The digital sports world is unique in so many ways, and marketers in other industries don’t necessarily know how to promote it.
Worldwide, electronic sports gaming is estimated to be a $4.3B market in 2024, reaching $5.7B in 2028 with an impressive 7% CAGR.
While China has long been the industry leader, in 2024, the US is anticipated to become the leading market with a total size of $1B.
If you’re looking for expert marketers for your esports brand, look no further!
We’ve selected the best providers in the business and compiled this list of the top digital marketing agencies to work with, including their key services and how to choose the right one for your brand.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2014
Location: Los Angeles, USA. Paris, France, Berlin, Germany, Tokyo Japan
Number of Employees: 11 – 50
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
PocketWhale is an award-winning marketing firm specializing in desktop, console, and mobile game marketing.
It offers a full suite of promotional services, from esports strategy planning to implementation, and has global operations, making it a great fit for an international market.
PocketWhale is an expert in the gaming ecosystem, and its services cover both online and offline content, including PR and TV advertising, and can host incredibly well-executed digital gaming events.
To design and optimize your esport marketing strategy, you can rely on PocketWhale to tick all the boxes!
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2018
Location: Los Angeles, USA. Montreal, Canada
Number of Employees: 11 – 50
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
United Esports has burst onto the scene, growing rapidly while achieving sought-after partnerships with the likes of XLive, YouTube, and Twitch.
It is hungry and boundary-pushing, which makes it a great choice for clients who want innovations.
As a full-service agency, United Esports has worked with numerous big-name companies like P&G, Wallops, and Konami. Its partners and affiliates also include XLive, YouTube, and Twitch.
The founder also co-founded an influencer advertising brand, Open Influence. The CEO has been featured on Inc. and Forbes 30 Under 30 lists.
Using the right marketers with an industry-proficient CEO increases your chances of top-quality services and swift results as these professionals understand what their clients need.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2000
Location: New York, USA; Sydney, Australia; and Madurai, India
Number of Employees: 51 – 200
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
DCI is a leading advertiser in North America. They offer an end-to-end solution, from app development to long-term strategies and creative services.
For three years in a row, DCI has been recognized as one of the best advertising companies in the industry.
It works with clients in every sector of electronic sports and has a wealth of experience working in the niche.
DCI offers brands a 360-degree solution to their business needs. The video games they’ve marketed include puzzles, racing, adventure, sports, arcade, and so much more!
Plus, DCI offers many free resources, such as SEO tools, white papers, ebooks, and webinars.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 1979
Location: New Berlin, Wisconsin, New York City, New York, San Francisco, California, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Number of Employees: 1001 – 5000
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
GMR is a full-service agency with a special focus on esports. It offers a 360′ solution backed by extensive experience and a data-driven approach.
GMR helped achieve incredible results for projects like Fantastic Beasts and XFINITY Taylor Swift, showcasing its prowess and experience working with successful gaming brands.
From setting target demographics to helping you execute a successful customer-centric strategy, GMR is an excellent choice for any digital sports brand looking to impact the intensely competitive esports industry.
Source: gmrmarketing.com
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2017
Location: New York; London: Dubai; Vilnius; Hong Kong; and Singapore
Number of employees: 51 – 200
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
NinjaPromo is a full-service digital marketing agency with a global footprint and some impressive gaming campaigns behind its name.
It offers a comprehensive set of services and is especially interested in entertainment, sports games, crypto/blockchain, SaaS, FinTech, and B2B.
NinjaPromo has worked with numerous successful brands and has extensive experience advertising for brands in this unique space.
Brands in technology and software are their particular area of expertise, and they also offer website and mobile app design and development.
Taking a holistic, multi-channel approach, they will develop a customized strategy tailored to meet your goals.
NinjaPromo has offices around the globe and people on the ground in multiple regions, which is a great advantage for brands with multinational client bases.
