Dive Brief:

• Miller Lite, owned by Molson Coors, has renewed and broadened its three-year old partnership with Complexity Gaming. The new agreement includes the promotion of streaming content and limited edition merchandise, per information shared with Marketing Dive.
• Under the renewed tie-up, Miller Lite and Complexity Gaming, the sister esports team to the Dallas Cowboys, will help to create gaming content on Twitch that elevates minority voices. The pair will also collaborate on a limited-edition line of merchandise.
• The partnership puts a focus on elevating underrepresented voices in the gaming space, while also further tying Miller Lite to a player in the esports space.

Dive Insight:

As part of the partnership, Miller Lite will feature a diverse cast of gamers on its official Twitch channel, which has just over 2,000 followers, including members of the LGBTQ community, Latinx community and women. The first stream occurred on March 8 and was in honor of Women's History Month. It pulled 459 views.

Miller Lite's decision to tighten its relationship with Complexity Gaming helps to firmly establish the brand in this space, while also adding on tactics that could appeal to younger consumers, such as exclusive merchandise and a focus on minority groups. The initial partnership in 2019 made Miller Lite the official alcoholic beverage of Complexity Gaming and the official sponsor of the Miller Lite Player Lounge at Complexity's headquarters in Frisco, Texas. Since then, Miller Lite has sponsored nine streams featuring Complexity Gaming talent.

"Our relationship with Miller Lite has continued to grow organically well into year three of this partnership," said Bee Yancey, senior director of partnerships at Complexity Gaming. "We've had great success with Miller Lite creating engaging content and brand activations and look forward to expanding further into merchandise and developing positive social initiatives for the gaming ecosystem."

Esports saw major growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, with market revenue growing from $947 million in 2020 to $1.08 billion in 2021. By 2024, market revenue is projected to hit $1.6 billion. This emerging space has become a key way of reaching out to younger consumers. The majority of esport watchers are between 18 and 34 years old. Additionally, the gaming space is diversifying, with an estimated 45% of gamers being women.

The emerging esports space is one many marketers are focused on. Convenience store chain 7-Eleven recently partnered with Rocket League, and Crypto.com is the first global marketing partner of Twitch Rivals, a platform where Twitch streamers can go head to head.