Activision Blizzard
The Overwatch League this morning announced a major partnership with Kellogg’s that will see Pringles and Cheez-It become the official salty snacks of the property. The deal is through '21, and while financial terms were not disclosed, the assets likely take the pact into the seven figures annually. The deal includes assets with OWL games and also extends to retail, where Kellogg’s will release co-branded packaging on 50 million products for both Cheez-It and Pringles starting next year. Kellogg’s has also partnered with Walmart to have 1,000 stores show next month’s Grand Finals on TVs in its stores. Kellogg’s will be the presenting partner of the halftime show and highlight segments for the Grand Finals in Philadelphia next month, with a large presence both at Wells Fargo Center and on digital streams. Kellogg’s also will run sweepstakes. In '21, Pringles’ rights will extend globally, while Cheez-It will remain U.S.-only.
Activision Blizzard Esports Head of Global Partnerships Josh Cella said that this is the first time in not just OWL history but in wider esports history that there has been a retail packaging activation of this magnitude. Cella: “We’re really starting to see the retail perspective on esports changing and accelerating. … We have something coming with Coca-Cola where they’re going to have a program with IP usage on their products, but Kellogg’s is the first to go big with this.”
