The latest in a long line of automobile brands have entered esports, with Mazda establishing a partnership with Ukrainian organization HellRaisers.
[jwplayer EgytOyjv]
Announced by HellRaisers on October 19, the partnership is said to be the first between a car manufacturer and an esports organization in Ukraine.
More specifically, the deal is with Mazda’s official distributor and brand importer in the nation, Auto International.
Automotive brands are nothing new in the space by now, with companies like BMW sponsoring the likes of Cloud9, G2 Esports, and Fnatic and Mercedes-Benz sponsoring League of Legends’ global esports events. However, this is the first official move into esports by Mazda — further signaling that the industry’s fan base is a prime demographic for such companies.
The partnership will see Mazda advertise through the organization’s “media activities,” which includes videos, content surrounding tournaments, and projects involving “opinion leaders of the car and esports industries.”
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“Unlike the international practice, no car brand in Ukraine has ever collaborated with an esports organization,” said Tatiana Sheremet, Marketing and PR Manager of MAZDA’s official importer in Ukraine. “For a Ukrainian brand distributor, this is a unique project, and we’re very glad to see our brand become the first car partner and friend of an esports team in Ukraine.”
This deal is significant for HellRaisers after its rebrand on August 5 raised plenty of eyebrows in the community, something that the organization will have wanted to avoid. Keeping fans on board with a project is imperative to bring in sponsors and, subsequently, more money.
Other car brands that can be seen using esports as a means for marketing include Audi with Astralis Group, Honda with Riot Games’ LCS and Team Liquid, Haval with Virtus.pro, McLaren with DragonX, and Kia with Riot Games’ LEC and Rogue.
