EPTNew sponsorships are pretty hard to come by. Yeah, we see them quite often, but on an individual team basis, we don’t see Liquid picking up 6 sponsors over 6 months, or ROOT picking up 3 sponsors in a year (which I hope happens over the coming year). We see one team get one sponsor, then there’s this sudden silence which falls over the topic, and a couple months later, a new sponsor assists a different team.
So the question is, how do we cultivate new sponsorships? Let’s face it guys, as the fans of E-Sports, we are the market. Teams are the means through which corporations achieve their ends. Without us, there are no sponsors, as sponsors are doing it to get their company name out there. We all know that. And you know what, I think as a community, we support all of the sponsors that support our guys and gals playing out there, and all the tournaments they play in. Give yourselves a round of applause for everything we have accomplished so far. Our interest in quality products and services offered by legitimate and fair companies is what makes SC2 E-Sports as large as it is.
Sure, without corporate dollars we could be a small group of friends on a small website, who travel long distances to play at a PC Bang for a few days, and then that’s it for the year. But this magnificent awesome beast that SC2 E-Sports has become is only because of corporate investment by way of team and event sponsorship, which is only possible because of us.
We ultimately decide who will and will not be a sponsor. If we are completely intolerant of a company, why would they advertise to us through team sponsorship? If we don’t show our desire for them, why would they take the risk of negative profit?
Let’s be honest, we all own or purchase products or services from corporations who support our favorite teams or events, but we also own products and purchase services from companies who don’t. Companies who are relevant to our business, and companies who definitely should be involved. So take your pick, support the companies who do already support us, and thank all of them.
Thank you 6Pool Gaming, AMD, AOinDesign, ASUS, Acer, Adidas, Amazon, Askew, BenQ, Beyond Gaming, Bigben, Bigfoot Networks, BitFenix, Burn Energy Drink, CFG Server, CKRAS, CZ-ON Communication, Center Point, Cheap Hotels Japan, Coca-Cola, CoolIT, Corsair, Creative, Dailymotion, DeviantART, Divoom, Dropbox, EIZO, ESH E-Starholdings, EVGA, Enermax, EoReality, FULPOT Poker, FXOpen, Facebook, G.Skill, GEIL, Game Servers, Gamed'de, Gamer Grub, Gamers Uniform, Googims Company, Google, GosuGamers, Gunnar Optiks, Hedgren, HoH.de, IGN, In Win Development, Inferno Online, Intel, Intel Extreme Team, Kaspersky, Kingston HyperX, KontrolFreek, LG Cinema, LUNATI, Linemax, Medion, Microsoft, Mom's Touch Chicken and Burger, Monster Energy, NationVoice, Noisezero, Norton, Nvidia GeForce, OCZ Technology, Origin, PNY, Pepsi, Pocari Sweat, Progressive EXR, Puma, PureTrak, Pure Voice, QPAD, ROCCAT, RaidSonic, Raidcall, Razer, Red Bull, Roxio, SLAPPA, Samsung, Sansibar, Sapphire, ScienceWerk, Sennheiser, Seoul Hoseo Technical College, Sharkoon, Skydigital, Sony Ericsson, Sound Blaster, Speedlink, Split Reason, SteelSeries, TaKeTV, The Handsome Nerd, The Little App Factory, Thermal Take, TopSync, Toshiba, Toteplus, TwitchTV, Twitter, WIZHOLIC, Western Digital, Xoopar, Z33k, ZOWIE, Zotac, Zynga, emTek, eset, mySN, and every other sponsor who has ever given to our industry in any way.
But also, let’s support those who we want to see here. If we show an interest in them, they will show an interest in us. We will prove to them that we are a valid field of investment, and they will not be wasting their time or their money on us. Let me begin:
You know what company makes fucking awesome products? Logitech. You know what company has been very hesitant to breakout into a larger involvement with E-Sports? Logitech. Now, they do have a gaming division. But it’s very sad and lonely. Personally, I own a Logitech keyboard. I own Logitech speakers. I have friends who have let me play with their amazing Logitech G510, which is like sex manifested in keyboard form. They are the type of company that needs to kick down the door on our pretty little home and declare that Daddy has brought home the bacon. Who the fuck has never owned a Logitech product in their life? My ~$20 Logitech K120 keyboard is a nice, solid, dependable keyboard that accomplishes everything I need it to, and never fails me, ever. It’s a great budget keyboard. I would love to see them support E-Sports to a greater degree, and if they did, I would support them even more.
But is saying that enough? No. You must make them know that there is an interest in them. Whatever company you enjoy, which is relevant to our industry, contact them. Shoot them an email, tell them that you enjoy their products or services, tell them about E-Sports, and how it is relevant to them, how we fit their target market, how E-Sports is strapped onto a rocket and flying straight up, and they should consider joining in on the fun and the profit. And tell your friends to do the same. Tell us to do the same. Share with us who you want here, and as an aggregate community we can get them to sponsor our favorite teams and events.
Our teams get support. Our events get support. New sponsors earn our brand loyalty, and therefore our support. We get better teams and better events. Sounds to me like everyone wins. We have already seen how we can contact existing sponsors and have things changed for better or worse (Orb, Destiny, anyone?). How about we use this power to make positive things happen with new companies?
