11 Best Esports Marketing Agencies in North America and the UK [2023 Full Review]

Marketing a product in the esports world is not the same as in other marketing environments. The esport world is unique in so many ways. Therefore sole marketers or marketing teams that promote the beauty industry don’t necessarily know how to promote the esports industry like a professional esport marketing agency.

Unfortunately, many marketing agencies claim they can promote anything, but this isn’t always true. And you don’t want to see your marketing investments go down the drain!

Make sure you put your marketing efforts in the hands of a competent marketer or marketing team with extensive experience in the esports industry.

But how can you properly evaluate if an esport marketing agency is competent? Well, this is what this guide is all about.

We will reveal the best esports marketing agencies in North America and the UK. And how to pick the best esport marketing agency for your brand!

At the end of this article, you will feel confident enough to scale your marketing and generate shocking results for your brand.

Follow on!

Growth of the Esport Industry 

Between 2019 and 2023, the esports market was projected to expand by 9 percent. This means that by the end of 2021, the esports market value was forecast to reach $646 million. However, in only one year, between 2020 and 2021, the esport market grew by almost 50%.

In 2021, there were 234 million esports enthusiasts and 240 million occasional viewers. Between 2019 and 2021, the amount of esports enthusiasts has increased by 33 million people. The occasional number of viewers has increased by 40 million. 

Professionals believe that because of social distancing this will increase Esports engagement by 61%, increase the growth of gaming platforms by 61%, and increase the movements of big brands into esports sponsorships by 52%. These figures prove esports marketing is growing exponentially, and you can expect a lot of security around this investment.

While China hosts the most thriving esports marketing on the globe, the esport market in the United States is giving them a run for their money. Within only three years, North America doubled its esport revenue to $607 million. However, the UK is not far behind with an average growth of 8.5% in their esports revenue over three years. 

Which Marketing Channels are Used in Esport Marketing?

Esport marketing channels use multiple channels for a successful esport marketing strategy. A few of these channels include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), App Store Optimization (ASO), and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

However, the primary marketing channels esport marketing agencies use are influencer marketing, PR, and streaming platforms like Twitch and Huya. Here are the details of how these primary marketing channels work for esport marketing. 

Influencer Marketing 

Esport marketing heavily relies on influencers. This is because gamers and streamers have large audiences to promote a brand too. The audiences of these influencers trust them, so convincing their audience to support your business won’t be difficult. 

An esport marketing agency will have the appropriate tools and techniques to source influencers to market your brand. Depending on your offerings, influencers will most likely host live streams showcasing your product. Influencer marketing is a crucial marketing channel for esport marketing, and with it, your brand will extend its reach. 

Public Relations

To attract esport community members to your brand an esport marketing agency will use PR techniques and strategies in gaming magazines and blogs. They do this to put your business in front of potential viewers and interest them. 

PR is a very delicate practice as it’s not always easy to gain results. But with the help of an esport marketing agency to curate and release engaging publications about your brand, and highlight the value of your products, PR will be much easier. 

Streaming Platforms 

There’s a high chance that various streaming platforms will host most of your target audience. Gamers spend time on streaming platforms to connect with influencers and other gamers in their community. If you don’t know how to market on streaming platforms, you might not see the results you want. 

However, this is what an esport marketing agency does for you. These agencies have experience working with countless streaming platforms and the community they host. Consequently, esport marketing agencies will use paid advertising techniques to visually captivate users. 

What Services Does an Esport Marketing Agency Offer?

To ensure your esport marketing strategy is successful, agencies in the UK and North America offer countless services including the channels mentioned previously. However, some agencies specialize in the fundamentals of esport marketing exclusively, whereas others offer a full range of services. 

The type of agency you choose depends on various factors. But before getting to what those factors are, let’s examine the most common services from an esport marketing agency.

Sponsorship Management

Sponsorships are a pivotal component of esport marketing. Over the last year, the value of Esport sponsorships amounted to $538 million, proving how crucial sponsorship management is. esport marketing agencies will brainstorm, design, and manage all your sponsorship campaigns. 

They will also outline the value of sponsorships in your esport marketing strategy needs, and how to secure these sponsorships. To accomplish this, agencies will use email marketing, paid advertising, social media marketing, influencer marketing, re-marketing, and even traditional marketing.

 

Sports Marketing Strategy

To leverage viewers to your esport marketing strategy, you need a customer-centric strategy. An excellent esports marketing agency in the UK or North America will help you achieve this. The agency will plan a full-proof positioning strategy, content marketing strategy, social media strategy, and branding development. 

Having these strategies in place will save you the time and guesswork of doing it yourself. Plus, these strategies develop a clear direction to propagate your brand’s value proposition.  

