Progressive signs naming rights deal with Immortals esports team

Progressive Corp. is about to be immortalized in the esports world. The Mayfield Village, Ohio-based insurance giant has reached an exclusive, multi-year entitlement agreement with Immortals, a Michigan-based gaming and esports organization that is focused on the Great Lakes region. The Immortals' League of Legends team will now compete as "Immortals Progressive" and wear revamped, Northern Lights-themed jerseys with "Progressive" across the chest. This is the esports organization's first League of Legends naming rights sponsorship. Progressive, which first partnered with Immortals a year ago, also will serve as the official insurance sponsor of Immortals.Read: The 9 most popular insurance ad characters, ranked "We had so much success in our first year that we're extending the agreement and actually taking it a level up," Immortals CEO Jordan Sherman said. "I think it's a really awesome story because they're (Progressive) really focused on trying to talk and work with the younger generation that's going to be interested in insurance and auto and home. They're turning to esports to do that because we're finding that this next generation of fandom is coming from gaming." The League of Legends' "Lock-In" tournament began Thursday. Immortals Progressive will compete in its first match on Saturday, Jan. 15. Fans can watch the match on the team's Twitch and YouTube pages. "We're excited to work with Immortals throughout the upcoming season to bring fans and members of the gaming community fun and engaging content from the players as well as activations and unique opportunities to interact with the team," said Jay VanAntwerp, media business leader at Progressive, in a statement. "We're excited to work with Immortals throughout the upcoming season to bring fans and members of the gaming community fun and engaging content from the players as well as activations and unique opportunities to interact with the team." "What we're really thinking about is not only entitlement and having the Progressive name on the jersey, but also thinking about, 'What are ways people can interact with the brand in the gaming landscape throughout the entire year?' " Sherman said. "Progressive is really innovative in their approach where they're saying, 'Not only do we want to be on the broadcast, but we also want to get people the chance to interact with our brand in-game and in our tournaments.' " Immortals has several other advertising partners, including household names such as Toyota, American Express and Bud Light and lesser-known brands such as HotelPlanner.com, Nitto Tires and Fetch.ai, an artificial intelligence lab that works in the crypto sphere. "A lot of brands recognize already that gaming and esports is growing and that it's a really attractive audience," Sherman said. "Where a lot of brands struggle is, 'What is our place in the industry and how do we do it in a way that reflects who we are?' Progressive has done a really great job of recognizing that this is a place that they want to be, but not deviating too far from the manner in which they advertise in other locations." Too many companies believe they need to completely rebrand before they can reach the esports audience. Not so, Sherman said. In fact, gamers are more likely to watch the NFL and the NBA than those in the general population, according to the research group YouGov. "The truth is, if (your marketing is) connected to who you are, it actually resonates a lot better and a lot stronger," Sherman said. "We worked really closely with Progressive, asking, 'What are you guys doing in the NFL and what are you doing in traditional sports and how can we best draw a line to the esports audience that showcases that connection?' "People are going to see Progressive in different areas and we want it to be a consistent message across the board." The partnership also will include the following: Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis. Joe Scalzo is a sports business reporter for Crain's Cleveland Business.

Progressive signs naming rights deal with Immortals esports team

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