Sport Journal – Blog #4

4/26/2023

Ellen Hovington

Comm 462

There were two parts to this project, and I enjoyed the creative and learning process of them both. So first, the collateral review. Our objective for this section of the project was to find potential areas of improvement for the Esports program and provide an analysis of the promotional materials from that they use in the Web center, where their arena is located. 

In our analysis, we noticed the site lacks promotion of events and other platforms to the ESports program but has good information on how to join their team and their location. As far as their other promotional efforts, there was an underwhelming amount of email distribution and notes of their organization’s presence on site.

As part of our duty to improve their collateral efforts we suggested the following:

  • Create email distribution list for event and updates
  • Update website with more information on events and where to watch
  • Provide link son website to all other social media platforms
  • Increase collaboration efforts with ODU Sports pages
  • Provide live feed of twitter page on ESports site
  • Get more flyer/signage in Webb

These efforts will improve their communication and promotional aspects when trying to bring attention to their organization. 

Now to the most essential aspect of this project, social media. This is key to brand awareness and word-of-mouth marketing. So, for this part of the project, we put together a social media strategy to prompt growth and engagement. For my part, I curated campaigns that would increase engagement for the organizations. I suggested a hashtag campaign and giveaway ideas to fuel growth of media engagements. As a group, we aimed to analyze and improve their social media. 

What I learned from this project is that communications and marketing are key to a business’s success. There are specific steps to take when creating buzz about your business and I was able to experience it in real time with this project. 

I also learned more about Esports. The aesthetic of the arena is amazing and creates a cool, desirable ambiance for gamers. The popularity of esports has grown over time, and it is now a multi-billion-dollar sector that only seems to be getting bigger. This project demonstrated how strategic communications refers to the use of communication strategies and tactics to achieve organizational goals. It entails determining target audiences, developing messages, and assessing the success of communication initiatives. 

Strategic communication is essential in the world of esports for advancing and enhancing the reputation of esports teams, leagues, and events. It entails reaching target audiences through multiple communication platforms, including social media and advertising, as well as cultivating connections with customers. 

Overall, the fields of esports and strategic communication are equally dynamic and experiencing rapid change, providing numerous opportunities for innovation and growth.  As the esports market continues to grow, effective communication strategies will become increasingly important for success in this exciting and competitive field. The team’s impact and efforts were great results of studying the social media and collateral reviews on the road to publicity.