Loyalty to the Team as a Brand in the ESports Industry

Student: Kachaykin Kirill

Educational Programme: Advertising and Public Relations (Bachelor)

Year of Graduation: 2021

This work is devoted to the study of the marketing aspects of the eSports industry. ESports is a 21st century phenomenon that shows significant growth in popularity every year. ESports streaming coverage can break records for traditional sports. Every year more and more brands enter this market, which enter into sponsorship contracts with eSports organizations in order to gain the loyalty of the fans of the eSports team. The aim of this study is to identify the empirical relationship of fan loyalty between an eSports team and the team's sponsoring brand. One of the objectives of the study was to identify the factors influencing its formation. As part of this research, in-depth interviews were conducted among fans of a popular eSports team, as well as expert interviews with people whose professional activities have been associated with eSports for many years.

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