Chinese throat lozenge brand Sanjin Watermelon Frost has signed a sponsorship deal with TJ Sports (a joint venture of Riot Games and Tencent in China to facilitate League of Legends esports) for China’s top League of Legends franchise, League of Legends Pro League (LPL). Sanjin Watermelon Frost will act as the special partner of the league, alongside Intel and gaming chair maker TGIF.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Throat care could be an interesting marketing point in esports, as communication is a core skill between professional players and coaches, as well as the hosts and shoutcasters. The crowd in the esports venues might also need throat lozenge when they are cheering for their favorite teams or players.
This is not the first time that Sanjin Watermelon Frost has been involved in esports; since 2020, the brand has been the official partner of NetEase’s Identity V franchise, Identity V League (IVL).
Medicine and healthcare brands have shown their interest in esports in the past few years; In 2020, painkiller brand Voltaren sponsored all Chinese Dota 2 teams during The International and also signed a commercial deal with Chinese iconic League of Legends star Jian “Uzi” Zihao in 2020.