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Thinking out loud Part II: Sponsorships

Blogs > Chargelot
Post a Reply
Chargelot
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
2275 Posts
June 02 2012 09:09 GMT
#1
I want to think out loud some. Maybe talk to myself a little. Writing this all down keeps me from repeating things I think about.



New 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?


****
if (post == "stupid") { document.getElementById('post').style.display = 'none'; }
Marti
Profile Joined August 2011
552 Posts
June 03 2012 10:07 GMT
#2
Not a bad blog, kinda unfair that you didn't even get a comment ^^
#adun giveafuck - - - "Did this guy just randomly finger me?" - Sayle
Ahzz
Profile Joined May 2007
Finland780 Posts
June 03 2012 11:13 GMT
#3
indeed. Personally a big part of my interest for e-sports has faded since I don't play games as much anymore and not so competitively, but I certainly learned to respect it and appreciate what is being done there. It is good entertainment. However, if I start another game competitively I'm sure my interest would grow of course, because a big part of learning is learning from the pros.

I find myself preferring gaming computer gear over other gear simply because it's generally of higher quality, lasts longer and feels better. I don't mind paying a few extra dollars for it.
For instance, I have a hard time believing that any other headset would be as comfortable as my razer megalodon (even if the sound it produces isn't as good, and the mic isn't perfect). My razer deathadder has been under extreme strain for 3 years now. It has even dropped to the ground a few times, and has been traveling around. I doubt many other mice could have handled it as well. My razer exactmat has provided me a good, solid, reliable platform to use my mouse anywhere, anytime.
Primadog
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States4411 Posts
June 03 2012 11:34 GMT
#4
We got quite a few new sponsors into the scene with the gigabyte LAN (newegg, dolby, etc) by approaching them like a regular business and educate them on why esports are worthwhile.
Thank God and gunrun.
Chargelot
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
2275 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-06-03 17:23:10
June 03 2012 17:20 GMT
#5
On June 03 2012 20:34 Primadog wrote:
We got quite a few new sponsors into the scene with the gigabyte LAN (newegg, dolby, etc) by approaching them like a regular business and educate them on why esports are worthwhile.


:D and that is just the kind of thing I would like to see on the consumer level. Producers, that is, event organizers, obviously cultivate their sponsorships like any other business cultivates investment: through the spreading of relevant information allowing the sponsor to see that they can in fact make a profit doing this.

On the consumer level, it's simply not that easy. We could do the same thing, I think, but then we tell them "go invest!" without directing them towards a specific investment. So what we have is the same educational tools as you, but we lack the same authority to say "invest here". That is why I would like to see a large number of people contacting the same organizations/corporations that they wholly and truly believe could get into E-Sports, and make a profit, and help out teams or events, and as a team show them that there is demand for them in this field.

We can have a hundred people tell Logitech (example business) to invest in 100 different teams or events, or we could have 100 people give them some simple educational facts, and relay the message "you need to find a place in this industry", and we can let them find whatever place suits them the most.

Not hiding in the shadows does two things:
1. It means that the companies can see that we legitimately want them here, enough that we planned to contact them, and that we really want them to benefit just as much as we do.
2. Teams and organizations know who they can start talking to about possibly sponsoring them.
if (post == "stupid") { document.getElementById('post').style.display = 'none'; }
Chargelot
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
2275 Posts
June 16 2012 14:35 GMT
#6
Logitech supporting Dreamhack <33333333333333333333333
if (post == "stupid") { document.getElementById('post').style.display = 'none'; }
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