As COVID-19 hit the world hard, it forced various governments to impose a cessation of movement, interactions, and closure of entertainment joints and other essential services. The decision affected many industries, one of them being the e-sports industry. Many tournaments and competitions got cancelled. This led to reduced revenue for the organizers and the players. However, they came up with an alternative way to watch sports online, which meant there was a lot of viewership. This was boosted by the absence of traditional sports. Many companies fought to sponsor some of these leagues, aiming to reach the wide audience that they commanded. Discussed below are several brands that made enormous investments as e-sports sponsors.
BMW
Everyone knows, but we still have to mention it. BMW is the manufacturer some of the most luxurious German Machines. The brand is not new to e-sport. Recently they entered into a partnership with the top five e-sport organizations that fiercely compete against each other. The top five organizations include Cloud9, Fnatic, T1, G2 E-sports, Fun-Plus, and Phoenix. BMW is usually present in all activations organized by these teams.
These flashy and sturdy German machines often steal the show with their magnificence. The brand receives the much craved attention to their products and reaches out to an array of clients. The e-sports team also benefis from the sponsorship. They were able to stay comfortably afloat during the hard times amid the pandemic.
Rothman Orthopedics
Getting Rothman as e-sports sponsors was the most significant thing for the Philadelphia Fusion players. The players got a five-year deal that comprised free preventative and active medical treatment. It was meant to help them with injuries on their wrists, necks, and backs. The partnership with Fusion got Rothman several new alliances, including the Phillies in MLB and Eagles in the NFL. Since the partnership began, Rothman has reached a considerable number of clients that have helped them gain new and potential clients. They highlight this as a worthy investment. They now intend to and treat elite players in the e-sport world. Rothman has ensured that all players and other entities in the e-sport industry have a place to go to and get the proper care they deserve to help them continue doing what they do best.
IBM
It was a shock to many when IBM announced they were joining the e-sports sponsors world in October 2020. The multinational tech and consulting company made the entry through a partnership with Activision Blizzard and the Overwatch League. IBM came in as a partner to help in AI, analytic and Cloud solutions. They aimed to assist the OverWatch league in showcasing their statistics and improving the ranking system across the leagues. When IBM joined the E-sport space, they showcased their analytical potential. They would help many organizations in the industry, players, and their fans have an incredible experience and freely engage with each other—the partnership was beneficial to the league and sponsors.
Getty Images
Getty Images is a world-renowned organization that has over £200 million worth of assets in its archive. The first partnership of the year 2020 was with the W series E-sports league. The league is a racing simulation competition for only women.
They recently partnered with Riot Games, which made them the number one distributor and the official photo image of all League of Legends E-sports events. They also signed a contract deal that made them the licensing agents for e-sport. The contract started in 2020 and runs until 2024. Both partnerships saw Getty images explore current demographics, which is not their usual way of using the site for journalists and academic uses. Having a new sports genre under their belt ensured growth during a pandemic.
Levi
Levi is known globally for its durable denim jeans clothing. The announcement that they were joining the e-sport sponsors world took the world by storm. They partnered with NUEL, a scholastic e-sport organizer based in the United Kingdom. NUEL regularly placed Levi’s logo on their website and social platforms throughout winter in 2020.
We once associated the brand with blue-collar class, or farmhands and cowboys in most of their commercials before shifting to casual wear. That was until 2013 when they expanded their vision and bought the naming rights of the NFL stadium in San Francisco, a deal that would last 20 years. It has become a trend for Levi, and entering the e-sport world is an impressive addition to their sponsorship portfolios.
Chupa Chups
Chupa Chups is a lollipop brand selling in over 100 countries worldwide. The Spanish brand makes and sells lollipops and several other kinds of candy. They recently entered a partnership and became e-sports sponsors of several professional teams taking part in games like FIFA, Rocket League, Call of Duty, Fortnite Valorant, and Rainbow Six Siege. The partnership also involved three e-sport giants in Spain, including G2 E-sports Team Heretics and Giants. The league was the greatest because getting associated with such elite teams in the e-sport world helped them excel globally.
United States Navy
A while back, the U. S Navy had announced that they would shift all their advertising budget to digital space, and they found just the right channel. To recruit young people to join the States Armed Forces, they partnered with e-sport organizations. They sponsored several tournaments and events to ensure they became noticeable at all costs.
The Navy signed several deals with various e-sport entities, including ESL, Twitch, DBLTP, and e-sport news platforms. The Navy became the presenting sponsor of ESL at DreamHack Anaheim and had a significant presence. They also created a Role Comparison with DBLTP that would help them compare various rates in the Navy with different roles on an e-sport team.
The most notable partnership was with the Evil geniuses. It resulted in an entire series created with vital information about the Navy CS: GO team formation and how the EG will train.
The Navy has been in the e-sport space for a long time. Recently, the joint effort with the U.S Marines helped the e-sport industry immensely in the most challenging seasons in 2020.
Clocking out…
Sponsorship for e-sports saw a major spike during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was largely due to the absence of traditional sports and advertisement avenues in general. The flipside was a win fro an already rapidly growing e-sports industry.
The big gains by both parties means that this trend is unlikely to change in the near future. Keeep it here for more news and trends that continue happening in the industry. As usual, remember to share your thoughts and bring along some friends to join the community.
See you on the other end!
