Turtle Wax isn’t the first company you think of when it comes to eSports, but the non-endemic brand has found a way to drive awareness through OpTic Gaming’s huge fan base. The company used last year’s entry into eSports to experiment with ways to tie OpTic Gaming’s love of cars with Turtle Wax products.

Courtney Lauer, director of marketing for Turtle Wax, told [a]listdaily that the experiment was a resounding success. “Going into this partnership last year, we had some great insights on why we thought it was going to work with OpTic Gaming’s love of cars and passion for driving, but we didn’t know what the results were going to lead to,” Lauer said. “It passed all expectations and was a huge success.”

OpTic Gaming helped Turtle Wax gain over four million impressions across all activities, and the 70-year-old company saw 25 percent organic growth across its Twitter and Instagram accounts from the eSports organization’s fans.

“From a metrics standpoint we saw a ton of success,” explained Lauer. “Being a part of our overall marketing program, we saw positive results in sales as well. It’s a good indication that their fan base is following the team and players believed in the lifestyle OpTic was putting out. It was a great success for us and it’s why we’re in year two of this partnership.” The renewed partnership is again focusing on content-driven storytelling through individual player integrations, plus the brand will join OpTic on the road with fan activations at two key gaming tournaments throughout the year.

Lauer said Turtle Wax is working with the team on a content-centric narrative that organically incorporates the brand into OpTic’s lifestyle around their passion for cars. Individual integrations with team members Ian “Crimsix” Porter and Austin “Pamaj” Pamajewon will showcase different aspects of gamer life.

Professional Call of Duty (CoD) player and avid car enthusiast, Ian “Crimsix” Porter owns a Porsche Cayman GT4. Throughout the year, fans will enjoy watching the progress as Crimsix upgrades and details his ride with the help of Turtle Wax. Lauer said Crimsix will share his passion for performance and automotive know-how via his and OpTic’s social channels.

Last year, Turtle Wax decorated the OpTic Gaming House in Chicago with custom graffiti art to serve as a backdrop for livestreaming and videos. This year, the company is bringing that type of messaging on the road.

The debut of the Turtle Wax footprint will take place at the Major League Gaming (MLG) Dallas tournament for the CoD World League Open March 17 through 19, at the Fort Worth Convention Center. There, the brand will unveil a custom co-branded car wrap on Crimsix’s Porsche at its booth. Fans will be able to pose with the car and receive an animated GIF that can be shared on social media using #TurtleWaxGaming. The brand will also distribute samples of its new 2017 line of products, providing fans the opportunity to use some of the Turtle Wax products featured in OpTic’s content.

Lauer said the car will also be present at the CoD World League Open at MLG Anaheim at the Anaheim Convention Center from June 16 through 18. “We saw a big opportunity to engage one-on-one with fans at MLG events,” Lauer said.

Another part of the partnership focuses on team director, Austin “Pamaj” Pamajewon, who will capture the lifestyle elements of pro gaming through a series of videos from the inside of his BMW. Lauer said Pamaj’s brand of humor and social nature will give viewers a special inside look at Team OpTic and their friends on the road, at the gym or hanging out at home.

“We have a new Power Out (upholstery cleaner) line for 2017, and Pamaj will tell that interior car care story in his clever way,” Lauer said.

Lauer also stated that other elements of the partnership will include social media promotions and giveaways, as well as road trip shoots that show the guys living on-the-go, capturing and sharing content at every turn.

“Throughout the summer, we’ll have different touch points with the team on the road and from their house,” Lauer said.