McDonald's Germany Drops Football Sponsorship for Esports

McDonald's has recently let go of its sponsorship with the German Football Association to focus on esports.

#DFB-Aus und mehr #ESports: Die neue Sportmarketing-Strategie von McDonald's https://t.co/Yx2PRN390U

— McDonald's Deutschland (@McDonaldsDENews) 2 ноября 2018 г.

McDonald's Germany announced on Friday Nov 2 that it would not be renewing its contract with the German Football Association. McDonald's has been an avid sponsor of the association for 15 years, but now it parts ways in order to pursue opportunities in esports.

"The decision for one is not necessarily the decision against the other, but reflects the general brand strategy to connect closer to the lives of teens and Twens," said Phillip Wachholz, the spokesperson for McDonald's Germany.

New Sports: McDonald's Deutschland stellt sich im Sport Sponsoring neu auf@ESLGermany @JungvMattsports
▶️https://t.co/X9FifagZQY pic.twitter.com/5Vad7me6uB

— McDonald's Deutschland (@McDonaldsDENews) 2 ноября 2018 г.

It seems that McDonald's Germany's strategy going forward is to make a larger effort to market towards a younger audience, specifically by targeting esports fans.

"The step into esports was absolutely right for us, and we see a significant increase in brand awareness among the targeted audience."