Mercedes-Benz Partnering With ESL to Sponsor 'Dota 2' Event
Mercedes-Benz is entering the competitive gaming scene by partnering with the world's largest eSports company, ESL. The German carmaker will be one of the sponsors of ESL's flagship "Dota 2" tournament, ESL One Hamburg, which is set to be held this October.
ESL One Hamburg is part of Valve's newly revamped Major and Minor system where the company will partner with third parties in holding its sponsored tournaments. Valve will provide a percentage of the base prize pool with the rest being provided by ESL.
Aside from the prizes, winning teams will also earn points which hold the key to getting a direct invite to the biggest "Dota 2" tournament, The International.
eSports has grown exponentially in the past half-decade with tournaments boasting bigger and bigger prize pools with each passing year. Global eSports awareness reached 1.3 billion in 2017 and is expected to approach 1.8 billion in 2020. This massive audience is what companies are banking on when deciding to sponsor teams and events.
This particular move by Mercedes-Benz is part of its sponsoring and marketing portfolio's new strategic direction. The automaker recently entered in Formula E and it appears that eSports is among the future-oriented fields where it plans to market its brand.
Partnering with ESL, which is based in Europe, not only gives its brand publicity in its home markets but also with a younger demographic. With many eSports enthusiasts aged between 15 to 30, the automaker is essentially associating its brand with the thing they love.
This is not the first time a major company like Mercedes-Benz has invested in eSports. Red Bull which marketed itself by sponsoring sporting events broke into the eSports scene years ago by hosting teams and events such as the Red Bull Battle Grounds.
While the move is certainly risky for the German carmaker, it can still be seen as an investment. An investment that when the younger generation has had some success in life, that they will remember Mercedes-Benz as a company who supported their passion.
