Identifying the pros, cons and tactics of eSports sponsorships

an integrative literature review

Authors

  • Bruno Duarte Abreu Freitas Communication department, Doctoral College, University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia
  • Ruth Sofia Contreras-Espinosa Communication department, Doctoral College, University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia
  • Pedro Álvaro Pereira Correia Economy and Management department, University of MadeiraFaculty of Social Sciences,

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4000/cp.7243

Keywords:

eSportseSports, sponsorships, benefits, threats, strategies

Abstract

This research aimed to identify the pros and cons of sponsoring eSports, as well as the tactics to maximize them and mitigate them, respectively. An exploratory method focused on an integrative literature review was used. The most attractive elements are the enhancement of brand awareness, image and sales, the high sponsorship acceptance and a positive cost-benefit ratio. Hence, brands should start sponsoring pro-players and tournaments, perform in-game branding, and create relevant-added value as soon as possible. The most threatening elements are disreputable behaviour, negative media influence, the industry’s infancy, the videogames’ short lifespan, long-term investments, poor performance, and the low visibility outside Twitch and YouTube. As such, brands must be in sync with the audience, punish disreputable behaviour, promote gaming’s acceptance, study the market, and commit to long-term investments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Bruno Duarte Abreu Freitas, Communication department, Doctoral College, University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia

    Bruno D. A. Freitas completed his Bachelor Degree in Languages and Business Relations and his Master Degree in Cultural Management (where he was the best of his class) at the University of Madeira. Having gained a large interest for the fields of marketing, management and entrepreneurship, Bruno decided to research the new and emerging market of eSports and is now doing his PhD thesis on eSports sponsorships at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). Bruno has also presented and published several papers on the eSports market.

  • Ruth Sofia Contreras-Espinosa, Communication department, Doctoral College, University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia

    Ruth S. Contreras-Espinosa is a full-time PhD professor at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). She’s the co-founder and coordinator of the Observatory of Communication, Video Games and Entertainment INCOM, at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and UVic-UCC, a multi-disciplinary research group established on April 2014. She has been collaborating with international organizations in a huge variety of projects such as external evaluator at the Portuguese Agency of Evaluation and Accreditation (A3ES) and is a Member of the scientific advisory board on Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames).

  • Pedro Álvaro Pereira Correia, Economy and Management department, University of MadeiraFaculty of Social Sciences,

    Pedro A. Pereira Correia has a PhD in Interactive Digital Communication and Marketing (University of Vic) and he is a Lecturer at the University of Madeira and ISAL, Funchal, Portugal. He’s a member of Research Center CiTUR – Center for Research, Development and Innovation in Tourism. He’s an external Senior Expert to support the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds (2018). He’s a major player in numerous operations and projects with proven multi-disciplinary and management skills. He has extensive marketing and social media knowledge.

References

AEVI. (2018). Libro blanco de los eSports en España. Retrieved from http://www.aevi.org.es/web/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ES_libroblanco_online.pdf

Baxter, K., Courage, C., & Caine, K. (2015). Understanding Your Users: A Practical Guide to User Research Methods (2nd ed.). Waltham, MA: Morgan Kaufmann.

Bennett, R. (1999). Sports sponsorship, spectator recall and false consensus. European Journal of Marketing, 33(3/4), 291-313. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569910253071

BI Intelligence, & Elder, R. (2017, March 15). The eSports competitive video gaming market continues to grow revenues & attract investors. Business Insider. Retrieved 22 February, 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/eSports-market-growth-ready-for-mainstream-2017-3

Brenda, H. K. S. (2017). Spectating the Rift: A Study into eSports Spectatorship. In J. Hiltscher & T. M. Scholz (Eds.), eSports Yearbook 2015/16 (pp. 9-35). Norderstedt: Books on Demand GmbH. Retrieved from http://www.eSportsyearbook.com/eyb201516.pdf

Burton, R. (2017, November). Using eSports Efficiently to Enhance and Extend Brand Perceptions. Paper presented at the 15th Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference, Boston, MA. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54358491e4b0e09faedc4a1b/t/59d64d3551a5842e17641a57/1507216693800/BURTON_RICK_FORMATTED.pdf

