eSports
Halls and Virtus.pro announce partnership

VMLY&R (part of WPP), Carat and The Story Lab (part of dentsu Russia) agencies continue to develop the esports direction for Halls (Mondelez International). The cooperation with ESforce, the largest esports organization in Russia, opens a new page for the brand cooperation.
Halls will be integrated into Virtus.pro media resources (part of ESforce).
The creative idea of the esports campaign was developed by the VML&R agency. The integration ideas were developed by The Story Lab together with ESforce. The media support is provided by Carat agency. As part of the cooperation, a promotional video has been prepared with the first Dota 2 roster. The video will be published on the club’s official YouTube channel. Within six months, Virtus.pro accounts will host posts with integrations of Halls brand, banners, articles on the site, etc.
Anna Semchuk, Senior Brand Development Manager: “For more than 120 years, the Halls brand’s mission has been to help the world breathe better. A charge of menthol in each pack is a crisp breath of air, an opportunity to focus on the moments that matter. Halls gives you a boost of concentration so you can get the most out of the game. The creative idea is ”Nothing will distract you from winning if you are charged with concentration with Halls” – perfectly reflects the new brand positioning”.
Alexander Mishutin, Director of Customer Relations at Carat: “The project’s goal was to strengthen the brand’s positioning among the young audience, where esports is an important communication channel. Such cooperation is interesting and promising for Halls in terms of engagement, increasing loyalty and the chance of attracting a new audience. The key message of the campaign, “Increase your concentration and win prizes for the best game together with Halls and Virtus.pro!”, will be supported on YouTube, VK and other resources with videos engaging Virtus.pro players”.
Sergey Glamazda, Virtus.pro General Manager: “ESforce Holding has been cooperating with the Mondelez brands for a long time. Joint projects have repeatedly shown their effectiveness and this time Halls brand becomes a Virtus.pro partner. I am pleased to welcome Halls and I am confident that our collaboration will resonate with the esports audience.”
Evgeny Podergin, Senior Copywriter VMLY&R: “The simple truth is: as you get down to the game, so you will make it. For esports players, mood and concentration before a match are as important as for traditional sportsmen. When hundreds of important things are happening on the screen in front of you every minute, you have no option to lose focus. This is the essence of our campaign and the main thing of Halls RTB. Thanks to menthol, our drops can really help you focus at the right moment, take a deep breath, exhale and throw yourself into the game without any distraction, which can prevent you from victory.”
In 2020, Halls brand has already sponsored an esports championship. Within the framework of the project, Carat agency appreciated the effectiveness of esports integrations. According to the study, Halls brand video was remembered by more than 50% of the audience, while the benchmark for FMCG brands here is only 32%. In addition to the record values, the experts of Carat revealed a loyal attitude of the esports audience to advertising integrations.
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eSports
UNITED KINGDOM TO HOST 2024 PUBG MOBILE GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP

PUBG MOBILE Esports is thrilled to announce that the 2024 PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC) will be held in the UK, taking place live next December with a $3 million prize pool. The first time a major PUBG MOBILE event has been hosted in the UK, this tournament will bring local fans a unique opportunity to see the very best skill that the world has to offer. This news comes ahead of this year’s 2023 PUBG MOBILE Grand Finals in Istanbul.
James Yang, Senior Director of PUBG MOBILE Global Esports, announced the news during the opening ceremony of the 2023 PMGC Grand Finals, with the exact UK location to be revealed at a later date. This is the first time a major PUBG MOBILE event has been held in the country and the first in Western Europe since 2018.
The highlight of the PUBG MOBILE Esports calendar, the PMGC brings together dozens of teams from around the world to compete in the ultimate showcase of talent. This year’s Grand Finals are taking place this weekend in Istanbul, Türkiye, where the final sixteen teams remaining in the competition will battle it out to become PUBG MOBILE World Champion.
Joining next year’s PMGC in the top tier of PUBG MOBILE Esports events, as well as next year’s midseason tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the PUBG MOBILE Global Open (PMGO), which will take place in Brazil throughout March and April 2024 and feature a $500,000 prize pool.
eSports
Global Esports Federation joins UNESCO Chair on Governance & Social Responsibility

