Lagardère Sports, the exclusive commercial agent for championship-winning esports team T1 Entertainment & Sports (T1), has facilitated the partnership with BMW, where the automobile giant will come on board as T1’s premier partner in the automobile category. The partnership will see BMW gain exceptional levels of brand exposure while cultivating a brand preference among younger audiences through bespoke content creation and meaningful social engagement opportunities with the fans of T1 – known to be some of the most passionate fans in the world.
“As esports continue to redefine the future of entertainment, auto brands have been quick to move and capitalise on the opportunities that esports present. We are thrilled to bring in an outstanding partner like BMW for T1, who understands the value of design and innovation to build brand affinity with a whole new generation while propelling the industry forward. This is a massive opportunity and we look forward to delivering this vision for the benefit of the entire esports community.”
Adrian Staiti, Managing Director of Lagardère Sports in APAC
The BMW brand is currently engaged in a major expansion of its involvement in the world of computer, online and simulation games (esports). As far back as 2017, BMW first attracted attention in the world of virtual sports as the official partner of the European League of Legends finals in Paris. BMW had firmly moved into being a major player in esports. the BMW brand now supports some of the most influential and successful esports teams and strives to promote the esports discipline as a whole.
The esports sector has maintained stellar growth rates for years. More and more
gamers from a wide variety of countries compete online in both sports and non-sports
simulations – as well as in popular offline events held all over the globe.
“Esports shows us how sports entertainment can continue to thrive and play a key role considering today’s challenges. Our entry into esports is motivated by a commitment to become a sustainable, global partner, supporting the teams and the discipline as a whole, before, during and after these times of uncertainty,”
“Joining forces with the best teams in the world, we aim to use our design and innovation skills to help shape the discipline in the long term. Our esports involvement is an important milestone
providing, for the first time, a new intersectionality with a dynamic and fast-growing community. We consider esports a promising, growing addition to our marketing activities, helping BMW on its journey to becoming an emotive brand people relate to.”Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer and Brand BMW
BMW partners five of the most successful esports teams. Cloud 9 (US), Fnatic (UK), Funplus Phoenix (China), G2 Esports (Germany) and T1 (South Korea) each comprise up to 200 players battling it out above all in the incomparable League of Legends. On top of that, there are also other disciplines such as Dota 2, FIFA, Fortnite or Rocket League that the teams compete in all over the world. The BMW brand will not only act as a strong sponsor for these top teams but also as a powerful partner to introduce the esports discipline to an even wider audience. “Our long-term goal is to grow our team portfolio into true household names within the general sports and entertainment industry,” adds Jens Thiemer.
We are “United in Rivalry” and “United at Home”.
The teams’ competitive spirit and their historic rivalries have always been part of the
esports scene’s lore. At the same time the teams share a boundless passion for
gaming and related activities. This is what “United in Rivalry” stands for. As part of the partnership with BMW and in line with esports’ culture, the teams will challenge and try to outdo each other prior to tournaments, using the #unitedinrivalry hashtag on channels like
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WeChat and various streaming platforms across the
world.
Eye-catching BMW models used as future team vehicles.
The BMW commitment also includes the provision of official team vehicles. featuring a custom livery with striking colours, combining motifs drawn in comic-book style with each organisation’s logo. The vehicles thus become an instantly recognisable part of each team. They emphasise the teams’ strengths and lend themselves perfectly to high-profile appearances by the players and organisations – including spectacular images used in the course of #unitedinrivalry and #unitedathome activities.
