Football sponsorship agency SportQuake is launching a specialist esports sponsorship agency, Esportquake, to operate across the esports ecosystem.
On the launch, SportQuake chief executive Matt House, said: “At SportQuake we’re all about connecting brands with the global football phenomenon and are hugely excited to now do the same with esports.
“The rise of esports and it’s cultural significance is well documented but it’s really only just getting started. We’re really looking forward to being part of the movement and working with brands and rights owners to harness this potential to help them reach Gen Z and millennial audiences.”
SportQuake was founded by House, a former commercial director at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, in 2006. With around 25 employees, SportQuake staff are currently based in London, Beijing, Hong Kong and Madrid, with sales teams augmented by research and insight teams to find active brands in these regions.
Over the past 15 years, the agency has worked with new economy brands including Shopee, JD Sports, eToro and Hotels.com. It also has strong relationships with betting brands, which make up the majority of the agency’s live contracts.
Its competitors in the space include Sportfive and Infront Sports & Media, however Sportquake does not obtain rights from marketing arrangements with specific football clubs or rights-holders.
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In football, SportBusiness understands the agency seeks to access a much wider universe by placing brands with clubs across all leagues. It may also work with the above agencies when making a deal with a club they represent. Sportquake works almost entirely on commission and will advise brands on broad strategy development without a guarantee of income.
The group recently rebranded as “the experts in football” but has entered the esports market because of the upward revenue trajectory observed in esports which has continued in 2020. “The postponement of mainstream sport during the Covid-19 pandemic brought mainstream audiences to esports,” the agency said.