ESports is huge, and we’re well aware of how big of an understatement that is. In 2021 alone, the industry was raking in hundreds of millions of viewers, and by 2024 it’s projected to go well past $500 million (£406 million). Those are some huge numbers, and it’s no surprise that the industry brings in a lot of money.
So, as a brand, how can we expand into the ESports market? Obviously, one solution would be to handle PC and gaming console-related products and services. But if we work in a different industry, we can still act as sponsors to ESports teams, and what better way to support our given team than with some spectacular promotional items.
Listed below are some ESports custom apparel options that any business ought to consider. But before we delve into those, let’s first discuss ESports in general.
ESports in a Nutshell
Putting it in the simplest terms possible, ESports is a synonym for professional competitive gaming. Back in the 80s and 90s, and even early 2000s, gamers would meet up or connect online and have multiplayer matches in various games. A few popular options included Counter-Strike, Warcraft III, Starcraft, Call of Duty, various racing games such as Need for Speed, and different sports games like FIFA, Madden, or Pro Evolution Soccer.
Naturally, the variety of competitive games has since expanded. And with video games being so popular, competitive playing has become a televised sport, complete with tournaments, awards, and sponsorships. What’s more, colleges offer scholarships for student gamers that excel in a particular game. And yes, the sheltered gamers of the bygone era have now become full-fledged athletes with lucrative sponsorship deals and a legion of fans.
Thanks to the advent of the internet and viral marketing via YouTube and Twitch, gaming has become bigger than ever before. For example, the total revenue of the ESports industry goes well over $1 billion (£812 million) and is projected to reach $1.61 billion (£1.3 billion) by 2024. That’s more than half of its current revenue in less than three years! Of that $1 billion, the absolute majority of the revenue stream comes from sponsorships, at a whopping $641 million (£521 million).
With that in mind, it’s not a matter of debate whether we should give the ESports market a try with our promo products. With millions of customers and just as many pounds to make, we should definitely consider testing out some ESPorts promo merch.
Shirts as ESports Promo Products
There’s a reason why this category is the biggest. A shirt is both the athlete’s and the brand owner’s best friend when it comes to promotion. After all, we can print anything we want on the front and back of the shirt. Chances are that the ESports athlete will be on camera from the waist up. Therefore, promotional items ought to grab a bit of that spotlight.
Here are some shirt options we recommend as promo apparel for gaming athletes.
Printed T-Shirts
Few products can beat the classic T-shirt. With 100% cotton content and decent seams, this item will be absolutely perfect for brand advertising. More often than not, regular T-Shirts come in single colours, such as white, red, green, or purple. We can use that to our advantage and print a transparent logo and company details. Matching shirts will help the teammates feel like a single unit during any ESports event, be it actual gaming or a guest appearance at a convention.
Branded Performance Shirts
High fabric polyester performance shirts are the next best option to classic T-shirts. We can get them with either short sleeves or none at all, depending on the tournament regulations and team preference. And since the material is lightweight and durable, we can definitely order a batch during those hot summer months. ESports fans spend lots of time at the computer, and they need to cool off in any way they see fit.
Custom Gildan Shirts
OK, so why would we single out some Gildan-branded shirts? Isn’t this supposed to be about promoting our own brand?
Well, there’s a reason why not one but two Gildan products are on this list. In a word, it’s quality. The Gildan Tees wick the sweat off the body and keep the players nice and dry. Furthermore, the shirts come in a selection of several colours, perfect for matching our chosen team’s identity. So, if we want to promote our brand, we might as well do it on the best T-shirts on the market today.
Fruit of the Loom Branded Shirts
And since we are on the subject of branded shirts, we can’t forget about Fruit of the Loom shirts. These stunning pieces come in several colours, and much like the other printed shirt brand we listed, we get apparel that is good at moisture management. Every ESports player should engage with opponents in a clean, dry, and fresh environment. And few shirts pull off the clean and dry bit as good as Fruit of the Loom custom shirts.
