The role of personal branding in the esports industry

Abstract

In recent years, esports has gathered an audience of several million people (primarily members of the younger population) and all predictions indicate that this industry has the potential to become one of the strongest in the near future. As such, it is very interesting for companies that want to use its possibilities, to sponsor competitions, gamers, teams, advertise their brands, but also communicate with the target market. Among the most effective marketing strategies, the hiring of esports influencers, well-known esports gamers, who have a large fan base stands out. Influencers interact with their followers through social networks, but also during streaming sessions while playing digital games. By supporting and recommending digital games, various soft ware, hardware, as well as brands, which are not directly related to the esports (gaming) industry, they can influence the attitudes of fans (consumers) and their purchasing decisions. Personal branding can improve the image of an esports gamer (influencer), but only if activities are carefully planned and implemented. Adequate communication, meaningful and timely content that is placed in the digital environment, charisma, expertise, but also behavior in the real world, combined with healthy personal attitudes of the influencer, can make such a person the one that fans trust and whose recommendations (about brands) they want to hear, adopt and share with others. Therefore, the esports influencer becomes interesting for companies, which want to use his/her potential for marketing purposes.

Keywords

• esports
• esports infl uencers
• personal branding
• consumer behavior