Gillette partners with world's biggest esports event company ESL

P&G male grooming brand Gillette is getting into the lucrative esports market by sponsoring the Intel Extreme Masters event in Katowice, Poland this month, and unveiling one of the biggest stars in esports as its latest ambassador.

Enrique Cedeño, known as "xPeke", joins the list of sports stars who have represented the brand, including Neymar, Lionel Messi and Roger Federer.

xPeke is a former "most valuable player" at the IEM in Katowice – the full name of which is the League of Legends Intel Extreme Masters World Championship.

The partnership will see Gillette offer custom razor handles, created with 3D printers, to teams and fans in Katowice. It will also provide grooming services to competitors during the tournament from 24-26 February, and host autograph sessions with xPeke.

John Mang, vice president, Global Gillette, said: "It’s been exciting and eye-opening as we’ve immersed ourselves in the gaming community and discovered that both professional and amateur gamers have a lot in common with other premier athletes and sports fanatics.

"Gamers at all levels recognize the importance of precision – split seconds and minute movements make big differences.  We get that obsession with precision better than anyone."

ESL, the company behind IEM, runs events ranging from stadium-sized tournaments to grassroots activity.

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