This blog post was written by Jeronne De Villa, our Digital Content Development Specialist with Sports, Gaming and Entertainment Unit
Sowing seeds
Evident first stepped foot into the world of sports and esports developing content and branding for the Phoenix Fuel Masters PBA team and the Philippine Men’s National Ice Hockey Team. With over 45 million active gamers in the Philippines and a breadth of brands and companies investing towards the growth of esports, Evident believed in the potential of the industry to become a major player in the world of sports and entertainment. Thus, Evident’s then-Digital Marketing Unit (DMU) initiated its maiden esports partnership with professional Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) team ONIC Philippines, gaining significant traction in the promotion of a star-studded team led by the likes of then-future Blacklist International stars Danerie “Wise” Del Rosario and Johnmar “Ohmyv33nus” Villaluna.
After amassing over 171K followers and 28 million impressions on Facebook in a single season which resulted in the team winning a “most well-marketed” team award, Evident sought to double down in the esports niche by establishing its own Sports, Gaming, and Entertaiment (SGE) unit. This same success would capture the attention of the league that ONIC Phillippines was operating in with the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League – Philippines (MPL-PH). By its seventh season, Evident had secured the rights to MPL-PH’s social media contract, which would last for another seven seasons.
Navigating through the pandemic together
While the pandemic brought with it restriction and isolation from the outside world, it also created an environment where online communities such as esports and gaming would thrive. During this time, MLBB would see itself reach blinding heights in the online sphere, gaining a massive audience among the Filipino youth.
With a product so clearly backed by a growing community, Evident capitalized on bringing MPL-PH closer to its fans by localizing its social media content. For the first time in Season 7, promotion for the league was intertwined with the language, culture, and the relevant trends of the Filipino fans. The fans went from being interested in the MPL-PH to loving it, thus making Season 7 one of the highest-viewed seasons in the league’s history.
As COVID-19 restrictions started to relax, Evident saw a goldmine of new opportunities on how best to promote the league. With the return of face-to-face events and in-person crowds, Evident ramped up its short-form video production, strategically utilizing MPL-PH’s big stages and even bigger personalities to provide fans with a truly-immersive MPL-PH experience.
Such a vision was amplified through the strategy of diversifying the MPL-PH’s content library from mere highlight reels to snap interviews, memes, behind-the-scenes content, dance trend participations, and many more. Perhaps Evident’s most important trademark in its content with MPL-PH is the authentic humanization of the league’s characters that would otherwise not be seen anywhere else, whether it be the players, coaches, or even broadcast staff. By Season 13, the MPL-PH’s TikTok account, @mplph_official, had grown to 3 million followers within three years of its existence.
Such a staggering follower count would not be achievable without Evident and MPL-PH having racked in significant viewcount with its content. Over the span of its existence, @mplph_official had amassed 106 videos that gained more than 1 million views. Its most popular video, an edit of MPL-PH personality AkoSiDogie’s heartfelt speech towards the successes of his protégé Renejay Barcarse, amassed over 10 million views and was one of the most popular TikTok videos during the M5 World Championship.
Milestones upon milestones
Beyond numbers, MPL-PH and Evident’s partnership had garnered a variety of accolades that the esports scene had never seen before. Evident’s work with MPL-PH’s TikTok account had earned itself two Gold Anvils as well as a nomination for a Platinum Anvil for PR Social Media Tool in the Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ annual Anvil Awards.
Consequently, @mplph_official was also nominated in the 2022 TikTok Awards for Livestreamer of the Year, as well as in the ASEAN Excellence Awards for Best Communications Use in Social Media.
While Evident’s story with MPL-PH had come to a close, the firm’s partnership with one of the most popular esports leagues in the world will serve as a testament to what great strategy, unbridled creativity, and pure passion can do in an ever-changing industry.