Social Media & Communication

Social media is an integral part of any marketing strategy. This is where you’ll reach most of your consumers and attract new ones. However, maintaining a social media strategy and general communication strategy can be mind-boggling. There’s a lot of trial and error that goes into this, and the content has to be flawless.

An Esport marketing agency will help you engage, inform and secure your consumers through social media and communication tactics. 

Sports Content

Many esport marketing agencies offer creative services for sports content. This includes animation, video editing, Photoshop, and more graphic design practices. This service enables esport marketing agencies to curate sports content aligned with what your audience wants to see. 

Instead of figuring out which type of content works the best, and how to market it, opt for esport marketing agency to help you!

How to Choose the Best Esports Marketing Agency 

As there are so many great esports marketing agencies in North America, and the UK, choosing one can be tricky. To make this easier for you, here are the top ten tips for choosing the best esports marketing agency. 

1. Esport Community. Evaluate how well an esport marketing agency knows the Esport community. Do they understand the marketing techniques this community prefers? Does the agency know how to communicate with this community? You can gather this information by reading an agency’s case studies.
2. Influencer Marketing. If you’re updated with the esport community, you’ll know how popular streamers are. Now imagine connecting famous streamers to your brand. An esport marketing agency should be able to do this, as it will generate an insane amount of traffic to your brand. Ask the esport marketing agency about their network of influencers to check if they have one and if they have any popular names in their network. 
3. Hosting Team Events. Like social media contests, you can optimize your lead generation strategy through team events. Therefore, your ideal esport marketing agency should have experience with hosting successful team events. The agency must know the best strategies to drive viewers to your event and engage them.
4. Launching an Esport Team. Developing a thriving esport team is a great way to secure loyal users. Having an esport marketing agency with experience in launching and maintaining esport teams is essential because of this. Your agency should help you create a lively esport team that proudly sings the name of your team. 
5. Content Marketing. Despite the marketing strategy in question, content marketing is always a valuable addition. A professional esport marketing agency will understand expert content marketing techniques that captivate your audience. Through content marketing, your agency should put your brand at the forefront of its competition.
6. Video Marketing. It’s no secret that the rise of videos has strongly engaged consumers worldwide. With the video marketing strategy, you can create visually enabling ads to drive your conversions. An esport marketing agency that’s worthwhile can do this for you.
7. Podcasting. 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 a lot easier.
8. Tournaments. Esport tournaments are one heck of a thing to set up, and not everybody knows how to do this. Fortunately, a fantastic esport marketing agency will have experience in designing and maintaining tournaments. These agencies can help you host the esport tournament of the century. 
9. Social Media Marketing. Social media marketing is always vital. For esport marketing, it’s no different. Check the esport marketing agency’s social media profiles to evaluate the quality of their social media expertise. If an agency offers to manage your social media marketing, they should be able to handle their own too.
10. Data and Analytics. Data and analytics are so crucial. Without this information, you can’t improve your marketing techniques or check what your esport marketing agency has accomplished. Ensure your esport marketing agency sends you weekly and monthly reports on your consumers, esport strategy performance, and other relevant KPIs. 

5 Best Esports Marketing Agencies in North America

1.PromoNinja

NinjaPromo is a leading, global, full-service digital marketing agency specializing in gaming, esports, SaaS, FinTech, crypto/blockchain, e-commerce, and B2B marketing. It works with clients of all sizes, from startups and SMEs to global brands.

NinjaPromo provides comprehensive marketing services, including social media, paid media, SEO, mobile marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing, public relations, branding, and creative services.

Marketing brands in tech and software is their particular area of expertise, and they also offer website and mobile app design and development.

When it comes to gaming and esports, NinjaPromo is both highly experienced and highly skilled, having worked with premier brands in the industry.

As seasoned esports marketers, the team at NinjaPromo knows the ins and outs of marketing in this dynamic and competitive space.

Taking a holistic, multi-channel approach, they will develop a customized marketing plan 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 multi-national client bases.

2.PocketWhale

Voted one of the top advertising and marketing agencies three times in a row, PocketWhale is the progressive esport marketing solution your business needs. This agency solely specializes in mobile, desktop, and console games marketing. 

The agency exhausts both online and offline media like PR and TV advertising. Usually, PocketWhale can also host amazing gaming events, but this might not be possible because of Covid-19. For designing, and optimizing your esport marketing strategy, you can rely on PocketWhale to tick all the boxes. 

3.United Esports.

United Esports is an all-rounder esport marketing agency with only a few years to its name. This esport agency has worked with countless renowned companies like P&G, Wallops, and Konami. Many partners and affiliates of United Esports also include XLive, YouTube, and Twitch.

The founder of United Esports is the co-founder of an influencer marketing brand, Open Influence. The CEO has also featured on one of the Inc. & Forbes 30 Under 30 lists. Using an esport marketing agency with an industry-proficient CEO increases your chances of top quality services, and swift results as these professionals understand what their clients need.

