This year we worked with EFG to support on-site marketing campaigns at Rio de Janeiro, IEM Cologne, and IEM Katowice for several well-known global brands such as DHL. As a fully comprehensive esports marketing agency, working on-location at esports and gaming events is a core part of our service offering.
IEM Rio
We were responsible for supporting the EFG group on a CS:GO specific DHL brand activation for Intel Extreme Masters Rio de Janeiro, aimed at capturing one of the most engaged Counter Strike audiences in the world. Our in-house content production team flew internationally, handling all compliance regulations for the movement of high-value recording equipment to the arena in Rio.
We ideated and helped execute three major activations throughout the events:
- A DHL fan “case opening” event which allowed CS:GO fans to claim a free CS:GO skin at a DHL-branded booth.
- Developed the visual identity for the “DHL Ultimate 10 Showmatch” which saw pros go head-to-head in a custom tournament format unique to the DHL activation
- Worked on-site in Rio to capture content for use across social media and broadcast platforms
The DHL fan case opening event was designed as an organic way to encourage fans to interact with the DHL brand and increase awareness, showcasing that DHL understood one of the key areas where CS:GO fans find enjoyment. We used a DHL-branded van surrounded by DHL-branded props and set up a PC that allowed fans to open CS:GO skin crates for free. Once the fan had claimed their skin, we then transferred that skin to their own steam account, allowing them to walk away with a free CS:GO skin courtesy of DHL. This was a low-cost, feel-good way to increase brand awareness and sentiment with a dedicated gaming and esports audience.
We also tasked a local artist to paint a DHL-branded rendition of the CS:GO “Rio” map, which drew fans and spectators towards the activation and connected with the local CS:GO audience. Overall sentiment on-site as a result of the activation was extremely positive, with fans relishing the opportunity to claim a rare CS:GO skin for free. During the activation, nearly 1000 unique cases were opened by on-site attendees at the booth and over 200 skins were claimed and sent out after the event conclusion.
The DHL Ultimate 10 Showmatch saw eight fans match up with legendary CS:GO pros FalleN and GeT_RiGhT to play a live BO1 showmatch under the banner of each team captain. We were responsible for the visual identity of the activation including print branding, social and broadcast graphics, and in-game banners.
We worked with EFG and DHL to create engaging and bold designs that eloquently integrated the DHL brand into a fun and engaging event that fans could enjoy both as spectators and players. The showmatch was broadcast live on both GeT_RiGhT’s and Gaules’ Twitch channels. The activation saw a peak live concurrent viewership of over 16,000 CS:GO fans.
We were also on the ground at IEM Rio helping both EFG and DHL to capture content for the planned activations. We captured and created on-site graphical and video content to support EFG and DHL activations. The content was used across broadcast and social media. We also edited content on-site for same-day turnaround on time-sensitive assets such as replays and same-day social media requests.
After the event concluded we produced a full after-movie for the DHL Ultimate Showmatch for use across the DHL website, as well as their social media channels.
Enjoyed reading how we supported at IEM Rio? Feel free to check out our other case study from IEM Cologne, where we also supported DHL and Spotify? If you would like to learn more about our on-location services, check out our services page or reach out to us directly at hello@hotdrop.gg
