Following on from DDB Worldwide’s launch of its dedicated gaming agency DDB FTW, global esports firm ESL has partnered with the company to elevate its associated brands.
The partnership aims to expand and strengthen ESL and DreamHack’s commercial portfolio by offering ‘creative territory’ to DDB’s existing global clients. Moreover, ESL will be cooperating with DDB FTW during the partnership.
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“For the past 20 years, we have been at the forefront of launching leading brands into the esports sphere, creating game-changing brand partnerships,” commented Mark Cohen, Global SVP Brand Partnerships at ESL. “Our cooperation with DDB FTW enables us to introduce their clients to our target audience and develop innovative brand strategies together for esports fans worldwide.”
The deal includes creating new business design initiatives to further bolster the business models of ESL’s entities. According to the release, this includes developing new partnership projects which can ‘bring additional value to esports enthusiasts and gamers around the world’.
Bernhard Mogk, Global SVP Business Development added: “Gaming culture is deep, diverse, and nuanced. You cannot declare yourself a gamer and think you can speak their language.
“The FTW team has gaming in their DNA, several of them are accomplished esports competitors. This deep passion is the only way to forge meaningful innovation while respecting the integrity of the culture.”
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DDB FTW has been described as ‘the world’s first network initiative of its kind on a global scale’ only officially launched this week, nevertheless, the agency has already added a major esports firm to its portfolio in the name of ESL. Additionally, this year ESL ramped up its business operations by merging with DreamHack, strengthening its global reach as a result.
“We are entrusted with being the guardians of our client’s brands,” concluded Darko Silajdžić, DDB FTW CEO Global Esports & Gaming Lead. “So when we bring opportunities like ESL to them, they know there is a meaningful fit with their values and strategy.”
Esports Insider says: A multitude of organisations have begun to partner with agencies to increase brand awareness and build relationships with non-endemic firms. However, ESL’s partnership with DDB sees two of the biggest entities, in their respective fields, collaborate to create relatable activations that can appeal to esports’ huge demographic. It’ll be interesting to see how this method affects any future collaborations.