How can esports become the best advertising platform
Esports, or competitive video gaming in general, has the potential to be a highly effective advertising platform due to its large and engaged audience. In and across Africa the concept though it is growing is still at its infancy and is yet to get the attention of the corporate world.
Esports Teams, Tournament Organisers and other associated businesses in the ecosystem can take advantage of their potion and especially with the increase in content production to build up their brands. Here are a few ways that esports organisations can be leveraged for advertising:
- Sponsorship: Companies can sponsor teams, tournaments, or individual players to gain exposure to the esports audience.
- In-game advertising: Advertisements can be placed within the game or during streaming breaks to reach the audience while they are actively engaged.
- Influencer marketing: Companies can work with popular esports players or streamers to promote their products or services to their dedicated followers.
- Event activation: Brands can host their own esports tournaments or events and use them as a platform to showcase their products or services.
- Virtual and augmented reality integration: With the advancements in technology, virtual and augmented reality can be used to create immersive, interactive advertising experiences for the audience.
In Africa, for esports related organisations to be the best or take up the opportunity to being the go-to advertising platform, it needs to continue to grow its audience and attract a diverse set of advertisers. The industry also needs to develop metrics to prove the ROI of esports advertising to potential advertisers and regularly reviewing what works for individual advertisers.