CGC Europe. (2015). Marketing Channel eSports – How to get the attention of young adults? Retrieved 19 January, 2018, from http://docplayer.net/12867287-Marketing-channel-eSports-how-to-get-the-attention-of-young-adults.html

Chae, H.-S., Ha, E.-Y., & Seo, A.-E. (2017). A Study on the Packaging Design of Agro-Food Using a Qualitative Research Technique. In C. H. Chen, A. C. Trappey & M. Peruzzini (Eds.), Transdisciplinary Engineering: A Paradigm Shift: Proceedings of the 24th ISPE Inc. International Conference on Transdisciplinary Engineering (pp. 472-481). Amsterdam: IOS Press.

Crompton, J. (1994). Benefits and Risks Associated with Sponsorship of Major Events. Festival Management and Event Tourism, 2(2), 65-74. doi: 10.3727/106527094792292050

Destefani, L. R. G. d., & Whitfield, T. W. A. (2008). Esthetic Decision-Making: How Do People Select Colours for Real Settings? COLOR research and application, 33(1), 55-60. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/col.20361

Efron, S. E., & Ravid, R. (2019). Writing the Literature Review: A Practical Guide. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

Franke, T. (2015). The Perception of eSports - Mainstream Culture, Real Sport and Marketisation. In J. Hiltscher & T. M. Scholz (Eds.), eSports Yearbook 2013/14 (pp. 111-144). Norderstedt: Books on Demand GmbH. Retrieved from http://eSportsyearbook.com/eyb201314.pdf

Funk, D. C., Pizzo, A. D., & Baker, B. J. (2018). eSport management: Embracing eSport education and research opportunities. Sport Management Review, 21(1), 7-13. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2017.07.008

Gifford, C. (2017). Gaming Record Breakers. London: Carlton Books Limited.

Haq, A. u., & Rehman, K. u. (2017). Major Challenges and Opportunities for Islamic Banking and SMEs in Pakistan. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 11(3), 355-370. Retrieved from http://www.qurtuba.edu.pk/jms/JMS%20Special%20Edition/1%20EIEF/20%20(AIC-EIEF%202017)%20355-370%20Ayaz%20ulHaq%20EIEF-661.pdf

Hiltscher, J., & Scholz, T. M. (2017). Preface. In J. Hiltscher & T. M. Scholz (Eds.), eSports Yearbook 2015/16 (pp. 7-8). Norderstedt: Books on Demand GmbH. Retrieved from http://www.eSportsyearbook.com/eyb201516.pdf

International Chamber of Commerce. (2011). Consolidated ICC Code of Advertising and Marketing Communications Practice. Retrieved from http://www.codescentre.com/downloads.aspx

Korpimies, S. (2017). Sponsorships in eSports. (Bachelor thesis), Aalto University, Espoo. Retrieved from http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-201705114490

Kuhn, K. A. L. (2009). The Market Structure and Characteristics of Electronic Games. In N. K. L. Pope, K.-A. L. Kuhn & J. J. H. Forster (Eds.), Digital Sport for Performance Enhancement and Competitive Evolution: Intelligent Gaming Technologies (pp. 257-285). London: Information Science Reference.

Lokhman, N., Karashchuk, O., & Kornilova, O. (2018). Analysis of eSports as a commercial activity. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 16(1), 207-213. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.16(1).2018.20

Lottridge, D., Chignell, M., Kastner, M., Zhang, Q., Alexandar, A., & Straus, S. (2010). Model-driven coding with VPAT: The Verbal Protocol Analysis Tool. In A. Cavoukian, O. Malik, R. J. Marceau, T. McTiernan, X. Fernando, T. Venetsanopoulos & A. Botchkarev (Eds.), 2009 IEEE Toronto International Conference Science and Technology for Humanity (TIC-STH) (pp. 808-813). Toronto, ON: IEEE doi: 10.1109/TIC-STH.2009.5444387

Mooney, C. (2018). Inside the E-Sports Industry. North Mankato, MN: Norwood House Press.

