Did you know India is quickly becoming one of the biggest eSports game marketing places globally? According to a report, the esports audience in India crossed 100 million in 2022, making it a hotspot for all the esports game brands. With such a large and engaged audience, businesses must understand how to advertise within the eSports landscape to stay competitive effectively. Let's know the significance of eSports game advertising, from digital strategies to influencer partnerships, sports collaborations, and more. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just started your business in the eSports industry, this guide will equip you with the insights and tools you need to thrive in this dynamic industry.
What is eSports?
Esports (electronic sports) is competitive video gaming at a pro level. Unlike regular sports, it's about players or teams competing in popular video games like shooting games, strategy games, multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs), and more. These competitions can be small or huge, with big prize money. With lots of people watching online or at live events, eSports games have become popular nowadays. Players can even get sponsored, join pro teams, and play in leagues for different games. According to a report, the Indian eSports gaming market is forecast to reach US$124.8 million by the end of 2024.
What is an eSports advertisement?
Esports game advertising refers to ads in esports gaming where brands utilize opportunities to showcase their products or services. These advertisements can be shown on in-game banners, product placements, or sponsored content. Additionally, esports game marketing extends to online game streaming platforms, where brands collaborate with streamers to advertise their products during live gameplay sessions. Moreover, a study indicates that India is one of the fastest-growing markets for esports gaming globally. It clearly shows the opportunities for esports game brands to enhance their brand awareness and audience engagement within the gaming community.
Effective Strategies to Reach eSports Gamers and Players
There are several effective strategies to reach esports gamers and players. Let’s understand each one briefly.
Partnering with Gaming Influencers
In esports game advertising, partnering with gamers and players is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. As they hold significant influence, these influencers often have dedicated followers who trust their recommendations and opinions on games and gaming-related products. According to a survey, 72% of the Indian gaming audience trusts gamers and players streaming through YouTube and similar platforms to purchase any gaming-related products or services. Collaborating with popular Indian gaming influencers on these platforms can help increase audience engagement hugely.
Sponsorship Deals with eSports Players
Sponsoring eSports players can help your brand become more visible in the gaming world. By sponsoring successful players, your brand can gain credibility and recognition among eSports enthusiasts. With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.44% from 2024 to 2028, the esports game advertising market is expected to reach US$166.3 million by 2028. Investing in sponsorship deals with eSports players allows your brand to hold a significant presence in this expanding market.
Sports Marketing with eSports
Using strategies from esports game marketing can help enhance brand recognition and interaction with gamers. This means applying ideas like sponsorships and events to eSports, which is becoming increasingly popular in India. In 2020, investments in the Indian esports industry reached $173 million, which indicates the rapidly growing Indian esports advertising industry. This indicates the advertising opportunity for brands by using esports game marketing strategies effectively.
Cross-Promotional Strategies
Implementing cross-promotional strategies in online game advertising involves collaborating with other brands or platforms that share a similar target audience. By implementing a cross-promotional strategy, brands can enhance their reach to new segments of the esports gaming community. As per a report, with over 7 billion downloads in 2020 alone, India ranked among the top countries for mobile gaming downloads. Partnering with mobile gaming platforms or popular game developers for cross-promotional campaigns can help reach a vast mobile gaming audience in India.
Advertising Opportunities in eSports
In addition to effective strategies to reach esports gamers and players, let’s explore several advertising opportunities in esports gaming advertising.
Advertising through Video and Audio OTT Platforms
In India, video and audio OTT platforms such as Hotstar, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video are popular for streaming eSports events. By placing ads on these platforms during eSports tournaments or gaming content, brands can reach a large audience of gaming enthusiasts. According to a report,, India's OTT market in esports gaming advertising is projected to reach $12.5 billion by 2025. This signifies an opportunity to make maximum use of OTT audio and video platforms for eSports game advertising to reach your target audience widely.
Transit Advertising for eSports
Transit advertising in esports includes placing ads for esports gaming on public vehicles and stations. In India, where public transportation is heavily utilized, this presents a unique opportunity for reaching a wide audience. India's urban population is expected to reach 600 million by 2031, which indicates the potential reach of transit advertising for esports gaming. With transit advertising for esports, esports gaming brands can directly target commuters who are more likely to be interested in gaming.
TV Advertising in eSports
Television advertising remains a significant medium with an ample amount of viewership across urban and rural areas in India. By showcasing ads during eSports tournaments or gaming-related programming, brands can reach a diverse audience, including both gamers and non-gamers. TV ads in esports in India have increased by 6% since 2020. It helps enhance the visibility of eSports game advertising among a broad demographic audience, including those who may not be active online gamers.
YouTube Advertising
YouTube is a popular platform for eSports gaming advertising in India. Esports brands can make maximum use of YouTube advertising by placing esports gaming ads before or during esports gaming videos or live streams to target esports gaming enthusiasts directly. With over 225 million monthly active users on YouTube, brands can easily engage with their target audience to maximize the impact of their esports game marketing efforts.
Conclusion and the Future of Esports Advertising
In conclusion, Esports game advertising offers a great opportunity for brands to connect with India's wide esports gaming audience. By using effective strategies such as collaborating with gaming influencers, sponsoring players, and running cross-promotions, brands can enhance their visibility in the gaming community. As India's esports gaming scene grows rapidly, businesses need to utilize esports gaming advertising opportunities to stay competitive. Looking ahead to the future of esports gaming advertising in India, as the esports gaming market is supposed to grow even bigger, esports game brands can expect more creative ways, such as interactive experiences, augmented reality campaigns, and user-generated content campaigns, to engage gamers and players, leading to a better return on their investment in those campaigns. By keeping up with these trends, esports gaming brands can succeed in the ever-evolving world of esports gaming advertising.
Why choose Excellent Publicity for eSports gaming advertising?
Excellent Publicity is the top media services agency in India, offering effective solutions for esports game advertising that will help build your esports game brand and bring in more leads that expand your business. With our extensive range of services, we have cracked the code of business growth for all types of online game advertising needs.
Make us your branding partner today. Contact us to learn more about how our expertise in esports game marketing will help you enhance brand awareness, reputation, audience reach, and recognition through esports game advertising!