Gillette has today revealed the brand’s first ever global esports team partner, EDward Gaming (“EDG”). EDward Gaming, one of the top Chinese League of Legends teams in the world, join an elite club featuring the New England Patriots and FC Barcelona in Gillette’s portfolio of team partnerships.
It’s not the brand’s first foray into esports. Enrique “xPeke” Cedeno is already an ambassador for the brand and earlier this year Gillette partnered with ESL, sponsoring the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) World Championship. Gillette were on site throughout Katowice handing out free products. The move to partner with EDG shows an expanded commitment to the esports industry.
EDG is comprised of Yang “Koro1” Tong (Top), Kai “Clearlove” Ming (Jungle), Yechan “Scout” Lee (Mid), Seong-min “Zet” Lee (ADC), Ye “Meiko” Tian (Support), Yuhao “Mouse” Chen (Top), Zhao “Fireloli” Zhiming (Jungle) and Minmin “Minn” Huang (Top). Although exactly what the deal entails hasn’t been released, the press release teased future content. It stated “[the team].. will support Gillette, and the shared value of precision, through a multitude of touchpoints over the coming months to bring fans closer to the action.”
“We’ve all read about the incredible growth of gaming, but it wasn’t until we partnered with xPeke and witnessed the thousands of devoted fans who packed the Spodek Arena during the IEM World Championship that we truly understood the incredible passion of the gaming community,” commented John Mang, Vice President, Global Gillette. “The commitment to precision and performance under pressure displayed by professional League of Legends teams was inspiring to us and ultimately led us to partner with Gillette’s first esports team EDG, the top team in China and one that’s posed to break out on the global stage in 2017.”
“It is an honor to be Gillette’s first esports team,” said David Ng, President of EDG.“For more than 100 years Gillette has been a leader in men’s grooming and has supported the best athletes and teams in the world. EDG is proud to join the brand’s prestigious roster and have its support moving forward.”
Esports Insider says: Big move this one from Gillette. Congratulations to EDG, they’re in esteemed company as a Gillette sponsored team. It wouldn’t surprise us to see EDG players featuring in shaving adverts in the Eastern market before long.
