Mobile gaming platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) has signed Leander Paes and Geeta Phogat as brand ambassadors for their print and TV campaign–Maidan Naya, Khel Wohi. This national campaign aims to promote a culture of esports in the country, showcase the importance of esports, and highlight the need for specific skills, talent and practice for succeeding in this arena.
Since the brand ambassadors will have to raise awareness about esports, and the discipline and the ethos of an ace esports athlete, the campaign will feature a total of six films, three each featuring Paes and Phogat. Produced by Citrus Productions and conceptualised and scripted by MPL’s in-house creative team led by Anita Rane (creative director) and Mirza Mohammed Ali Khan (brand communications lead), these films will capture the two legendary athletes’ moments in training as well as mentor sessions with budding talent.
For wrestler Geeta Phogat, the agenda behind collaborating with MPL for this initiative is to increase participation across categories since esports as a game is democratic at its core and is accessible to all. Meanwhile, Leander Paes feels that India has many champions that have achieved remarkable successes at various skilled games. The emergence of esports has given another platform to showcase the tremendous talents in the country.
The esports sector has witnessed exponential growth in the past few years. It has already become the next big sports frontier for India after it’s nomination in 2022 Asian Games. With the help of this campaign, MPL wishes to create a place for esports amongst the various other sports in the country.
Sai Srinivas, Co-founder and CEO of MPL, said, “Esports witnessed exponential growth in 2020. With esports being included as a medal sport by the Olympic Council of Asia, I believe that India will see a rise in many successful esports athletes. Esports today is accessible to all due to the availability of data and affordable devices thus making it easy for more people to participate. This growth needs to be supplemented with solid regulations and government support.”
This campaign will also highlight the importance of responsible gaming, which focuses on a safe and fair environment for gamers, developers, gaming platforms, and all the other stakeholders in the industry.