Mastercard Cashes In With League of Legends
When it comes to esports, League of Legends is one of the most watched games, with over 5.2 million concurrent viewers during the 2022 World Championship. So when Mastercard wanted to be seen as a cool, trendy brand and connect with young customers, partnering itself with one of the world’s largest esports games was a no-brainer.
Mastercard partnered with League of Legends developer, Riot Games, and became the game’s first global partner in 2018. It worked closely with Riot and live-streaming juggernaut Twitch, to plan and execute a strategy that involved event sponsorships, influencer partnerships, immersive experiences and more. This strategy culminated in the following:
Loot boxes: Mastercard offered exclusive in-game rewards to its cardholders who made purchases on Riot Games’ platforms. These rewards included rare skins, emotes, icons, and other items that enhanced the gameplay and appeal of League of Legends.
Priceless experiences: Mastercard created unique and memorable experiences for its cardholders and fans of League of Legends, such as behind-the-scenes tours, meet-and-greets with pro players and casters, VIP access to events, and personalized coaching sessions.
Opening ceremonies: Mastercard was the presenting sponsor of the opening ceremonies of the League of Legends World Championship, which took place in various locations around the world. The opening ceremonies featured spectacular performances by musicians, artists, and celebrities, as well as augmented reality and holographic effects.
The Results
By working with Riot and Twitch, Mastercard was able to reap the reward of an authentic, gaming-focused campaign, resulting in:
More than 90 million views for the 2018 opening ceremonies of the League of Legends World Championship across all platforms including Twitch and YouTube.
Mastercard branded content during the 2018 World Championship, including AR activations, custom merchandise, and other event marketing drew 1.1 million impressions and 17 million engagements.
The sponsorship resulted in over 800 Priceless Surprises given to fans and 23 million social media impressions.
Key Takeaways
Esports = sports
Rather than approaching esports as just a game, they treated it like they would any other sports partnership. Remember that while the action may be happening in a game instead of on-field, esports functions very similarly to traditional sports.
Ensure an authentic approach
From the start, Mastercard worked with Riot and Twitch to ensure the brand was entering the space in an authentic and unique way. For brands looking to do the same, connect with experts in the industry to ensure your campaigns kick-off on a high note.
Longterm partnership
Mastercard went into the partnership with a focus on growing its connection to the gaming industry. Since its initial 2018 partnership, they’ve signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Riot Games and League of Legends, has established a credit card rewards system targeting gamers, and has worked to establish itself as the gamer’s credit card. Any companies looking to start marketing activities should have a rough roadmap of what their gamer-centric marketing initiatives will look like in the short term and long term. Things may change but starting out with an ideal goal will help guide companies as they enter the gaming space.