Advertiser investment in eSports will rise significantly in APAC
32% of senior marketers claim to have invested in eSports in the last 12 months and that 78% expect to invest in the near future.
Advertiser investment to rise massively in eSports in APAC, says research
Nearly a third of multinationals in APAC are investing in eSports while more than a quarter have plans to invest in future. Furthermore, advertiser investment in eSports and gaming is set to rise massively across APAC.
Among the brands who have invested in video gaming in the last 12 months, the research showed investments are most commonly advertising on gaming platforms or within games themselves, or investments in eSports.
According to new research titled 'Gaming Demystified: Unlocking brand growth opportunities in video gaming' from the World Federation of Advertisers and global consumer insights agency 2CV, more than that, senior marketers anticipate a 50% year-on-year (YOY) growth in investments to eSports marketing channels.
Last year, eSports power up in Singapore with the formation of the new association and a group of telcos in Asia Pacific signed a memorandum of understanding to grow the eSports ecosystem in the region.
Recently gaming giant Razer's co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Min-Liang has committed $10m SGD in funding to gaming and eSports development in Singapore over the next 12 months.
Another report by Newzoo stated that Asia-Pacific will account for 57% of all Esports Enthusiasts in 2019. “Esports Enthusiasts” – a term Newzoo uses to refer to a person that watches professional esports content more than once a month.
According to James Redden, managing director, APAC – 2CV marketers understand the scale of the opportunity that gaming represents but the issue is lack of knowledge and simply knowing where to start.
He added: "Spend is rising fast but it would grow even faster when that knowledge gap has been filled, giving brands the confidence they need to start talking more boldly about gaming and eSports within their organizations."
Ranji David, director - marketing services, APAC, WFA said: “Video gaming has risen from a niche culture to a global phenomenon. eSports tends to dominate the headlines, but the wider world of gaming offers other opportunities marketers cannot ignore. With this report, we hope we can provide marketers with a perspective on the industry that combines rich, peer feedback with expert insight and can help them navigate this rapidly evolving ecosystem.”