Sweaters as ESports Promo Products
Custom printed sweaters and logo hoodies can achieve what even T-shirts can’t: perfect marketing in cold weather. Let’s say that our chosen ESports team comes from a chilly country, like Iceland or Sweden (with PewDiePie being the most recognisable name in Swedish gaming, one could say). A few custom hoodies with the brand logo and message could really benefit them even outside of the gaming sphere.
But we can market sweaters and hoodies even to people who live in warm regions. After all, if our team comes from around the Equator and they need to compete in Canada or Russia, they will need a few extra layers to combat the cold.
Hats as ESports Promo Products
Whether they prefer to wear a logo beanie like Ethan H3H3 Klein or a branded cap like Count Dankula, the athlete will appreciate some awesome headwear. That gives us the perfect opportunity to do a bit of brand marketing since caps and beanies are excellent unisex items for any opportunity.
The cool thing about the current head accessories is that we can get weather-specific hats depending on the season. For example, if it’s summer, we can get a batch of printed twill caps with our brand’s logo printed on them. Alternatively, we can opt for custom knit beanies with all of the company info embroidered.
Interestingly enough, headwear is incredibly versatile as a promo item. Our players don’t need to wear them outdoors in order to promote us. In fact, plenty of streamers and influencers tend to wear hats indoors throughout their streams. Some major names in the YouTube and Twitch sphere have made a career of wearing hats as part of their overall image. The Nostalgia Critic, Keemstar, Axe, and Summit1g are just some of the major influencer names who have either performed in ESports or have dabbled in video games in the past.
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Sunglasses as ESports Promo Products
While ESports might not be as demanding as regular sports, they do come with their own set of risks. For instance, sitting for hours in front of a computer screen can be difficult on the eyes, and vision problems are common. As such, we will need a product that will keep the ESports athletes safe while also promoting our brand in the best way possible.
So, in the tradition of legends such as Dr DisRespect, we need to think about proper and stylish branded sunglasses. Nowadays, gamers can buy glasses that prevent harmful blue rays from damaging their eyes. Most modern gaming monitors emit such rays, and ESports athletes need all the protection they can get.
But it doesn’t stop there. Bluelight glasses don’t just help with the harmful rays. They can also double as regular eyewear when we are not gaming. For example, athletes can wear their promo glasses during the hot summer days and look cool doing it.
Other Products to Consider
Of course, the apparel is merely one segment of branded promo items to consider. When we’re planning on promoting our favourite ESports team, we will also need some gear that will come in handy during long gaming sessions or just in general. Some of the items we would like to focus on include:
- Printed backpacks
- Custom stainless steel bottles
- Promo stress balls
- Branded headphones
- Logo mouse pads.
A backpack and a bottle go hand-in-hand for any athlete who likes to travel. The bottle is eco-friendly, and the gamer can easily refill it with hot or cold beverages. That can be useful during a 30-hour game time when they need to hydrate. On the other hand, a neat little stress toy is perfect when that losing streak hits and the athlete needs to blow off some steam.
Headphones and mouse pads are a dime a dozen on the market, really. However, if we were to provide them to our clients for free, they would happily use them during their next playthrough. Thanks to relatively large surface areas, both products can advertise brands well.
Finally, there’s the backpack, the perfect accessory for storing all of the athlete’s necessary tools. Most gaming backpacks are durable and contain high-quality materials. That’s because gamers want a bag that will not tear easily, which may cause the expensive gaming equipment to drop on the ground and get broken.
Picking the Best Gaming Apparel as Promo Material
As we demonstrated, the field of gaming promo items is huge, and we can sell everything from apparel to accessories. With that in mind, we recommend all of our readers try their hand at buying a few hundred custom-made gaming promo apparel items and expand their business today.
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Contact GoPromotional at 0800 0148 970 or simply email us today, and let’s start your newest marketing journey in style!
