Brands Are Betting on E-sports to Reach Consumers

As competition mounts among players so do opportunities for sellers to capitalize on this phenomenon through sponsorships media and marketing revenue opportunitiesIf youamp8217re a seller you may recognize that the opportunity is vast but perhaps you donamp8217t know where to start or which brands are interested in the space Here are five major advertisers getting in on the esports gaming craze with opportunity insights courtesy of WinmoEdge1 Pringles Expands Esports Sponsorships to Entice Hungry GamersAiming to become the number one snack for esports players Kellogg Companyamp8217s Pringles has nearly doubled its investments in sponsorships relevant to the industry The brand began with a 2017 partnership with ESL Gaming Network at itamp8217s One Hamburg event followed by two additional sponsorship events the following yearPringles now plans to sponsor ESL tournaments throughout 13 European countries working with German marketing agency Jung von Matt on its esports work The sponsorships will consist of digital ads logo placements and event boothsPringlesamp8217 interest in esports audiences is one result of an effort to attract younger consumers globally The brandamp8217s esports marketing investment in 2019 is 80 percent more than what it spent last year and it is still evaluating other esports teams to sponsorMedia seller opportunity Pringlesamp8217 spend is historically highest throughout Q3 and prior to product launches Keep in mind the target demographic is composed of mostly male millennials2 Gillette Establishes Global Marketing Partnership With TwitchMenamp8217s shaving brand Gillette announced a global marketing partnership with Twitch Amazonamp8217s live streaming service for gamers The Gillette Gaming Alliance will allow 11 Twitch streamers from 11 countries across the globe to represent Gillette and create relevant content for their specific viewersThe brand had also agreed to develop a fan experience for TwitchCon Europe which took place in Berlin last April Thisamp160partnership marks Gilletteamp8217s widestranging esports sponsorship yet The brand first entered the arena through a 2017 sponsorship with ESLGillette is clearly making an effort to get involved in the esports space With a history of partnerships itamp8217s clear that the brand is interested in combining forces to get Gillette in front of new audiencesMedia seller opportunity Spend for the brand typically spikes during Q2amp8211Q4 Keep in mind the target demographic consists largely of millennials and Gen Z With its US media spend like to increase based on historical patterns sellers are encouraged to reach out to remain topofmind3 Jack in the Box Increases NonTraditional Media by Launching Esports SeriesStruggling sales led Jack in the Box to create a strategic plan to improve value creation The plan includes a heavier focus on marketing particularly increasing its use of data and analytics along with investments in more nontraditional mediaThe approach also includes a sixpart animated web series supporting Jack in the Boxamp8217s sponsorship of esports team Dallas Fuel The episodes developed by creative agency of record DavidampampGoliath have been airing weekly on digital and social platforms through Gamespot Reddit and Xbox Sources say the partnership includes experiential efforts as wellamp160According to Hookit Jack in the Box also has sponsorships with the Houston Dynamo Portland Winterhawks and San Jose EarthquakesMedia seller opportunity Look for spend tied to these initiatives though we predict more revenue will be available during Q1 and Q4 when spend typically spikes Also keep an eye out for a shift in target audience towards millennials and Gen Z especially men with an esports focus Those near the chainamp8217samp160locations may have an advantage4 MasterCard Bolsters Marketing and Launches Global CampaignMasterCard strengthened its marketing team with three vice presidents along with promotions and lowerlevel shifts The company also hired a chief experience officer Donald Chestnut this past January Along with upping its bench strength MasterCard launched a new logo and slogan Most significantly in terms of appealing to younger consumers the brand signed a multiyear global partnership with Riot Games and its League of Legends Championship series MasterCard offers liveevent activations and fan experiences across three major tournaments and is releasing a cobranded League of Legends credit cardMedia seller opportunity With spend increases imminent sellers are encouraged to reach out especially with the new initiatives to expand into new markets Top spending periods fluctuate and MasterCard typically uses experiential social outdoor print and radio5 NBA Taps New Chief Marketing Officer Amid Digital Social ShiftIn December 2018 the NBA announced the retirement of chief marketing officer Pam El and began searching for her replacement The league recently hired Twitchamp8217s Kate Jhaveri to fill the role There have also been numerous lowerlevel personnel shifts in marketing over the past yearamp160The NBA invests heavily in sponsorships and recently initiated oneamp160with ReadyUp to help esports fans track their favorite playersMedia seller opportunity With likely spend increases sellers are encouraged to reach out to the NBA Those with the ability to reach male millennials and Gen Z will have the advantage Spend typically spikes around basketball season from October to JuneIf you find these opportunities valuableamp160download Winmoamp8217s esports ebook Esport Brands Gaming for Your Attention in 2019 to get additional actionable insights with league team publisher and sponsor informationClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Brands Are Betting on E-sports to Reach Consumers

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Anna Crochet

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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Brands Are Betting on E-sports to Reach Consumers

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Anna Crochet

"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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