We’re up to part six in our look into the area of competitive gaming, or esports. You’ll be able to download the full pdf shortly so look for the link on this website soon.
Gaming offers immersive brand experiences that other forms of pure advertising, for example, would struggle to attain. Esports also opens up opportunities to engage with both players and viewers alike, whether they are watching in the stadium or via a livestream on Twitch or YouTube.
But there is a difference in what’s happening within gaming and its in-game experiential collaborations to that of esports. We’ve already seen blockbuster films including Avengers and John Wick promoting within Fortnite, as Jordan did to great acclaim as they launched their new shoe ahead of the NBA Finals.
These immersive experiences are more likely to be found in the larger gaming universe, as the esports side is smaller and less developed. For example, car brands such as Honda, who we look at in more depth further down, have started to sponsor large events as they aim to tap into this young affluent market, and clothing companies such as Nike have started to kit out the players and offer team merchandise to fans.
An oft-hailed sponsorship is “Level Up: Driven by Honda”. This was launched in January and follows Team Liquid’s League of Legends, Fortnite and Dota 2 divisions as they seek to level up from their previous year’s results. Produced by the esports production company, 1UP Studios (part of Team Liquid), there is high production level around each these team’s stories.
In addition to that, Honda is also sponsoring easily-digestible Twitter moments like this to track the journey and success of their League team.
As games develop they offer the opportunity for brands look at different ways in which to embed themselves in the modern psyche and develop more interactive campaigns and partnerships that are truly immersive.
Read the rest in our esports mini series, and our previous series on the Power of Sponsorship and Sponsorship measurement now at https://sqn.agency/sponsorship/
Next we’ll see what other brands are involved already as the clamour for esports involvement increases especially amongst tech and automotive brands.
