How can esports organizations ensure brand authenticity in product placement?

1 Align with your values

Before agreeing to any product placement deal, you should ask yourself: does this brand align with your values, vision, and mission? Does it support your esports culture, community, and goals? Does it resonate with your fans and players? If the answer is no, you may want to reconsider the partnership, as it could damage your credibility and reputation. For example, if you are an esports organization that promotes environmental sustainability, you may not want to partner with a brand that sells disposable plastic products.

2 Choose relevant products

Another factor to consider is the relevance of the product to your esports content or event. Ideally, you want to choose a product that enhances your audience's experience, adds value to your content, or solves a problem for your fans or players. For example, if you are an esports organization that hosts tournaments, you may want to partner with a brand that offers gaming equipment, energy drinks, or snacks. However, if you are an esports organization that produces educational content, you may want to partner with a brand that offers online courses, books, or software.

3 Be transparent and honest

One of the most important aspects of brand authenticity is transparency and honesty. You should always disclose when you are using product placement, and avoid misleading or exaggerating the benefits or features of the product. You should also respect your audience's intelligence and feedback, and avoid overselling or spamming the product. For example, if you are an esports organization that uses product placement in your streams, you may want to mention the brand name or logo at the beginning or end of the stream, and explain why you use or recommend the product.

4 Involve your fans and players

A great way to increase brand authenticity in product placement is to involve your fans and players in the process. You can do this by asking for their opinions, preferences, or suggestions on the products you use or promote. You can also create interactive or engaging content that features the product, such as contests, giveaways, reviews, or tutorials. By doing this, you can show your appreciation and respect for your audience, and create a sense of community and loyalty around the product.

5 Monitor and measure the results

Finally, you should always monitor and measure the results of your product placement strategy, and adjust it accordingly. You can use various metrics, such as views, clicks, conversions, sales, or feedback, to evaluate the effectiveness and authenticity of your product placement. You can also use tools, such as surveys, polls, or analytics, to gather insights and feedback from your audience. By doing this, you can improve your product placement performance, and optimize your brand authenticity.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?