And The #1 Non-Video Game Brand Associated with League of Legends is…
Chances are that if you were at MSG in New York this weekend for the NA League of Legends championship series and you’re too young to have a beer or two, eSports largest non-video game brand sponsor had your back! Coca-Cola has spent the last couple of years spending tons of advertising dollars targeting League of Legends fans and, according to an article by John Gaudiosi of Fortune.com, it’s paying off for them big time!
Coca-Cola’s eSports partnership with Riot Games has paid off quite well for the soft drink maker in just a short time. According to internal Coke research, after one year of the partnership, Coca-Cola was the #1 non-video game brand associated with League of Legends, the most popular eSports game in the world with over 85 million players worldwide. Most importantly, this research showed that 70% of gamers believe this brand sponsorship is positive, and 97% of gamers have either a positive or neutral response.
“We have a solid brand presence in the sport,” says Matt Wolf, head of global gaming at Coca-Cola. “We’re the most top of mind non-endemic brand in gaming after only a few years in the space.”
I suppose the purists out there would see this as a sell-out on Riot’s part, while others would point out that corporate sponsorship of any kind is good for the game and sport. The jury’s still out on that one. I did find it interesting how low-tech Coke’s approach to their marketing has been in what is arguably the most high-tech sport in existence:
As tech savvy as eSports fans and gamers are, Wolf says Coke’s most popular marketing effort is extremely old-fashioned. At live events and cinema events, Coke has branded eSports cardboard poster boards that are white on the back. Fans can write messages with bold markers and hold them up in the audience or in the theaters to cheer on their favorite teams and players.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on whether the Coca-Cola sponsorship is a good or bad thing for eSports in the comment section below. But first, head on over to read the rest of Mr. Gaudiosi’s thought-provoking article on Fortune.com.
