From field to virtual world: Cricketers and athletes turn to e-sports partnerships

Product Image
blogger image
Sep 5, 2024

With the lines between conventional sport and e-sport ever-thinned, this is what one may expect; cricketers or sportspeople seem increasingly invested in and continue to advocate the rise of esports. This goes beyond the fad-like trend; it talks about corporate strategy, showing where the synergy lies between physical sport and digital gaming.

Perhaps at the forefront has been Indian cricket star Virat Kohli, who has invested in esports while serving as the brand ambassador for different esports teams. His involvement is credited with giving esports its high profile in India, drawing a wider audience into an arena that may narrow the gulf between conventional sports and gaming. Similarly, badminton champion PV Sindhu has partnered with gaming companies to promote their products by engaging her large fan base and showing that different industries can come together.

Explaining this phenomenon, Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, says, "This crossover is driven by the growing recognition that esports is indeed a mainstream competitive platform. These athletes seem to relate to the competitive nature of esports from their times in traditional sports, which makes the space quite engaging for them to participate in and invest in.

Just look at some of the other big-name endorsements to have cropped up: Off-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been in the news with his content on streaming platform Rooter; similarly, KL Rahul has featured for OnePlus Dominate, an initiative that shows traditional sports stars are turning up the dial on esports.

As explained by Darrell Fernandes, Senior Vice President of Client Partnerships at White Rivers Media, "The blurring lines between traditional sports and esports bring in an entirely new era of brand partnerships. The athletes connect to the young audience while gaining credibility and reach from esports companies.".

Examples include KRAFTON India partnering with Neeraj Chopra on the BGMI Ocean Odyssey 3.3 update, among many others by JetSynthesys with various IPL teams, thus stating success and mutual benefit from such collaborations. With esports and traditional sports continuing to bring forth meaningful points of convergence, innovative marketing, and a larger audience, the future looks enviable.

Benefits of E-sports advertising:

Engaged and young audience reach:

Events associated with e-sports are primarily crowded by age groups from 18 to 34 years, which is the dream of many brands interested in reaching both millennials and Gen Z audiences.

Innovative advertising formats:

This is how brands can smoothly fit their products or services into game environments, creating immersive and interactive brand experiences.

Brand authenticity and credibility:

Sponsorships with famous esports players and streamers bring some form of authenticity, and thus, one way or another, provide more credibility to the brand, which in turn will go a long way in reputation management within its target audience.

If you want e-sports advertising campaigns for your brand, then Excellent publicity can help you achieve your objective. For more such advertising news, stay in touch with us.

Explore 3,00,000+ Media items rate in one click

Get The Rate