How Brands Have Profited From Gen.G’s Success
Reading time: 4 minutes
Despite being founded just six years ago, Gen.G has developed into one of the biggest esports orgs in the world.
This has not only been done “on the field” with huge title successes in PUBG, Heroes of the Storm and most recently League of Legends with back-to-back LCK titles, but also by expanding the brand into everyday lifestyle.
Gen.G has been set up to succeed with the org having headquarters in three regions – USA (Santa Monica), South Korea (Seoul) and China (Shanghai). Only a handful of esports teams have such a similar presence in multiple regions, giving Gen.G a wide range of fans to hit.
Brands want a slice in this action, making Gen.G one of the most marketable orgs in the esports industry. We look at the successes brands have had in being associated with the global powerhouse of Gen.G.
Alastair Pusinelli
Published on May 4th, 2023
In this Insight:
LG Electronics
LG is highly integrated in esports with its UltraGear range. LG UltraGear is targeted towards the esports and gaming community, and is the official gaming monitor partner of the LEC (League of Legends EMEA Championship).
In January 2021, LG looked to strengthen its communication with Gen Y & Gen Z through a partnership with Gen.G. The esports org and LG collaborated to further develop the esports scene internationally, utilising Gen.G’s eight professional esports teams from the US, South Korea and China to Market LG UltraGear products.
Puma
Puma, a truly global brand, makes a great fit with Gen.G. Puma is currently partnered with Gen.G to produce “merchandise, collaborations and experiences” for the team. The German-based business leads the way of a creating a new lifestyle with Gen.G, and this was the fashion brand’s first esports partnership in Asia.
Earlier this year, build a rocket supported Puma’s partnership launch with Gen.G through an on-site activation at a Foot Locker store in Seoul. Fans were able to enjoy limited and singed trading cards with player motifs, meet Valorant and LoL Gen.G players and take photos in a photobooth on-site.
Of course, with Gen.G lifting two recent trophies with Puma as their official kit supplier, this provides plenty of visibility for a European brand like Puma in the Asian market. Not only that, but with Gen.G being among the best League of Legends teams in the world, they qualify for the World Championships, opening them and Puma up to a worldwide audience.
Gen.G have reached the semi-finals of the last two World Championships, giving the org three weeks of coverage for each tournament.
The successes Puma saw with Gen.G saw the partnership expanded to the org’s North American teams in 2021.
Monster Fan Day
Monster Fan Day was held at the Olympic Hall live in Seoul, a fan festival organised for Monster Energy and fans. Various successful events were put on, including the opportunity for fans to play LoL alongside their esports heroes.
Gen.G partnered with Monster Energy in May 2021, helping the team’s performance both in and outside the esports arena. The partnership saw the Monster Energy logo patch on the sleeve for the 2021 LCK Summer Season, which has since expanded into Gen’s other teams. Earlier this year, the partnership was renewed for a further year.
Jay Park "All In"
In August 2021, Gen.G released a soundtrack and music video for “All In” co-produced with hip-hop label AOMG and Jay Park. The lyrics in the track reflected the message of support for the Gen.G LoL team, with the album artwork designed by Heron Preston, Gen/G’s Brand strategy advisor.
This a classic example of the esports and gaming world bleeding into other similar communities, and in this case, the music and lifestyle space. The music incorporated the cultural code into music, which is shared by esports hip hop and the spirit of challenge for the championship.
The YouTube video has over 1.4 million views, with over 2.5 million plays on Spotify. This not only would have brought new fans to Jay Park’s music, but also brought new fans to Gen.G through Jay Park and the Korean music scene.
Similarly, Gen.G has collaborated with K-Pop stars, being imprinted as the best esports company to K-Pop fans around the world. Singer Baekhuyun join the Gen.G team on stream, generating over 7 million impressions, more than 500,000 views and 5,000 new followers.
“Partnering with a successful esports team like Gen.G is not just a chance to tap into a rapidly growing industry, but an opportunity to align your brand with a passionate and engaged community of gamers and fans that are difficult to reach via traditional means."
Yusuf Batliwala, Head of Partnership Sales, Esports & Gaming Asia at SPORTFIVE
Crocs Minecraft Competition
Gen.G partnered with global shoe brand Crocs to activate “Build Your Life in Color” campaign in July 2021. The campaign was organized by Gen.G in Korea, Europe, Japan, and North America. The participants expressed Gen.G and Crocs in their own unique colours in Minecraft.
The activation, which is one of Gen.G’s generated 1.2 billion PR impressions worldwide, showing the resonance Gen.G and Crocs both have in the various territories. Gen.G continued this partnership in 2022, with a similar experience within the ZEPETO metaverse platform including the launch of an exclusive digital fashion range.
Gen.G has executed on other Minecraft activations too, teaming up with Toyota for the "Toyota Sienna Dream Builds" campaign. Throughout the competition, Toyota promoted a full-change model of Sienna and brand PR in the US. Participants communicated in real time by making their own cars and destination of where they wanted to go in Minecraft.
Want to team up with Gen.G?
SPORTFIVE can connect you with an esports powerhouse like Gen.G.
Yusuf Batliwala, Head of Partnership Sales, Esports & Gaming Asia at SPORTFIVE says: “Partnering with a successful esports team like Gen.G is not just a chance to tap into a rapidly growing industry, but an opportunity to align your brand with a passionate and engaged community of gamers and fans that are difficult to reach via traditional means.”
For opportunities similar to the above, please reach out to SPORTFIVE and we can bring you closer to the action.