The Global Esports Federation is honored by the appointment of Thanos Karagrounas, GEF’s Executive Director, Strategy & Impact, as a member of the Advisory Committee of the UNESCO Chair on Governance and Social Responsibility in Sport.
The UNESCO Chair was established in June 2023 with the long-term aim of fostering an integrated system of research, education, and training to enhance the quality of governance practices within the sport industry and advocate socially responsible program designs that prioritize sport as a core component.
As a global leader in the realm of sustainable development and social impact, Thanos Karagrounas has been appointed to play a pivotal role in the Advisory Committee, co-coordinating one of the six strategic pillars on esports.
“It is a distinct honor to be a member of this esteemed group of internationally renowned experts. The opportunity to combine our diverse experiences and perspectives will contribute to the Chair’s objectives. The inclusion of esports as one of the UNESCO Chair’s six strategic pillars, underscores the important role GEF is playing in the governance and social responsibility realm and our commitment towards making an impact on a global scale.” ~ Thanos Karagrounas, GEF Executive Director, Strategy & Impact
The GEF convenes its #worldconnected esports community, harnessing the energy to drive meaningful progress. As a member of the Advisory Committee, the GEF looks forward to contributing its expertise to accelerate its overall contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
DUST Identity Inc.
DUST Identity Announces $40M Series B and Partnership with Oxygen Esports

DUST Identity Inc., whose technology enables product authentication by linking physical items to their digital records, announced the launch of its mobile solution, which is fueling its growth into new industries. Initially designed for high-security applications, the company is now expanding its offerings to include the authentication of luxury goods, artwork, game-used apparel and memorabilia, and other one-of-a-kind items. This expansion comes as DUST signs a partnership with Oxygen Esports and raises $40M in Series B funding.
DUST Identity’s new product line for mobile is an on-demand solution that reinforces authenticity for any physical object of value by enhancing the traceability and visibility of the object’s origin. Oxygen Esports, one of North America’s largest multi-title esports organizations, will leverage this new solution through a recently signed partnership agreement with DUST. This partnership comes as DUST sees keen interest from the sports and entertainment space. It also signals DUST’s growing commitment to enabling organizations to build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with fans through the activation of authentic, game-used merchandise.
“The merchandise we sell reinforces our brand reputation and DUST’s solution is helping us protect our brand, athletes, and fans from counterfeit memorabilia. We’re looking forward to working with DUST to unlock rich omnichannel experiences for fans, as we leverage their technology,” Dani Marks, CMO at OXG, said.
The partnership with Oxygen Esports and launch of the company’s mobile solution follows a $40 million Series B round led by Castle Island Ventures, with participation from Amex Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Airbus Ventures, 8VC, and others.
For new investor Amex Ventures, this round signifies an opportunity to invest in an innovative solution that can help brands enhance trust with their customers and unlock new growth opportunities.
“We all interact with many physical items daily, but largely have no proof of these items’ origin. By linking a physical item to its digital record, DUST’s technology provides new capabilities to track and trace an item across its lifecycle. In doing so, DUST helps unlock new customer engagement opportunities and loyalty concepts for brands across a wide range of industries,” Margaret Lim, Managing Director of Amex Ventures, said.
Ophir Gaathon, CEO and Co-Founder of DUST Identity, said: “People want to trust that the products they are spending their time and money on are genuine, and the foundation of that trust comes from being able to validate an item’s authenticity. Our technology provides that validation. DUST Identity has broadened its mission of protecting and connecting everything that matters by introducing our new mobile solution. We’re excited to utilize our funding to deliver on this mission as we bring our technology to many new industries.”
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