Brand communities within esports : The interactions between esport organizations and consumers

Abstract: Background:           In 2019, the esport industry is expected to become a billion-dollar                                  industry. This new industry has presented rapid growth in recent times                                  which has led to new organizations and companies being formed to                                  capitalize on this opportunity. However, the creation of this new industry                                  has presented a new area of consumption where transfer of pre-existing                                  knowledge is not viable. This leads us to the question; how does one                                  interact with this newly formed industry and its followers?   Purpose:                  The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how esport organizations                                  interact with their brand communities and explore what they achieve                                  through such interactions.   Method:                  Empirical data has been gathered from esport organizations that has one                                  or several teams competing in their highest national league. The                                  gathering of data was done through semi-structured interviews. The data                                  was later analyzed using literature and conclusions were drawn from this.   Conclusion:             The evidence suggests that esport organizations puts more emphasis on                                  online platforms and interactions than offline interactions when                                  interacting with their brand communities. It was also found that esport                                  organizations emphasize a feeling of inclusion and positivity which could                                  act as an asset both in terms of expanding the reach of their brand                                  community and attracting new sponsorships.