It is becoming increasingly popular for the biggest brands in esports get involved in esports for a variety of different reasons – particularly marketing. Whether it’s directly investing in an existing org, arranging an esports sponsorship deal, or launching your own esports brand, we have you covered.
Perhaps the biggest household name is David Beckham, who is a brand ambassador and stakeholder for Guild Esports. Guild, founded in 2019, has exploded in popularity and value and has developed into one of the biggest brands in esports itself.
Another prime example is Stan Kroenke (who owns Arsenal FC and the Los Angeles Rams) dipping his toes in the Overwatch League. Founding the Los Angeles Gladiators, the franchise reportedly cost up to $20 Million.
A few other big brands getting involved in esports include the likes of Coca-Cola, Disney, Adidas and Red Bull. These are all major household names who would be known in pretty much every corner of the world. AThe fact that they have been getting involved in esports has really helped elevate the industry’s growth in recent times.
Why are brands getting into esports?
The simple reason is that brands have identified the younger generations are consuming their content in new ways. This is in stark comparison to 5+ years ago, and gaming and esports are now a big part of this and brands are moving to esports to adapt.
Esports are now bringing in more and more eyes, and by 2024 the total audience for esports is expected to grow to 577.2 million viewers. Brands are desperately clawing at the opportunity to grab a slice of this pie while it’s still affordable.
Now you may be wondering, are brands seeing success in esports? Brands are getting involved in a variety of different capacities, so let’s look at Red Bull – and yes, they do have their own esports team! Oracle Red Bull compete in the F1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix and has repeatedly come close to winning the championship.
Alongside their competitive endeavours, Red Bull is mostly known in the esports world for hosting major tournaments for various games. Recently, the energy drink giants held the Valorant Home Ground series, with the finals being held in front of thousands.
Holding tournaments offline in front of esports is very common and has taken place for many years now! Check out some crowds for the League of Legends finals or Intel Extreme Masters for example.
The future of esports sponsorships
Adidas’s involvement mostly comes as a partnership with G2 Esports. As part of the deal, Adidas will manufacture their apparel, much like a major football club.
Deals like this will be big for esports going forward, and as time goes on esports will become more and more mainstream. These deals will, subsequently, be commonplace and seen as the norm, rather than jaw-dropping news.
If you are wondering how your brand can enter this space, then perhaps you’d be interested in chatting with Rix.Digital. We have consulted hundreds of brands, each with its own goals, only to be met with our tailor-made approach.
Major brands in esports
Adidas – Signed huge partnership with major org G2 Esports.
Coca-Cola – Worldwide founding partner of League of Legends: Wild Rift.
Disney – Launches Walt Disney World EGF High School National Championship.
Intel – Global technology partner of the ESL.
Imagine Dragons – Invests in Team Rogue and RekTGlobal.
Mountain Dew – Launches Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) esports tournaments.
Razer – Becomes official hardware provider of Envy Gaming.
Red Bull – Produces multiple tournaments and sponsors multiple orgs.
Tencent – League of Legends publisher and mainstream esports investor.
New York Yankees – Sign huge deal with Vision Esports.
Volvic – Sign lucrative deal with BIG Clan.
Esports betting is also becoming increasingly popular and more lucrative as the audience continues to expand, with some major players getting involved;
Bet365
Betway
Draftkings
LeoVegas
Skybet
Getting into esports can be an absolute minefield, with as many organisations folding as there are successes. Partnering with a premium esports marketing agency, such as Rix.Digital is one way to make sound decisions in this arena.
Get in touch today for a free consultation on how you can get into esports today!