliable, never dropping out or suffering interference. If your ears like a touch of luxury, the headset’s plush memory foam cushioning and leatherette earcup coverings will keep them feeling snug and comfy.
Read our full
HyperX Cloud Core Wireless review
How we test wireless gaming headsets
To find the best of the best, we put every wireless gaming headset through a legion of tests. We examine everything from design and styling to the integrity of their Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth signals. Since these headsets are tailor-made for gaming, we spend many hours trying them out in games, listening closely to their sound quality, and testing extra features like Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) or spatial audio technologies. Our testing criteria mainly falls under these categories:
Design and ergonomics
When it comes to gaming headsets, design is crucial for your overall comfort. It’s also crucial for maximizing your gaming experience. To that end we consider factors like the overall shape and fit of the headband and earcups, their clamping force, and crucially what they’re made of—which affects how they feel. We also examine things like whether they have boom microphones, if the microphones are detachable, and whether there’s onboard storage for the dongle.
Connectivity
Wireless gaming headsets transmit sound to and from your PC via a wireless signal. However, the way they do this can vary. Key connectivity considerations are whether the headset connects via a Wi-Fi or a Bluetooth signal or provides a choice of both of these options. We also look at the Wi-Fi band the headset uses, all the while mindful that the 2.4GHz band is the current best-in-class standard for a low-latency connection.
Audio quality
This will make or break your gaming experience, and while there are lots of factors that determine audio quality, it can quite simply be determined by listening closely to the fidelity of the sound and the tonal range available. We also listen keenly for any audio distortion, such as rattling or hissing sounds that can be red flags for sound quality.
How to choose a wireless gaming headset
Connectivity: Wi-Fi versus Bluetooth
A low-latency connection can make a world of difference, allowing you to hear the best quality sound while also minimizing the likelihood of signal dropout or interference. As a general rule the lowest latency wireless connection you can get these days comes courtesy of a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection. A Wi-Fi connection will also give you the best wireless range, allowing you to wander anywhere up to 20 feet away from your device without losing your audio. However, to take advantage of Wi-Fi you’ll need to plug a dongle into your devices.
Some headsets also offer Bluetooth connectivity, which still does a decent job transmitting your audio signal but somewhat lowers the fidelity of the sound quality. Another downside is it can also suffer latency issues. And, while it’s granted that most gamers wouldn’t choose Bluetooth over Wi-Fi for these reasons, one benefit of Bluetooth is that if you plan on using your gaming headset with multiple devices, it allows you to conveniently and quickly switch between them without needing a dongle.
Compatibility: Why checking is important
It pays to research which of your devices work with a new gaming headset since compatibility can vary widely. By that we mean checking to see if it works with any consoles you might have, such as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 or 5, or XBox X/S, and your smartphone. Doing so can save you the cost and inconvenience of having to purchase multiple headsets.
You’ll also want to check that the headset’s software-dependent features like 3D spatial audio are supported by not only the devices, but also the games you want to use it with, since that is not a given and you may be sorely disappointed if you can’t take advantage of the full breadth of your headset’s capabilities.
What design traits are the most comfortable?
Beyond just being pleasant to wear, comfortable headsets help prevent pain and injury to your ears and head. What constitutes a comfortable headset can come down to personal preference, but as a general rule, these points will help guide you in choosing one that’ll keep you feeling snug:
- Lightweight design: Lighter headsets are generally more comfy over prolonged periods, and can prevent you feeling too much pressure on the top of your head. Designs that incorporate plastic tend to be lighter than those that have more metal in them.
- Soft materials and padding: The padding and coverings in headsets can be made from a broad spectrum of materials, including PVC, rubber, memory foam, artificial leather and plastic. Ideally the padding in the earcups should gently melt into the sides of your head with minimal force, while the earcup coverings should feel smooth rather than coarse. Many manufacturers opt for a combination of memory foam padding with a leatherette coverings that we think gives you the most luxurious and comfortable feeling you can get these days.
- Extendable and flexible headband: A headband that extends vertically to cover your ears will prevent soreness in the parts of your ears not cupped, while one that is flexible and opens easily will reduce unwanted clamp force hurting your ears and the sides of your head.
- Rotating earcups: These allow your head a degree of horizontal movement (left and right) without the headset’s earcups pulling your ears in the other direction.
What makes a headset durable?
As is the case with most other tech devices, wireless gaming headsets that eschew plastic for metal in their designs are a lot tougher and tend to last longer than those that don’t. That’s especially important for the arc of the headband which will quite often snap in two when made entirely from plastic.
When it comes to the durability of earcups, genuine leather tends to reign supreme over other materials, being a little more resistant to wear and tear than leatherette, plastic, or polyester cloth. On the flipside, leather tends not to circulate as much air to your ears and thus can make you sweat more, so any durability concerns you have will need to be weighed up against your personal comfort needs.
Spatial audio or no?
Most wireless gaming headsets will offer stereo sound from both earcups, but an increasing number now offer 3D spatial audio. This feature mimics the kind of sound experience you’d expect to get from having multiple speakers, thereby delivering sound through a 360-degree sound-scape in your headset.
