The global sports apparel leaders Nike released its first Esports advertisement campaign. The commercial shows a special gamer training camp, where League of Legends Pro League, player UZI, and his workout guru NXT push gamers to reach their full potential with a series of increasingly crazy workouts.
The Esports industry has boomed over the past few years, with tens of millions tuning into League of Legends World Championship worldwide.
The film was launched in China before this year’s League of Legends World Championship in Shanghai. The advertisement is a reminder for these gamers to remain active and healthy to stay on top of the challenges of gaming, involving top players putting in 16-hour days, six days a week.
Nike also sponsored Neo-FIFA and T1 in South Korea. The sports manufacturer is exploring the Esports industry through various sponsorship deals.
Jeff Fang, creative director at W+K Shanghai, said, “We believe strengthening their bodies and minds can help take their game to the next level. It is not just about strengthening the body. Both sport and working out build mental strength too. The same discipline that helps you grind out a 10k can help you grind out a marathon gaming session.”
Matt Meszaros, creative director at W+K Shanghai’s, said, “Gamers’ brains get bombarded with stimuli all day long. So, we needed to wow them or lose them.”
Tapping into the Chinese esports market will benefit Nike in the future. A Report from the Chinese government suggests that the esports revenue grew 54.69 percent year-on-year in the first six months of 2020 in the country.