Why Aren’t More Brands Using ESPORTS as Marketing?
In some ways, eSports represents a perfect opportunity for advertisers. It has an incredibly engaged audience of 20 to 30 somethings with high disposable income. It is showing massive growth but is not yet at point of maturity. Several major mainstream brands are taking advantage of the benefits this brings, but what is holding others back?
Complexity
ESports is complicated and can be difficult for those outside the industry to understand. There are so many game titles, genres, leagues, tournaments and teams that understanding the best channels to reach the desired target audience can be intimidating.
Most major eSports teams have a roster of players that compete across a variety of games. London based team, Fnatic currently plays across 8 games, including Counterstrike and League of Legends, in different tournaments. For a brand wanting to partner with an eSports team it can be confusing knowing where to start.
Agencies and other intermediaries can further complicate the landscape, reducing the access of smaller advertisers, small teams and local tournaments to the commercial ecosphere.
Misunderstanding the Audience
Beyond the enticing demographic statistics, there is a general lack of understanding of the eSports audience. They are known to be a media savvy community who are very critical and opposed to marketing. The marketers fear the audience rejecting their product or brand.
Because professional eSports is so new, there is a lack of history of what mainstream campaigns have or have not been successful in the past. The financial cost and potential damage to the brand of an unsuccessful campaign can be off putting to mainstream advertisers new to eSports.
Lack of Data
Marketers are under pressure to show results of sponsorship and advertising campaigns. The complicated nature of eSports and how it is consumed, mean it can be difficult to get accurate data of reach and engagement. Incomplete, inconsistent and inaccurate data complicate the analysis of effectiveness of campaigns.
Having good metrics is even more important for advertisers whose objective is more directly concerned with return on investment rather than brand awareness.
The Goal of EIPlatform
EIPlatform, launching Q4 2018, will allow brands and advertisers to connect directly with teams, events and audience at all levels.
It will simplify the current fragmented market and allow access for smaller teams to the large advertising budgets involved at the top level of the industry. At the same time, EIP will allow new advertisers and brands of all sizes access to the audience much more easily.
Advanced data management and analysis, made possible by blockchain and smart contracts, will allow brands to effectively understand and target their desired audience segment. They will be able to measure the effectiveness of their investments and identify new opportunities within the eSports marketplace.
Read more about EIP on the official website
Download the Whitepaper: EIP whitepaper