Headsets like the Razer Barracuda Pro Wireless, SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless, and HyperX Cloud Core Wireless, all offer their own spatial audio technologies, so the chances are good that a new-to-market mid-range or premium headset will support this technology.
While there are some differences between the spatial audio technologies used by different headsets, on the whole most work reasonably well, allowing you to clearly hear the directionality of sounds in games. Suffice to say, if you’re a competitive gamer this feature can give you a big advantage over your competitors, allowing you to better pinpoint sounds like your opponents’ foot-falls, explosions, or enemy fire a little easier than you otherwise would.
Noise Isolation: What to look for
Noise isolation refers to how well your headset can isolate the sound coming from your own gaming headset while simultaneously blocking out any external sound from outside. Apart from just being plain annoying, sound leaking into your headset can be a strategic disadvantage in tightly contested games, especially in shooters like Overwatch or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that rely on directional audio prompts.
At the very least, you will want to ensure your gaming headset has decent passive noise isolation, which is a measure of how well its overall physical design is effective at stopping external sound entering your ears. However, if only the strongest noise-blocking power will do, look for a headset with Active Noise Cancellation. This technology actively detects and analyzes the sound pattern of incoming noise and then generates a mirror anti-noise to cancel it out.
The microphone: Key considerations
From a design perspective a good microphone should be either detachable or fold back into the headset’s body to be virtually undetectable when you’re not using it. This allows you to more discreetly use your wireless gaming headset as a pair of headphones when you’re not gaming, making it a little more versatile than a purely wired set.
Although you’ll mainly be using your headset’s microphone for casual voice chats in gaming sessions, you’ll also want to check that it has noise-cancelling technology and that the sound it picks up is clear and free of distortion—after all, your gaming friends won’t want to listen to your voice for very long if it’s muffled or full of static.
Remember about two years ago, when absolutely everyone wanted to either upgrade their existing PC or buy a new one? Yeah, that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore, according to the latest market report from Mercury Research. The report states that x86 chip shipments have dropped by the largest percentage year-over-year since the report began way back in 1994. Analyst Dean McCarron says it’s probably the largest decline since the precipitous downturn of 1984.
“Desktop and mobile client CPU shipments were down significantly compared to a year ago, with desktop CPU unit shipments falling to the lowest level in nearly three decades,” McCarron said in an emailed statement. “Total CPU shipments had the largest on-year decline in the history of our report, which spans 28 years.”
Even so, the news is good if your name is AMD. Across desktops, laptops, and servers, AMD has gained ground on Intel in every segment, totaling 3.7 percent market improvement and nearly 9 percent gain year over year. That measurement from Mercury is broadly in line with the quarterly reports from Intel and AMD — awful and rosy, respectively.
Even while gaining on its industry rival, AMD is showing a downturn in laptop CPU shipments, despite glowing reviews for its Ryzen 5000 and 6000 lines. But in desktop and server shipments the company is well up on its position a year ago. Mercury assigns inventory issues — a symptom of the ongoing global supply chain problems — as the primary culprit for Intel’s loss in all three segments.
Mercury estimates that ARM CPUs like those in Apple’s latest Mac designs, the least expensive Chromebooks, and a few Snapdragon-powered Windows machines make up approximately 9.4 percent of the market. That’s down from the last quarter (assigned to a large drop in Mac sales) but gaining 1.7 percent year-over-year.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Razer
Razer’s DeathAdder design is a minor legend among PC gamers, first appearing in 2006 and a favorite ever since for its ergonomic, grippy body shape. The company is giving the design a huge and pricey update today, christening the latest model the DeathAdder V3 Pro. In addition to lightning-fast wireless powers and insane DPI, Razer is highlighting an incredibly lightweight 64-gram (2.22 ounce) body. While far from the world record, it cuts down the weight from the DeathAdder V2 X Hyperspeed by about 25 percent.
In terms of raw hardware, the DeathAdder V3 Pro is…what’s a polite way of saying “deranged?” With a 30,000 DPI optical sensor, at the highest setting you can move a cursor into the next time zone with a twitch, even if you’re tracking on glass. On top of that are Razer’s third-gen optical switches for zero delay and elimination of unintentional double-clicking on the primary two buttons. The button layout is the familiar “shooter” configuration, two thumb buttons, and a single DPI switch on the bottom.
In addition to handy USB-C charging and an impressive 90 hours of battery life, Razer has put a lot of work into the mouse’s wireless connection. On its own the DeathAdder V3 Pro can handle a 1000Hz polling rate, already fairly superhuman and far more than necessary to overcome even the tiniest amount of online multiplayer lag. But for truly insane responsiveness, you can add on the specialized “HyperPolling” dongle (sold separately or in a bundle) for a jaw-dropping 4000Hz.
Razer
The design is so dedicated to saving weight and increasing battery life that Razer didn’t even put any decorative LEDs on it. It even includes “grip tape” in the box, little add-on stickers for the primary buttons and thumb rest. If that doesn’t say “pro gamer,” I don’t know what does. The DeathAdder V3 Pro is on sale now in black or white for an eye-popping $150, and the HyperPolling dongle is an additional $30. You can get them both in a $165 bundle exclusively from Razer’s online store.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
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