4.Dot Com Infoway (DCI) .

DCI is a North American gaming and esport agency that offers brands a 360-degree solution to esport marketing. The games they’ve marketed include puzzles, racing, adventure, sports, arcade, and so much more! 

For three years in a row, DIC has been deemed one of the best marketing and advertising companies. You can find loads of free resources at DCI like SEO tools, white papers, ebooks, and webinars. 

5.GMR.

As the oldest agency on this list, GMR has worked with countless organizations from varied industries. A few of their Esport projects include Fantastic Beasts, XFINITY Taylor Swift, and Comcast University. GMR specializes not only in esport marketing but in digital marketing as a whole. 

GMR established its esport marketing practice in 2015. This agency uses a data-driven approach which they intend to execute flawlessly. From setting target demographics to helping you execute a successful customer-centric strategy, GMR is a great, reliable, seasoned choice for esport marketing services. 

6 Best Esport Marketing Agencies in the UK

1.Kairos Esports.

As one of the fastest-growing esport and gaming agencies in the UK, Kairos Esport has over 10 years of experience in this industry. Kairos Esport has a 70-member team comprising professional gamers and team-owners, and the agency offers a 360-degree marketing solution. 

The agency has offices in Manchester and Los Angeles, although their headquarters is in London. Kairos Esport also has their podcast series, and they’ve worked with brands like Heinz, Rocket League, and Houseparty. 

2.CheeseCake Digital .

CheeseCake Digital is all about helping you understand and leverage the esport and gaming market. From offering you only consultancy services to help you determine your esport marketing strategy to designing, developing, and maintaining a new marketing campaign, CheeseCake Digital does it all! 

Although the headquarters are in Dubai, CheeseCake Digital also has an office in London. This agency is relatively new and because of that, it doesn’t have an extensive portfolio. However, they have worked with high-profile brands. 

3.Heaven Media.

Being around for a very long time, Heaven Media is a full-service esport and games marketing agency in the UK. You can find offices in the United States, Australia, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Many of Heaven Media’s best clients include Discord, Epic Games, and Microsoft, proving that this agency is worth the buck.

This esport marketing agency in the UK will help you leverage influencers, create a fantastic online reputation, and double your bottom line.

4.The Game Marketer.

The Game Marketer is an established esport marketing agency in the UK with an impressive portfolio. This agency has worked on several high-end, popular games that experience high user engagement rates, conversion rates, and more.

The Game Marketer also offers a free consultation and a full range of services. 

5.Fourth Floor.

With over 630 content creators and 265 million views, Fourth Floor is the go-to option for esport marketing. The agency has helped businesses of all sizes like Twitch, WarGaming, Frontier, and Klei. To sweeten the deal, Fourth Floors’ team comprises developers, creators, planners, buyers, and AI specialists. 

Besides esport marketing, this marketing agency can optimize every aspect of your business, from influencer marketing to increasing your conversion rates. If you want every essential tool, expert, and service under one roof, choose Fourth Floor. 

6.Digital Fuel Marketing.

Tune, Bing ads, Google Ads, and Google Partner have all accredited Digital Fuel Marketing for their excellent marketing expertise. The agency has served over 60 clients and has gained over 1 million consumers. In the first three years of operation, this marketing agency has grown by 200% year-over-year.

While Digital Fuel Marketing doesn’t specialize in esport marketing only, they offer an end-to-end marketing solution packed with all essentials to raise brand awareness and develop a pristine reputation. 

Final Thoughts and Our Two Best Picks

Whether you’re in the UK or North America, your esport business has ample options for a professional Esport marketing agency. These agencies aim to help to develop an esport marketing strategy, grow your brand, and help you understand the esport community.

From the agencies we reviewed in North America, our best pick is Digital Fuel Marketing. Not only does this marketing agency offer so much more than just esport marketing techniques, but the agency also has proven its expertise through its exponential company growth. The agency has a notable amount of accreditation too. 

Heaven Media is the top choice for an esport marketing agency in this UK. This agency specializes in esport and gaming and has worked with a long list of big players in the gaming industry. Choosing Heaven media for esport marketing means you’ll have an all-inclusive esport marketing agency to help your business succeed.

Despite our best picks for esport marketing agencies in North America and the UK, you have ample competitive options. By following this guide down to the T, you’ll have no problem finding an esport marketing agency for your brand. 

References and Sources

Influencer Marketing Hub: The Incredible Growth of eSports [+ eSports Statistics]

Statista: eSports audience size worldwide from 2019 to 2024, by type of viewers & Sponsorship and advertising spending on eSports worldwide from 2017 to 2023

Foley: Esports Survey Report

MuchNeeded: eSports by the Numbers: Industry, Users, & Fun Facts

NordiCity: The value of esports in the UK