Are you curious about what “eSports branding” really means? Well, wonder no more! This post will cover everything there is to know about how companies use and activate their brands in the fast-paced world of competitive video gaming.

What are eSports Sponsorship Opportunities?

Esports sponsorship is becoming an increasingly popular way for brands to reach a younger audience that traditional advertising methods may not effectively target. From sponsoring professional teams or individual players to partnering with events organizers or game developers, esports offers many opportunities for brands looking to connect with gamers.

• Sponsorship Tiers: Companies can choose different levels of involvement from title sponsors (the highest level), partner sponsors, event sponsors, all the way down to product placement or influencer marketing.
• Exclusive Products/Features: Partnerships between gaming companies and brand partners allow products like special edition skins or exclusive items that can only be obtained by buying specific partner products/services.
• Creating Branded Content: Brands could create content targeting gamers such as player documentaries/player profile videos/tournaments highlighting key moments/screenshots/promo/partnership launch videos.

How Do Brands Activate Their Presence at Esports Events?

Brand activation refers to creating experiences designed to engage audiences and build rapport with them during high-energy esports events. It's essential for companies seeking greater visibility in the highly competitive space of esports competition.

• Live Streaming Platforms Advertising: Lead generation via platform signage on YouTube Gaming / Twitch banners overlays on channels boosted through monetization platforms.
• Branding Offline Experiences While Live Streming Matches: Customized demos/showcases at LAN centers/offline viewing parties contribute significantly when running promotional activations includes mascots/event booth props/new partnerships taking place onsite
  -Social Media Engagement Community: Increase brand engagement with social media users following/mentioning/tagging company handles consistently offers giveaways/samples/coupon codes/voting for unique skins or events.

How Do Esports Audience Segmentation Affect Branding Strategies?

Esports audiences vary considerably, split between male/female video gamers ranging from 16-40yrs old. Defining the proper audience niche in esports is essential to branding success as companies could be wasting their resources/money marketing esports if targeting the wrong demographic/or location.

• Cultural Insights And Regional Differences: Companies must carry out research on consumers' different languages/cultures/preferences (ex: East vs West - Dota2/LCS preference/jokes player social media profiles)
• Multi-gaming Communities Experience: Being active and researching other specialized communities that follow various tournament scenes/pro / amateur series will provide an understanding regarding gaming jargon/insider talks referencing games.
• Brand/Product Alignment with Games themes: Brand values need to be well-aligned with game universe/storyline that fans have been following for years/want to own merchandise related/personalizing brands into virtual spaces breaking down exciting conversations around these shows/tournaments

References:

1. Lawrence K.E., Michael J.T and James D.M (2019). “The Business of eSports Management.” Routledge, ISBN:9781138541595
2. Peter Hergesell and Tobias M.Scholz(2018). "eSports Yearbook"; SpringerVerlag ,ISBN:9783658213056
3. Mary Flanagan,"Critical Play: Radical Game Design,", MIT Press., 2009 ISBN 0262062687
4. Dan Posner, Brian Altano."/ Millionaires Making Money Playing Video Games",Open Road Integrated Media,B07KGDFPKR
   5.John Suler "Online Social Psychology" .Justin Kruger,PHD:p220635716 York University Hypermedia Research Lab ISBN9798614583960