Reconceptualizing Sponsorship Authenticity in Esports – Kopsch (ERNC25) скачать в хорошем качестве

Reconceptualizing Sponsorship Authenticity in Esports – Kopsch (ERNC25)

This presentation by Viola Kopsch from Hamburg University of Technology examines how sponsorship authenticity is perceived in esports and questions whether existing authenticity frameworks from traditional sports meaningfully translate to this distinctive, community-driven industry. Positioned against esports’ heavy financial reliance on sponsorship—accounting for roughly 60% of industry revenue—the study highlights a structural vulnerability: esports audiences are highly sensitive to inauthentic or exploitative marketing, particularly from non-endemic brands. While sponsorships can generate awareness and positive brand outcomes, poorly perceived partnerships often lead to backlash, reputational harm, and sponsor withdrawal. Despite this, esports still lacks a clear best-practice framework for building sustainable and authentic sponsorship relationships. The research focuses on Horizontal Marketing Partnership Authenticity (HMPA), a concept introduced by Charlton and Cornwell (2019) to capture the perceived genuineness of relationships between partnering brands in traditional sports. While HMPA shifts authenticity from an individual brand trait to a relational construct, its applicability to esports—where cultural norms, fan expectations, and power dynamics differ markedly—remains largely unexplored. Drawing on contemporary authenticity theory that frames authenticity as context-sensitive and configurational rather than fixed, the study asks how esports spectators evaluate the authenticity of tournament and event sponsorships, and whether the existing HMPA framework adequately captures these evaluations. The research proposes a context-sensitive reconceptualization of HMPA tailored specifically to esports. Using a qualitative design, the study will conduct 30 semi-structured interviews with esports spectators. Guided by theory-driven model-building and analyzed through structured qualitative content analysis, the research aims to identify which dimensions of HMPA are retained, adapted, or newly required in the esports sponsorship context. Overall, this work contributes to esports marketing scholarship by reframing authenticity as a relational, audience-evaluated construct shaped by esports’ unique cultural expectations. It offers practical implications for sponsors, event organizers, and rights holders seeking to build credible, resilient partnerships in a volatile sponsorship economy. Keywords: esports, sponsorship authenticity, Horizontal Marketing Partnership Authenticity (HMPA), consumer perception, qualitative content analysis About the ERN Conference 2025: The Esports Research Network Conference 2025 took place online from November 12–14, 2025 as a continuous, 72-hour global livestream. Guided by the theme “Future Realities: Esports as a Global Lab,” the event explored how esports serves as a living laboratory for understanding digital transformation across education, media, technology, and society. This innovative digital-first format followed the sun across three regional hubs, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania & Michigan State University (Americas), Staffordshire University (EMEA), and UNSW Sydney (Asia-Pacific), creating a nonstop, interconnected academic experience available to participants worldwide. This ambitious production was made possible through the support of Corsair for Business, whose Elgato technology powered high-quality broadcasting and seamless livestreaming across all three hubs. ERNC25 continues the network’s mission to unite scholars, practitioners, and students while fostering open, global collaboration in esports research. Full abstracts for all presentations can be viewed in the official Book of Abstracts at: https://book.esportsresearch.net Website: https://esportsresearch.net