Fortnite vs. Starbucks

Fortnite.

Fortnite. I haven’t played it, but it has been described to me by a 12 year old, so I know exactly what I’m talking about when I say Fortnite is bigger than Starbucks. For those of you, not like me… so not in the “know” about trends, Fortnite is an online game where players kill each other, but it’s different than every other one where people kill each other for some reason.

Now, I mentioned Starbucks, which was purposeful, probably the first purposeful thing I have done in these newsletters.

Starbucks has always aspired to be your “third place.” There is your home, there is your work, and then there is Starbucks. I knew the power of Starbucks, when my sister Jesse was working on her entrepreneur show, and she would strictly work out of Starbucks, when I asked her about that, she said “Wherever I go, it’s the same, it’s an office everywhere.”

Honestly, Starbucks should put my sister on their board, she understands what they do better than they do.

Think about how powerful that is, the consistency of brand and voice allows every location to be a safe “third” place for anyone, which is why they have 14,000 locations.

Now, that is the “third place” of now, but the digital shift is happening. Humans have digital identities now, and they define themselves in the real world, but also in the internet, and where is your third place now!

I would argue that for the 10-20 year old, it is Fortnite. They use it as a game not only to hunt each other down, but also to hang out online with friends and talk. It’s not about the game, it’s about the competition and the trash talk and the bonding. It’s their third place away from school and family.

Fortnite is the most powerful product on the planet right now, scholarships will be made for this game, celebrities will be created, and millions of friendships will be created.

I’m going to go try playing.

By Adam Draper

I ponder as a VC.

It's a quick one minute read to make you think, smile, or laugh.

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