When it comes to gaming, NinjaPromo is both highly experienced and highly skilled, having worked with premier brands in the industry.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2015
Location: London and Manchester, UK, and Los Angeles, USA
Number of Employees: 51 – 200
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
Kairos Media is one of the fastest-growing gaming advertisers in the UK and uses the power of content and social media to drive results for its esports gaming clients.
It is based in the UK and has offices in Los Angeles, USA, which positions it well for clients who want to reach gamers in both the European and American markets.
Kairos Media’s large team has over 10 years of experience. In addition to marketing experts, it includes professional gamers and team owners with an in-depth knowledge of the industry from the inside.
Kairos Media offers a full set of services that cover everything you need to successfully promote your gaming brand.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2018
Location: London and Chesterfield, UK, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Number of Employees: 1 – 10
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
CheeseCake Digital focuses on understanding the market, context, and landscape surrounding each client to develop solutions that will truly thrive.
It offers services from video game conception to development and beyond. Its digital promotion services include influencer campaigns and social media.
As an agency, it is all about helping you understand and leverage the market, from offering you purely consultancy services for your strategy, to full-service marketing solutions.
Although its headquarters are in Dubai, it also has an office in London, which is great for gaming brands that wish to leverage both regions.
Despite being relatively new, CheeseCake Digital has worked with some high-profile brands and has achieved impressive results.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2006
Location: Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK, with offices in Europe, Australia and the USA
Number of Employees: 51 – 200
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
Heaven Media is a veteran gaming marketing company. Headquartered in the UK, Heaven Media offers a full range of services to successfully build and grow your esports brand.
It has extensive experience in the industry across multiple regions, including the US, Europe, Australia, and the Asia-Pacific, which is a distinct advantage when it comes to understanding the complexities of marketing to different regional audiences.
Heaven Media’s client roster includes some of the biggest names in the industry, and it has a stellar track record.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2013
Location: Reading, UK, and Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
Number of Employees: 11 – 50
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
The Game Marketer, based in the UK, has extensive experience and an impressive portfolio.
It offers a full-service solution for marketing gaming brands, as well as a consulting service to help you with specific challenges or gaps in your marketing.
Its portfolio includes several well-known and popular games that experience high user engagement and retention rates, which is a testament to its skillful marketing strategies.
The Game Marketer provides a robust set of services, covering all your esports advertising and content marketing needs, including digital and print media channels.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2017
Location: Bristol, UK, with offices in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the USA
Number of Employees: 11 – 50
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
Fourth Floor is an expert games marketing firm that offers end-to-end solutions for video gaming brands, from development to execution.
Its services encompass a full suite of digital services, including influencer campaigns, social media, and content creation.
Fourth Floor has helped businesses of all sizes, including the likes of Twitch, WarGaming, Frontier, and Klei.
Its team comprises developers, creators, planners, buyers, and AI specialists, providing expert services for the current esports industry.
They can optimize every aspect of your business, from influencer connection to increasing your conversion rates. If you want every essential tool, expert, and service under one roof, choose Fourth Floor.
AGENCY SNAPSHOT
Founded: 2013
Location: Norwhich, UK and Gibraltar
Number of Employees: 201 – 500
KEY SERVICES
NOTEWORTHY CLIENTS
WHY CHOOSE THEM?
Digital Fuel Marketing offers a full range of services, including SEO, ASO, and content creation, which are important elements for game developers and brands looking to grow their business.
It is accredited with Tune, Bing Ads, and Google Ads and is a certified Google Partner.
Digital Fuel Marketing is experienced, offers a high level of expertise in marketing for games brands, and has achieved some exceptional results for its clients.
It offers an end-to-end solution packed with all the essentials to raise brand awareness, develop a pristine reputation, and grow your business
Some marketers specialize exclusively in the fundamentals of sports gaming, whereas others offer a full range of solutions and channel implementations.
Esports sponsorships are a pivotal component in this niche. Over the last year, the value of sponsorships amounted to $538 million, proving how crucial esports sponsorship management is.
