The growth of esports has been tremendous. We have hardly ever witnessed an entertainment product that has transitioned from an ill-defined discipline into one of the world’s most exciting pastimes.
Yet, one of the true strengths of esports is that it reaches to new, young audiences who have plenty of disposable income, and that’s precisely why esports marketing has experienced a quick growth as well. Non-endemic brands, from Coca-Cola to Red Bull and Toyota to Mercedes-Benz, and more, have been quick to respond to the opportunity of marketing their products to young, intelligent and highly-receptive consumers.
Adrun, a successful marketing agency, has been able to identify the positive trends in esports and bridge the gap between esports fans and mainstream brands, which are only now finding their bearings in the exciting world of esports opportunities.
Do Not Oversell to Esports Fans, They Will Call You Out
One of the first things any good marketing agency would tell brands such as KFC, Coca-Cola or Mercedes-Benz is not to oversell. While good marketing messages can, on occasion, insert a few buzz words that don’t bear much substance, esports fans are much more sensitive to such falsehoods when advertising to them.
Therefore, mainstream brands should learn to always stay true to what they want to sell. For example, Mercedes-Benz shouldn’t advertise different products than what it already does well – manufacturing cars or even SIM simulators. In the same vein, any sponsor that wants to get an ad spot in a mainstream esports competition should only sell their unique, distinguished product and advertise it as such.
Trying to cajole esports fans into buying products they are not inherently interested in is going to backfire so much that brands would lose their credibility with the target audience. Mike Sepso, the man who created Major League Esports and then worked on the Overwatch League, was a guest at the InsideOut podcast, and he gave the exact same reasoning.
These young people already know what they are buying and why they want to buy it. Advertisement should be used as a way to remind them they are interested. An esports marketing agency as Adrun, for example, has the specialists who allow partner companies to drive the best conversions and get the best reach with tech-savvy esports fans.
How Are Esports Marketing Agencies Helping Companies?
Esports fans around the world have reached 453.8 million, split into 50% hardcore esports fans and 50% occasional viewers who are just happy to be part of the journey. According to Adrun’s experts, this opens up a tremendous market for mainstream brands to advertise in. Marketing in esports is only about to become a more important part of the ecosystem, the company has explained.
To succeed, brands will need to work with a trusted and experienced company that knows how to leverage the power of advertising through any of the established channels, including but not limited to sponsorships, branded esports events, advertising campaigns targeting audiences, and various digital activations designed to raise awareness.
