Kia has officially made its "first foray into the fast-growing world of esports," as the company joins a "raft of big advertisers trying to carve a credible presence in a competitive gaming space where there is no natural fit for their brands," according to Seb Joseph of DIGIDAY. Kia GM/Brand Promotions Michael Choo said that the company became the main sponsor for the League of Legends European Championship earlier this month to "build that credibility over the next year, after which it will assess whether to increase its investment." Kia will "focus its early spending on sponsorships, not advertising, via partnerships with Riot Games and media platform Dbltap." Kia will "develop videos on the reigning European champions Fnatic that will follow the team as it tries to defend its title." Another video series will use the esports team setup to "promote teamwork, while another will revolve around a game show featuring Fnatic’s players." An ad is also being "developed for the Spring season that will focus" on LoL. Dedicated ads like this are a "departure for the car advertiser, which will pay to have it run on dedicated sports channels as well as more mainstream ones like Instagram and YouTube" (DIGIDAY, 1/22).
