A couple of days ago a friend of mine contacted me. He's done very well, and over the last few years build one of the biggest esports brands. We were chatting about sponsors and partnerships, and the brief exchange of opinions left me thinking:
Lately a lot of things are happening on the esports scene; tournaments, conventions, teams, shows, new games etc. They seem to grow on trees, and don't get me wrong - I love it.
The challenge is, they all go for the same handful of gaming-related companies and big players that are already investing in esports (like Coca-Cola). Some people try to think outside the box, and experiment - by cold-calling/mailing potential brands with a salespitch - but the effort ends there.
Esports is growing, that's a fact. If you look at the proportions; spectators/reach vs brand participation there's a clear imbalance.
So... Identify...
- A group of potential partners you can reach.
- Those partners having a (marketing) problem to solve, using your services.
- Having a desire, and ability to spend money to solve the problem.
And then, educate.
You chance for a meeting will definitely increase if you offer 1) a walk-through of the esports landscape, 2) a presentation on esports demographics - who is the typical esport spectator, 3) non-gaming-brand cases, 4) what marketing options are available in esports , 5) trends in media consumption etc.
My point is, educate brands that are trying to reach the audience you're already reaching. Because when esports hit mainstream, who do you think is the first person they think of?
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