TK partners with League of Legends
The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), one of Germany’s largest public health insurers, has been a prominent sponsor of the League of Legends Prime League, the official top-tier esports competition in the DACH region. The partnership reflects TK’s strategic efforts to reach younger, digitally engaged audiences, particularly within the gaming and esports communities.
As part of the sponsorship, TK’s branding appears during live broadcasts of the Prime League, on digital platforms, and in various social media campaigns. The health insurer also uses the partnership to raise awareness around relevant health topics for gamers, including mental well-being, stress management, posture, and sleep hygiene. These messages are often integrated into esports-related content in a way that aligns with the tone and culture of the gaming scene.
The collaboration includes activations with esports influencers and streamers, allowing TK to expand its reach through trusted voices within the community. By engaging with the Prime League audience—largely composed of Gen Z and Millennial viewers—TK aims to improve its visibility and position itself as a modern, accessible healthcare provider.
The partnership is part of a broader trend of non-endemic brands entering the esports space to tap into its growing popularity and cultural relevance among younger demographics.
Nike enters Fortnite!
In June 2023, Nike and Epic Games unveiled Airphoria, an immersive experience within Fortnite, merging the iconic Air Max brand with the game’s dynamic universe. Developed using Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) in collaboration with Beyond Creative, Airphoria transported players to a floating cityscape celebrating sneakerhead culture, featuring locales like “Station 97,” “Shoebox Tower,” and “Museum Max.”
Players embarked on a virtual sneaker hunt, retrieving lost Air Max Grails. Participation for ten minutes or more rewarded players with the exclusive Air Max 1 ’86 Back Bling, enhancing in-game customization.
The collaboration extended to the Fortnite Item Shop, introducing the Airphoria Pack featuring “Airie” and “Maxxed Out Max” outfits, alongside matching accessories like the Maxx Stacks and Pure Sole Boombox Back Blings. Concurrently, Nike released a limited Airphoria-inspired collection on nike.com, bridging the virtual and physical realms.
Airphoria exemplified the fusion of gaming and fashion, offering fans a unique platform to engage with Nike’s Air Max legacy within Fortnite’s platform.
Gucci goes Roblox!
The Gucci Garden Experience in Roblox was a limited-time virtual event launched in May 2021 as a collaboration between Gucci and Roblox. Designed as an immersive art exhibition, the experience recreated the real-world Gucci Garden Archetypes exhibition in Florence, celebrating the brand’s 100-year history.
Upon entering, players started as blank, mannequin-like avatars. As they explored different themed rooms inspired by iconic Gucci campaigns, their avatars absorbed colors, patterns, and textures, making each visitor’s journey unique. The rooms featured surreal and artistic designs, such as a lush garden, a dreamlike bathroom, a hall of mirrors, and a mystical subway station, each reflecting different elements of Gucci’s creative vision.
One of the main attractions was the ability to purchase limited-edition virtual Gucci items, such as handbags, sunglasses, and hats, some of which later became highly valuable in the Roblox trading community. A notable moment was when the Gucci Dionysus Bag with Bee accidentally sold for 475 Robux (about $6) but later resold for over 350,000 Robux due to its rarity.
The Gucci Garden Experience was praised for blending luxury fashion with Roblox’s gaming environment, attracting both Gucci enthusiasts and gaming fans. It showcased how brands could use virtual spaces to create interactive storytelling and exclusivity in the digital world. While it was a temporary event, its influence remains significant in shaping how high fashion engages with gaming communities.
More information at Gucci.
Nivea enters Roblox!
The centerpiece of NIVEA’s brand world in the Roblox metaverse is a tower that visually resembles the brand’s iconic cream tin. Players must climb this tower by running along its interior in classic jump ’n’ run style, overcoming various obstacles such as steam turbines, lava grids, and laser beams. Along the way, they can collect coins that can be exchanged for exclusive in-game items. Top-performing players also have the chance to win limited-edition, custom-designed UGC (User-Generated Content) items. The first of its kind is a blue fleece hoodie designed by well-known Roblox creator @Junozy.
Each level of the game represents one of NIVEA’s four product categories: Face Cleansing, Deodorant, Men, and Sun. The corresponding NIVEA products collected in each category can be transformed into “power-ups” that grant special abilities. The Roblox experience was developed by Jung von Matt/Nerd, their tech unit ALFR3D, and GEEIQ, a specialist in metaverse KPIs.
By entering the Roblox world, NIVEA aims to create an authentic and entertaining interaction with the global gaming community. The brand wants to leverage Roblox’s ecosystem to engage with younger audiences in a meaningful way.
Annika Spitz, Digital Early Innovation Manager at NIVEA’s parent company Beiersdorf, states: “Gen Z loves Roblox—the communication, the global connections, and especially the creative freedom it offers. With the NIVEA Tower Run, we want to meet the Roblox community in their space in an authentic way, challenge the players, and learn how our brand is perceived on the platform.”
Thanh Dao, Managing Director and Partner at JvM/Nerd and ALFR3D, adds:
“For many brands, virtual worlds are still a complete black box. Often, they don’t know what worked or why. Building gaming experiences for brands with analytics from the start is a forward-thinking approach. We are incredibly proud to support a brand like NIVEA on its journey into the metaverse.”
Source: Horizont
