ELeague, the esports organisation operated by US media company Turner and the IMG agency, has signed a sponsorship deal with The Kraken Black Spiced Rum.
The rum brand will serve as the first official distilled spirits partner of ELeague as part of a year-long deal. The agreement is said to be the first major agreement that an esports organisation has struck with a hard liquor brand.
The wide-ranging marketing partnership covers all ELeague-owned and operated platforms on television, digital and social. The two parties will launch the ELeague Kraken Boss Battle, a custom feature where professional players and fans can compete against each other.
ELeague will also launch a custom-branded website that will feature exclusive recap videos, a leaderboard of the top five competitors and more. Content will be distributed on-demand through ELeague.com, on social media channels and on TBS in the US.
The Kraken Rum also served as the presenting partner of ELeague’s E3 Industry Party, which took place yesterday (Monday) in Los Angeles. Additionally, The Kraken Rum will benefit from branded content integration across all ELeague programming and content on linear and digital platforms.
“Growing into one of the preeminent esports brands, ELeague has provided advertising partners – both endemic and non-endemic – with an expanding canvas of innovative marketing opportunities that tap into the passion of our fans,” Seth Ladetsky, senior vice-president of sales for Turner Sports, said. “That is exactly what we are doing with The Kraken Rum, and we are excited to introduce them into the space and to our highly-engaged fan base.”