Newzoo. (2018, February 21). Free 2018 Global ESports Market Report. Retrieved 13 April, 2018, from http://resources.newzoo.com/2018-global-eSports-market-report-light

Newzoo. (2019). Global ESports Market Report 2019: Light Version. Retrieved from https://resources.newzoo.com/hubfs/Reports/2019_Free_Global_ESports_Market_Report.pdf

Nielsen ESports. (2017). The ESports Playbook: Maximizing your investment through understanding the fans. N. Pike & S. Master (Eds.), Retrieved from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2017/the-eSports-playbook-maximizing-investment-through-understanding-the-fans.html

ONTIER. (2018). Guía legal sobre e-Sports: Presente y futuro de la regulación de los eSports en España. Retrieved from https://es.ontier.net/ia/guialegaleSports-2018web.pdf

Özbilgin, M. F., & Tatlı, A. (2007). Career constraints in the creative and cultural industries in London: the case of work placement and training experience. In M. F. Özbilgin & A. Malach-Pines (Eds.), Career Choice in Management and Entrepreneurship: A Research Companion (pp. 397-432). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Riazi, A. M. (2016). The Routledge Encyclopedia of Research Methods in Applied Linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research. Abingdon: Routledge.

Scholz, T. M. (2019). eSports is Business: Management in the World of Competitive Gaming. Switzerland: Springer Nature.

Seo, Y. (2013). Electronic sports: A new marketing landscape of the experience economy. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(13-14), 1542-1560. doi: 10.1080/0267257X.2013.822906

Shabir, N. (2017). ESports: The Complete Guide 17/18: A guide for gamers, teams, organisations and other entities in, or looking to get into the space. Wroclaw: Independently published.

Statista. (2018, January). Number of unique viewers of selected eSports tournaments worldwide from 2012 to 2017 (in millions). Retrieved 16 March, 2018, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/507491/eSports-tournaments-by-number-viewers-global/

Stein, V., & Scholz, T. M. (2016). Sky is the Limit – ESports as Entrepreneurial Innovator for Media Management. In S. N. d. Jesus & P. Pinto (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Congress on Interdisciplinarity in Social and Human Sciences (pp. 622-631). Faro: University of Algarve. CIEO – Research Centre for Spatial and Organizational Dynamics. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/9888

Ströh, J. H. A. (2017). The eSports Market and eSports Sponsoring. Marburg: Tectum Verlag.

SuperData. (2017, February). European eSports Conference Brief. Retrieved 6 April, 2018, from http://strivesponsorship.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Superdata-2017-eSports-market-brief.pdf

SuperData. (2018). 2017 Year in Review: Digital Games and Interactive Media. Retrieved 7 April, 2018, from https://www.superdataresearch.com/market-data/market-brief-year-in-review/

Sylvester, R., & Rennie, P. (2017). The world’s fastest-growing sport: maximizing the economic success of eSports whilst balancing regulatory concerns and ensuring the protection of those involved. Gaming Law Review, 21(8), 625-629. doi: https://doi.org/10.1089/glr2.2017.21811

Taylor, T. L. (2012). Raising the Stakes: E-Sports and the Professionalization of Computer Gaming. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

TEO. (2018, February 25). An Introduction to the ESports Ecosystem. The ESports Observer. Retrieved 25 February, 2018, from https://eSportsobserver.com/the-eSports-eco-system/

Toronto, C. E. (2020). Overview on the Integrative Review. In C. E. Toronto & R. Remington (Eds.), A Step-by-Step Guide to Conducting an Integrative Review (pp. 1-9). Switzerland: Springer Nature.

Winnan, C. D. (2016). An Entrepreneur's Guide to the Exploding World of eSports: Understanding the Commercial Significance of Counter-Strike, League of Legends and DotA 2. Kindle eBook: The Borderland Press.

Yang, X. S., Sparks, R., & Li, M. (2008). Sports sponsorship as a strategic investment in China: perceived risks and benefits by corporate sponsors prior to the Beijing 2008 Olympics. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 10(1), 57-72. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-10-01-2008-B008

Published

2021-09-16

How to Cite

Identifying the pros, cons and tactics of eSports sponsorships: an integrative literature review. (2021). Comunicação Pública, 15(28). https://doi.org/10.4000/cp.7243