Energy drink and supplements maker Ghost is deepening its connection to the gaming community in entering a multi-year sponsorship agreement with esports organization FaZe Clan, which will span event activations, merchandise and video collaborations.
The partnership developed out of Ghost’s ongoing interest in the esports market; the Nevada-based brand has leaned into gamers as a key demographic since its launch, and also introduced a powdered “Gamer” line in 2020. Aligning with FaZe Clan, a longtime partner of gamer-focused energy line G-FUEL, represents the culmination of a long-held goal for the brand, according to Ghost co-founder and CEO Dan Lourenco.
“We had an opportunity to meet FaZe a little earlier this year, and I don’t think we really went into it with a game plan or specific expectations, it was just a great opportunity to kind of sit down and break some bread,” Lourenco said. “And the amount of synergies and the language that both the FaZe group and we spoke, I mean, it was identical. It was one of those rare situations in life that you’re like, ‘We have to we have to find a way to work together, because there’s just too much that we can do together to not.’”
The partnership was announced earlier this month in a splashy video featuring several of FaZe Clan’s star players introducing their audience to Ghost. The brand is also currently featured as an official sponsor of reality competition series FaZe1: The Warehouse, where gamers around the world compete to become official members of FaZe Clan. The first place winner will receive a signing bonus of $1 million in cryptocurrency from MoonPay, a $250,000 sponsorship from Ghost and a Nissan GT-R.
Down the line, Lourenco said the collaboration will likely feature co-branded product launches alongside other promotional opportunities.
For FaZe, the new partnership also marks the end of its association with G Fuel, which began in 2012 and was extended in 2020, resulting in numerous FaZe co-branded products during that time. Lourenco said he has “the utmost respect” for G Fuel, which he credited with creating a bridge between nutrition and gaming, but said he believes Ghost presents a more complete sports nutrition platform as a lifestyle brand.
“I think FaZe’s interest was like ‘Hey, FaZe is also a lifestyle brand, not just for gamers but for traditional athletes as well,’” Lourenco said, noting that the organization also works with NBA stars LeBron James and Kyler Murray, as well as musical artists like DJ FaZe Kaysan. “They want a partner in this category that I think can support all of those things. FaZe is more than gaming, and Ghost is more than fitness. That’s why this is a really cool partnership where I think that you’re gonna see a lot of integration far beyond just the gaming product or the energy product.”
The move doesn’t leave G Fuel longing for brand partners, however. Last month, the company announced a “long-term” partnership with L.A.-based esports organization Sentinels, as well as a new athlete ambassador in the traditional sports realm via Phoenix Suns small forward Mikal Bridges.
The sponsorship arrives as Ghost seeks to extend its reach into the mainstream. Powered by the distribution from Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is an investor in the brand via its ZX Ventures arm, Lourenco said the brand’s ready-to-drink energy drink line is on track to outperform its supplements business for the first time ever this year as the company projects a retail expansion to about 60,000 doors nationwide. The brand launched the RTDs in Kroger stores earlier this year and also recently began selling the drinks via ecommerce.
According to data firm IRI, Ghost’s RTD line reported more than $55 million in retail dollar sales over the past year, up 1,505%, placing it behind Celsius and A Shoc within the energy category. Comparatively, G Fuel’s RTD products were up 338% to $36.4 million in tracked channels in the same period.
Like G Fuel, Ghost has leaned heavily on brand partnerships and unique flavors to both engage its existing consumer base and bring in new shoppers. While the bulk of G Fuel’s co-branded offerings include movie and game tie-ins, Ghost has emphasized licensed flavors based on popular candy and snack brands like Chips Ahoy!, Nutter Butter and Oreo for its protein powders, and Sour Patch Kids, Bubblicious, Swedish Fish and Warheads for both its ready-to-drink and powdered energy products. Some more recent launches have also employed media franchises, such as its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Ooze” flavored powders.
Although Ghost’s lifestyle platform is not singularly targeted towards gamers, Lourenco said its broad supplements portfolio – including BCAA, Greens, and Amino varieties – appeals to an evolving demographic of gamers. While the popular stereotype of gaming as a sedentary activity may persist, he noted that competitive gamers are increasingly seeking to “push the envelope further” and the connection between mental and physical fitness has led esports players to embrace health and wellness regimens that are more in line with pro athletes.
Lourenco also noted that the supplements category itself is also becoming more mainstream, as consumers seek out ingredients like protein and greens to stay healthy as part of their day-to-day routines.
“[FaZe’s teams] have a health and wellness coach, they have a weight room for their competitive players, because again the connection between physical fitness and mental fitness is clear,” he said. “I think there’s always been a connection, but you’re just seeing it [become] more prevalent now as the level of play rises and gaming hits the mainstream.”
Beyond gaming, Lourenco said Ghost will continue to focus on brand partnerships and sponsorship deals to raise awareness and hinted that the company is preparing to announce “some big festival partnerships” in the coming months.
As well, the company is open to exploring the web3 sector, he said. While there are no concrete plans yet for how that might manifest itself, Lourenco said he’s actively looking into opportunities to connect Ghost to web3. In particular, he’d like to tap into “online/offline” strategies via festival activations and tech-enhanced product launches, but the final form those ideas take is to be determined.
“To me, web3 at its best has offline utility,” he said. “I think that Ghost is community driven with everything that we do and … some of the most successful web3 products are community driven as well. Being able to tie together successfully an online community with an in-real-life utility, I think that you can definitely give people tools and access with something like that.”