Esports organization Mad Lions KOI signs Pepsi as beverage sponsor
12 August 2024
Partnerships and sponsor deals are amongst the major catalysts for the adoption of esports on an international scale. Collaborations like the one between FIFA and Rocket League, and agreements like the recent one between the Esports Integrity Commission and the International Olympic Committee, greatly help international esports in general to become more mainstream more quickly. Another good example of this, albeit on a smaller scale, is the recent sponsorship deal between Spanish-Canadian esports organization MAD Lions KOI and Pepsi.
Pepsi becomes official sponsor of Mad Lions KOI
As part of MAD Lions KOI’s growth strategy, the organization has been pursuing high-profile partnerships and sponsor deals since its acquisition by OverActive Media. Spanish car manufacturer Cupra, telecom provider Movistar and sportswear brand Kappa are amongst the major brands who are already aligned with the Spanish-Canadian organization. PepsiCo is the latest big name to join MAD Lions KOI as an official sponsor. As the organization’s official beverage sponsor, to be precise. As a result, their logo and name will be worn on the front of the jerseys worn by MAD Lions KOI players when they compete in the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).
“Really glad to announce that food and beverage conglomerate PepsiCo has selected us to execute their influencer marketing strategy and position its flagship brands in Spain for the coming years”, writes Nikko Krättli, Manager Partnership at MAD Lions KOI, “Winning this pitch is a significant achievement for us and comes with great responsibility.”
Ambition at MAD Lions KOI
MAD Lions KOI is an esports organization that was created by the merger of Canadian organization Mad Lions and Spanish organization KOI. The former was founded in 2017 and acquired by OverActive Media in 2019, while the latter was founded in 2021 by Spanish esports caster Ibai Llanos and former FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué. As a result of the merger, MAD Lions KOI is now based in both Spain and Canada.
Previously mentioned OverActive Media, which specializes in sports, media and entertainment content, has recently been focusing on esports more and more. Their acquisition of MAD Lions KOI is not their first venture into the world of international esports. The Toronto-based company also owns Toronto Ultra, which competes in the Call of Duty League. MAD Lions KOI, on the other hand, focuses mainly on League of Legends. Besides that, OverActive Media are also the owners of Movistar Riders, an internationally active Counter-Strike team.
MAD Lions KOI most recent success came in February of this year, when they finished second during the LEC Winter 2024, winning $ 26.944 in the process. A few months earlier, they had clinched third place in the LEC Season Finals 2023 (for $ 26.765) and about half year before that, they booked their biggest victory in the past few years. In April 2023, they beat Swiss esports organization Team BDS 3-2 to win the LEC Spring 2023, which brought in $ 43.968 in prize money.