Even though the Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand has been around for 11 years and has cultivated a strong following online, there are still many who aren’t fully aware of it yet. Although Asus manufactures everything from PCs to smartphones and projectors, with ROG being its high-end gaming brand that emphasizes hardware performance and customization, there are some who still primarily regard the company as a computer motherboard maker.

That’s why Asus has shifted its method of communication over the past year to rely more heavily on esports, livestreaming and social to engage with both current fans and new audiences. Now ROG is ready to reap the potential rewards from its year of marketing and engagement across several different sectors, just in time for the holiday season.

“It’s the method, not the message,” Randall Grilli, director of media relations for Asus America, told AListDaily, explaining how the brand has been reaching out to both new and current audiences.

This holiday season’s ROG highlighted products includes the ROG Strix SCAR Edition high-end gaming notebook, the ROG GR8 II mini-desktop computer that supports virtual reality and a premium slim-style ROG Zephyrus gaming notebook. Grilli said they’re marketing the products to appeal to a wide range of gamers, from beginners to hardcore players, and their differing budgets.

To grow its audience, Grilli said that ROG  has increasingly turned to livestreaming, given that gamers were among the first to take to the medium. ROG has been working heavily with streaming partners on Twitch to educate viewers about ROG products and the gaming and hardware industry in general.

Additionally, ROG is an endemic sponsor for prominent teams such as Echo Fox, NRG and Ninjas in Pajamas, in addition to hosting events such as the ROG Masters.

The brand has been stepping up its gaming presence this year with a greater emphasis on collegiate esports. In September, ROG announced a partnership with Tespa, a collegiate gaming network, as the official hardware sponsor for its events. Together, they hosted the “Entrance Exams” campaign, where college gaming clubs that joined the network and put their gaming knowledge to the test could win ROG products.

“We communicate with the teams that we sponsor and combine their fan bases with ours to get the word out [about our products],” said Grilli.

Although he admitted that esports still has a niche audience, having more celebrities from traditional sports and their organizations getting involved with pro gaming over the past year is almost bound to grow its mainstream appeal.

Asus Republic of Gamers was also one of the main sponsors of the H1Z1: Fight for the Crown tournament series, which was broadcast on CW in May, furthering its mainstream audience exposure. Grilli is confident that more video gaming events will make their way to broadcast TV, and as more people watch professional players compete, they’ll make the connection between their skills and the hardware that they’re using.

Another way the brand has engaged with its community, which is fitting for the holiday season, is through a philanthropic partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where it teamed with other companies to build a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed gaming PC valued at over $18,000. The high-end gaming rig, which was customized to look like Star-Lord’s iconic on-ship cassette deck system with Baby Groot in the background, was promoted at events such as PAX West before being raffled off in October.

The brand is also connecting with its fan base through its ROG Arena platform, which brings all its online and social media channels together along with a list of all the events it’s involved with. These events range from major esports tournaments and conventions like BlizzCon and PAX West, to local tournaments hosted at Microsoft Stores.

Grilli said that smaller-scale events provide additional touchpoints to attract new audiences as people sign up to compete online or in-person at stores. As more people become interested in gaming, Asus wants to be there to meet them with its technology.

That technology includes VR, which Grilli identified as one of this year’s biggest gaming trends. That likely explains why the company is emphasizing the technology with its GR8 II mini-desktop despite the growing interest in augmented reality—underscored by how Asus launched an AR/VR smartphone earlier this year and is currently partnered with Microsoft to make a mixed reality headset.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on innovation, so this was a logical path for us to go down,” said Grilli when discussing mixed reality.

Though Grilli doesn’t think AR is growing as quickly as VR has in the gaming space, the company is still interested in targeting early adopters of the technology.

Ultimately, Grilli said that ROG has established itself as a “gamers-first” brand, with the company’s offices filled with enthusiastic gamers who have their ears kept close to its community.