NEW YORK: Taking forward a partnership that kicked off in January, Cloud9, a competitive video gaming organization with teams participating in the League of Legends, is launching its first-ever apparel collection in partnership with a gaming team for Puma.
The esports brand joins a list of team partnerships for Puma, which includes Manchester City, Red Bull Racing, and more.
Adam Petrick, global director of brand and marketing at Puma, said the partnership will further the brand’s stance as a global brand. “Tapping into the world of esports, and its broad, dynamic consumer audience, is critical to our marketing strategy moving forward,” Petrick stated in a press release from Puma.
For Cloud9, the launch of apparel gives the company a different type of culture. “Being able to transcend esports and elevate our brand within a broader global audience is the natural evolution of the growth of Cloud9,” Jordan Udko, executive vice president of commercial partnerships, Cloud9, stated.
The Cloud9 x Puma collaboration retails from $28 to $75 in the US.
It was back in January that Cloud9 announced its partnership with Puma for Cloud9’s North American League of Legends Championship Series (NA LCS) team for Spring Split.
The signing was declared as the largest esports deal to date for Puma, and a first-of-its-kind apparel partnership for Cloud9.
With the agreement, Puma became the Official Apparel and the Official game-day Pants and Shoes provider of the Cloud9 LCS team. The LCS team joined other elite organizations such as AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, in being Puma partners.
Post the signing, viewers worldwide got to see Sneaky, Licorice, and all members of the LCS rosters in premiere Puma gear week in and week out.
“Esports are becoming increasingly popular with our consumers, so this is a very exciting deal for us,” Petrick had then said.
“We can’t think of a better way to kick off 2019 than with this incredible apparel partnership with Puma,” Jack Etienne, Cloud9 CEO & owner, had said. “Puma is recognized throughout the world, and having Cloud9 join Puma’s roster of cultural phenomenon denotes an exciting new chapter for our organization. All of us are looking forward to what we’ll create with this partnership, and how good we’ll look while doing it.”
