Publicis is bringing its Publicis Sport & Entertainment (PSE) offering to Australia, with Lion Dairy’s Dare Iced Coffee one of the first brands onboard.
PSE, led by Ashley O’Rourke, works with brands and rights holders to use sport and entertainment to optimise their return from sponsorships, and the broader sports media channels.
“As a network, we have a formidable client list – many of which are already invested in the sport and entertainment space,” O’Rourke says.
“I’m enjoying working alongside agency leads within our group to explore ways in which we can further expand our existing client relationships.”
PSE, working alongside Publicis’ media agency Starcom, is charged with developing Dare Iced Coffee’s gaming and esports strategy, which will include the local sponsorship of ESL, the world’s largest esports platform. It will also use gaming influencers later in the year.
Dare Iced Coffee is aiming to broaden its target audience from competitive esports fans to casual gaming fans with the partnership.
“We’re excited to be working with Publicis Sport & Entertainment and Starcom to evolve our esports strategy and supercharge our engagement with this hard-to-reach audience,” Darryn Wallace, marketing and innovation director at Lion Dairy & Drinks says.
O’Rourke, who was previously at sports and entertainment agency Prism, reports to Patrick Whitnall, Publicis Media’s head of content and sport AUNZ.
Michael Rebelo, CEO of Publicis Groupe AUNZ, says the expansion of PSE to Australia helps it provide end-to-end solutions.
“While we continue to do a lot of work in sponsorship, the addition of Publicis Sport & Entertainment will further boost our ability to make sure that clients are maximising the return from their sponsorship investment within the context of their overall media and marketing strategy,” Rebelo says.
“Publicis Sport & Entertainment is already starting to work with agencies within our group as we continue to drive more collaboration for our clients, including through our unique Power of One model.”
PSE currently operates in the US, UK and Europe.
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