(Interview Series) - It's no surprise that Fatal1ty has become one of the most recognized brands in the enthusiast community. He first signed a contract with Abit and is now working with Zalman and Creative (along with three other brands) on more projects. Additionally, he has been featured on numerous publications (online, print and broadcast), including his most recent appearance on CBS' 60 Minutes. Whether or not you like Fatal1ty branded products, the fact of the matter is that he became the very first cyber athlete that has gotten an immense amount of attention ever since his character was introduced as a unique marketing campaign.

In our interview with Zalman, we asked the company about the marketing strategy and how they perceived Fatal1ty. Interestingly enough, the representatives were more than willing to discuss their strategies in regards to Fatal1ty, and what the future holds for him and his contractual partners.

Zalman pointed out that individuals behind the world's most recognized gamer wants to evolve Fatal1ty into a worldwide recognized brand that's associated with the gaming and enthusiast industry. In other words, they want to make Fatal1ty the next Michael Jordan where brand equity is everything. Even though Jordan isn't active anymore, companies such as Nike can still license his name (or brand), make products and retail them successfully because Jordan is more than a retired athlete; he's a recognized brand with influence. That's exactly what they hope to do with Fatal1ty, and those who have signed on at an early stage, may possibly reap in benefits for some time to come, Zalman mentioned. Unfortunately, the representative wasn't clear on how exactly Fatal1ty's partners would reap in benefits at a later stage when he's more successful. We are thinking that with the continued media coverage, many publications will touch on his current (and previous) contracts, which will give Abit, Creative and Zalman free publicity for years to come.

Zalman and Creative both confirmed that its Fatal1ty branded products have been doing very well and have been garnering media attention that neither company was sure was of at the beginning. Needless to say, this unique marketing campaign has worked extremely well.

Zalman, being upfront about the strategies, stated that labeling products under a unique brand that's portrayed to be the very best (and of course delivering on the perception of high-quality) is part of a new marketing strategy that they expect other companies to follow. The representative asked us a rhetorical question: "When all of your competitors are advertising in the same manner as you are, how do you expect others to perceive you as being different than 15 other cooling companies?" We must say, the question does have some merit to it. In hopes of being different and getting out of the traditional advertising mentality, three partners are working with Fatal1ty to create move value for their brands.

It's evident from the media coverage that Fatal1ty has build a fairly successful brand thus far, and the future appears to be fruitful for the young gamer, but unlike Michael Jordan, his reign might end soon if Fatal1ty branded products become mainstream and degrade in quality overtime. If Fatal1ty wants to continue to be successful, he would have to selectively work with partners and not sign on with anyone who's willing to make an offer.