In the past two years, Esports has grown at an exponential rate and so has the Role of Media and Journalism in Esports. There are now more than 200 million fans watching Esports events on television each week and nearly 250 million people playing video games. Esports continues to grow in popularity because it offers a unique combination of skills, talent and strategy that can be applied to different games. In other words, anyone can play video games, but only those who have a true passion for them can become Esports competitors or professional gamers.
As with any new emerging media platform, there is still a lot of confusion about how players, organizations and sponsors should approach the industry. To help answer these questions we’ll explore the Role of Media and Journalism in Esports, as well as some examples from other industries that may be helpful in developing your brand’s strategy.
What is the Role of Media and Journalism in Esports?
Many people see Esports as a pure entertainment platform, whereas others see it as a vehicle for social change. In truth, Esports is a convergence of media and technology that is uniquely poised to bring about new changes in our culture. For now, Esports is a very young industry and many of its players have yet to establish a clear role in media and journalism.
This will change as the industry matures and its fans become more sophisticated. It’s important to be ready and to understand the Role of Media and Journalism in the Esports ecosystem so that you can develop your brand strategy accordingly.
The importance of brand awareness
Many brands are investing in the Role of Media and Journalism in Esports to create brand awareness. The process involves creating customized content that is relevant to the viewers and then integrating the content into the game environment. When done correctly, this kind of integrated content can be an effective way to increase brand awareness and drive engagement with existing customers.
The importance of brand trust
Esports sponsors and advertisers often want to establish trust with their audience. One way they can do this is by creating brand equity that extends beyond the sponsorship itself. Trust is based on three elements: the brand, the message and the messenger. These three elements determine whether you trust a brand: if you have a positive opinion of the brand, the message and the messenger then you are more likely to trust that brand.
How to develop brand awareness and trust in Esports
- Create customized content – Create customized content that is relevant to the viewers and then integrate the content into the game environment. When done correctly, this kind of integrated content can be an effective way to increase brand awareness and drive engagement with existing customers.
- Build a community – The best way to create brand awareness and cultivate trust is to build a community of fans. As a brand, you can create engaging content and then integrate it into the game environment to create a community of loyal and engaged fans.
- Secure a spot at an Esports tournament – When brands participate in Esports tournaments and events, they are able to build brand awareness and cultivate trust among the fans while at the same time testing their brand’s re-responsibility and commercial viability.
- Securing a sponsorship deal – Sponsorships are a great way for brands to build brand awareness and cultivate trust among their fans. A sponsorship deal allows the brand to display its logo or create branded content and then integrate it into the game environment.
The value of sponsorship and advertising
The success of any marketing campaign depends on the success of the initial piece of media. In Esports, those pieces of media are advertisements and sponsorships. Traditional media advertising has been difficult for brands to monetize because it largely relies on mass media platforms, which give relatively low platform prices for ad space.
By contrast, Esports events and tournaments offer enormous audiences that make Esports advertising extremely valuable, making it easy for brands to monetize their content. Sponsorships are a great way for brands to build brand awareness and cultivate trust among the fans while at the same time testing their re-responsibility and commercial viability.
The Role of Media and Journalism in Esports for developing fan loyalty
Loyal fans are the lifeblood of any brand. But how exactly do you cultivate loyalty among your audience? There are several ways. First, you can create engaging and interesting content. Second, you can partner with other brands that complement your own brand attributes. And finally, you can develop a community of passionate fans who engage with and support your brand through word of mouth, social media posts and other forms of re-responsibility.
One way that you can develop fan loyalty is by integrating your brand’s logo and another branding into the game environment. This kind of branded content can be easily re-purposed to serve a variety of purposes, such as reaffirming the brand’s values or encouraging re-responsibility for future content.
Conclusion
Esports is an exciting and rapidly growing sector that is attracting millions of fans around the world. It’s important for brands to understand how they can successfully integrate their branding into Esports events and content. By following the seven tips outlined above, brands can successfully integrate their branding into this emerging media platform. The role of Media and Journalism in Esports is growing by the day and it’s time we realise how important it is.
