Students examine the crucial role that digital marketing and social networks have on the way esports event organizers engage and grow their target audiences. Students will learn how to maximize digital and social channels to promote esports events and attract fans in new and interactive ways. Students will explore how different facets of digital strategy intricately work together as they examine social network marketing, content marketing strategy, Search Engine Optimization, and Search Engine Advertising through real-world analysis and practical implementation.

Students will focus on exploring the rise of esports and its place in a new age of participation, from the vantage points of developers, athletes, participants, sponsors and media. Students will explore the growth of this fast growing vertical, examining franchise, sponsorship and participant relationships in the esports communities, and providing insight into how their different roles affect each other. Students will develop their skills in order to speak knowledgeably about the history, community, and business of esports with future employers and other stakeholders in the industry.

Students discuss the business of esports and examine a business overview of the multi-faceted esports industry, its evolution, current state and emerging trends. Students will examine the ecosystem of esports and provide students with insider knowledge of the unique operational challenges of the industry. Students will develop insights on the ways companies create and develop properties for maximum revenue, the marketing of esports games for a mass audience, how brands and sponsors are attached to esports events, the management of IP rights, and the various challenges that managers face depending on their role and function within the industry.

Clear, concise and targeted communication is crucial in any industry, but essential in esports where athletes, teams, franchises, sponsors, brands, decision makers and the media are often at different levels of knowledge and sophistication in this quickly developing industry. Students will practice hands-on skills as they develop an actionable integrated marketing communication plan to drive growth and improvement in esports. Students will gain a firm understanding of how to create concise communications materials, including public relations strategy and tactics, and the skillset required to develop marketing communication strategies and compelling presentation tactics for a range of esports scenarios aimed at targets from fans to corporate decision makers within the industry.

The esports industry thrives on its ability to attract high-level sponsors for its events. Students will learn how to develop strategic Esports Sponsorship Marketing plans designed to attract key sponsors for teams, leagues, events and productions. Students will acquire the knowledge required to identify prospective sponsors, retain brands, create and pitch custom sponsorship packages, negotiate compelling sponsorship agreements and develop reports that measure and evaluate the overall value of such sponsorships.

Traditional businesses in media and entertainment are realizing that esports offers a way to reach a demographic that's been increasingly beyond their grasp, raising the stakes for both digital and traditional media companies looking to get involved either in front of or behind the screens. Students will develop a firm understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the interactive and immersive media experience side of esports - where viewers can be fans, athletes and broadcasters, and esports media platforms which can also be storefronts that might offer co-branded content, digital accessories, and access to secondary experiences and stories. Students will also focus on how current media and sports companies are expanding from traditional media plays to diversify and embrace the growing esports industry.

Top brands are increasingly incorporating esports into their marketing mix to engage young consumers in an interactive and multi-sensory brand experience. Students will examine how brand marketers are strategically sponsoring and partnering with esports entities and events to bring their brand's personality to life by actively engaging consumers with their brand and creating an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand. Students will discuss how brands create deep-rooted value and loyalty among esports participants and audiences, while also examining how brands' use of event and experiential marketing, coupled with influencer/social media marketing, have driven the exponential growth of the esports industry.