Independent marketing communications firm B/HI (formerly Bender/Helper Impact) announced the launch of GG, a full-service division dedicated to the explosive esports industry. The new group, named after the universal esports shorthand for “good game,” will offer a range of services to both endemic and non-endemic esports organizations and brands.
The new division will build on B/HI’s existing esports client roster, which over the past two years has grown to include professional franchises Echo Fox and Immortals as well as premier amateur organization Super League Gaming. GG will operate as an stand-alone unit under B/HI’s Interactive Gaming practice, representing both game publishers and their esports interests where possible.
“The growth of esports from a communications perspective has reached a real inflection point as the industry further realigns itself, the franchises mature as organizations and brands of all types explore their opportunities,” said Jerry Griffin, B/HI Managing Partner and the strategic lead for GG. “We felt this was the right time to centralize our capabilities, and those of some key partners, around an entity that will feel authentic to esports rather than simply an extension of our core gaming practice.”
To execute this, GG has created a partner-centric offering that gives existing clients a path not only to core PR execution, but services such as talent management, IP creation and corporate citizenship. The alliance partners at launch include Games for Change, the leading non-profit dedicated to the advancement of interactive games and platforms for social good and change. G4C will help provide esports entities with a path toward corporate citizenship and community building.
“It’s never too early for a nascent market to explore the ideas of corporate citizenship and social good,” said Susanna Pollack, president of Games for Change. “We’re excited about this alliance with B/HI and GG if only because it can open up new conversations earlier than it might if esports organizations and Games for Change simply discovered each other on their own.”
GG will operate out of B/HI’s offices in Los Angeles and New York, with Griffin driving day-to-day operations and reporting into B/HI Founding Partner and President Dean Bender.
