Esports marketing has received a lot of attention in the past few years. Brands have taken an interest in it, and new leagues are being created around it. Here are three brands that have leveraged Esports marketing successfully:
T-Mobile
T-Mobile created a 30-second spot broadcast during the League of Legends World Championship. The ad featured the team TSM, who were seen playing the popular video game League of Legends. The mobile company also offered a free skin for Twitch Prime members who made their way to the Twitch Prime loot page and linked their account to League of Legends.
The marketing strategies utilized by T-Mobile are great when trying to leverage brand recognition as it allows brands to get into a space where they can easily advertise directly to consumers. This can be done through different channels, such as social media and email campaigns. Moreover, it allows companies to build relationships with influencers and professionals who can help them reach new audiences as well as promote their products in unique ways that have not been done before!
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box is one of the many fast-food chains that has been leveraging Esport marketing. They were the first brand to sign a sponsorship deal with the e-gaming league Overwatch League. The deal started with Jack in the Box sponsoring four teams, which were Boston Uprising, Dallas Fuel, LA Gladiators, and San Francisco Shock.
They rolled out this sponsorship with a series of videos on social media featuring pro players from these teams. These videos also featured a character named Jack, who gave tips on how to be a great gamer and how to get through long gaming sessions.
Red Bull
Red Bull is an interesting brand that you don’t often associate with the promotion of gaming. However, Red Bull has had incredible success in the Esports marketing space. Most notably, Red Bull has created their own professional players, tournaments, and events to help with advertisement.
In the past few years, Red Bull has become the force behind some of the world’s most successful Esports players and teams. This includes a team called Team SoloMid that plays League of Legends and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. As a brand sponsor to these teams, Red Bull can use its logo on jerseys.
It’s not just about branding, though; Red Bull also puts on its own tournaments as well as some of the biggest events in the industry. In 2016, Red Bull held its first-ever “Red Bull Battle Grounds” event, at which they hosted a Starcraft 2 tournament. The tournament included some of Starcraft 2’s best players and was held in front of a cheering crowd at the PlayStation Theater in New York City.
The Esports industry is growing at a fast rate, making it the new hot trend for millennial consumers. Capitalizing on the Esports industry and creating an influential strategy to engage a younger demographic should be top of mind for marketing marketers. If you’re interested in learning how to leverage Esports for your brand, above are three brands that have enjoyed the greatest success within this exciting industry.
