This field-based case uses one of Mastercard’s brand transformation strategies, curating passion-led experiences, to set the stage for analysis of sponsorships and promotion marketing. The company had a long relationship sponsoring sports and kept track of the growth and scale of various sports and those who were passionate about them. At the time, esports was a new kind of entertainment and sport that attracted a fan base Mastercard had not touched. It was naturally global and had strong interest from all genders and ages. In 2016, the goal was to understand whether esports presented a good opportunity for Mastercard to build new relationships. The company spent nearly two years assessing the industry and determining if there were right partners and paths to suit both the Mastercard brand and business. The partnership that ended up being proposed was with a company out of Los Angeles whose employees referred to themselves as "Rioters." Riot Games was founded in 2006 and launched its first game, League of Legends, three years later. It held an annual world championship called Worlds that was one of the most-viewed esports in the industry. As the investment roadmap was presented internally, there were some who were skeptical about gaming and esports. It was important to gain alignment across Mastercard’s C-suite. This was new territory and some feared it could end up damaging the brand rather than lifting it. This case exposes students to issues of brand management, market segmentation, sponsorship in a marketing mix, and criteria establishment to evaluate sponsorship success and execution.
