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.

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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.

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Published

2021-09-16

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 28 (2020): Number with Special Issues

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Os conteudos da Comunicação Publica estão licenciados com uma licença Creative Commons - Atribuição-NãoComercial 4.0 Internacional.

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