These agencies will leverage their industry expertise and network to brainstorm designs while managing all your sponsor campaigns for the maximum return on investment.
They will also outline the value of sponsorships that your strategy needs and how to secure these esports partnerships. Sponsorships can be secured through email, paid advertising, social media, influencers, re-marketing, and even traditional tactics like print media placements.
Marketing service providers will help you with your esports audience targeting and positioning strategy, content development strategy, and social media strategy, as well as any other marketing strategies or channels your band needs.
These marketers’ expertise is deeply rooted in their understanding of the gaming communities, the techniques this community prefers, and the unique channels and means to reach them.
One strategy unique to this industry is launching an esports team. Developing a thriving team is a great way to secure loyal users for long-term success.
Another is hosting team esports events. Like social media contests, you can optimize your lead generation strategy through streamed events. A good firm knows the best strategies to drive viewers to your event and engage them.
Lastly, tournaments are a fantastic way to deliver lasting impact. A great partner will have the expertise in designing and maintaining tournaments. This is no easy feat!
To attract the audience to your brand, you will most likely use PR techniques, such as publishing in magazines or online blogs, to put your business in front of the right potential viewers and interest them.
PR is a very delicate practice, and it’s not always easy to gain results. But with the help of a professional to curate and release engaging publications about your brand and highlight the value of your products, PR will be much easier.
Many agencies offer esports content creation. These creative products include animation, video editing, Photoshop, and more graphic design practices. This service enables them to curate sports content that is aligned with your audience’s preferences.
These companies will then leverage multiple channels for successful content delivery to the right audiences. A few of these channels include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), App Store Optimization (ASO), and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
Creative video marketing strategies can produce ads that present your brand in a visually appealing and highly engaging format on the channels where gamers are found, like Twitch, YouTube, and Discord.
Podcasting is a fun method to get in front of your audience and inform them about your brand.
Having a podcast means you can invite industry experts to speak to your audience, which will boost your awareness and credibility.
You can also gain sponsors through podcasts and form useful brand collaborations with other brands.
Social media is where you’ll reach most of your users and attract new ones. Targeted social media ads, sponsored posts with gaming influencers or Twitch streamers, and community marketing on Discord are some of the primary channels agencies use to promote games via social media.
Esports influencers are especially impactful in this industry, and many marketing companies can help you find influencers to promote your game brand.
These influencers are often professional players with a large following that trusts their opinions and recommendations. Depending on your offerings, influencers will most likely host live streams showcasing your product.
Data is so crucial. Without this information, you can’t improve or check what has been accomplished. A good agency can send you weekly and monthly reports on your esports analytics, performance, and other relevant KPIs to demonstrate the results it is achieving for your brand.
Whether you’re in the UK or North America, your business has ample options to choose from. These agencies aim to help you develop an advertising strategy, grow your brand, and understand the community.
Our best pick in North America is Digital Fuel Marketing. Offering more than just esports promotional services, they have proven their expertise through exponential company growth and track record. They also have a notable amount of accreditation.
Heaven Media is the top choice in the UK. They have worked with a long list of big players in the gaming industry. Choosing Heaven Media as your marketer means you’ll have an all-inclusive team to help your business succeed.
If you follow this guide to the T, you’ll have no problem finding a service provider right for your brand.
Marketers specializing in this industry help companies identify their audience, secure sponsorships, and develop a strong strategy for their marketing. They also plan and execute campaigns on diverse channels, including social media, content marketing and PR, to ensure that the unique needs of the games they promote are met. Many also offer ASO and SEO services.
The sports market in North America is consistently rising at a CAGR of close to 20%, and is projected to be worth over $9.3 Billion USD by 2030. As such, it is a strong and consistently growing industry, which is highly competitive. If you need a great agency to help you break into the games market or you want expert advice to grow your brand, you will find a list of the top marketers to work with in this review!
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