SINGAPORE — Closeup, an oral brand of Unilever, has championed closeness for over 50 years. The brand inspires people to turn mutual attraction into action, free from self-doubt and judgment of others. At the start of this month, Closeup went on a mission to transform gaming into a world that brings couples together instead of a world that sets them apart.
Being a gamer has often been depicted as a lonely journey. Time spent on boss battles or chatting with your virtual squad was often the demise of many romantic relationships. However, the traditional stereotypes of gamers are being rewritten.
The leading oral care brand has partnered with popular video game PUBG Mobile for the first time to create an exclusive battle royale tournament for couples only. Indonesian lovebirds will be battling it out in the name of love on Closeup’s Couples Battleground.
The Couples Battleground, organized by Closeup, invites players and their significant others to play together. Over the next four weekends, the gameplay will be live streamed via Facebook by the gaming influencers, who will compete and share their love stories. The prize will be his and her in-game skins. These skins can only be obtained through this exclusive partnership and will only be available for a limited time.
Each influencer was handpicked to show that despite culture and socioeconomic status, they have found a shared passion for gaming which has bought them closer together and allowed them to spend quality time together.
The concept was co-created by media company Mindshare and esports company Tier One Entertainment. The two teams inked a strategic partnership in 2021, where they could leverage the power of gaming influencers to reach out to a young but competitive gaming community. In a market like Indonesia, gaming has quickly become a social and team hobby, with many young Indonesians choosing to spend quality time gaming together.
“The gaming industry in Southeast Asia has accelerated tremendously in recent times, mainly fuelled by Indonesia, which constitutes 43% of the total number of players in the region. We must continue to find innovative and fun ways to connect with our consumers in one of Closeup’s largest markets,” said Sean Loh, the global gaming and partnerships senior manager of Mindshare.
“Closeup has always been giving consumers the confidence to get close. We believe that we can play a bigger role in championing closeness and love of all kinds. Gaming has become a huge part of our consumers’ lives, and it is important that Closeup continues to contribute positively to building safe spaces celebrating equality and inclusion. Beyond the functional benefit of our products, we want to inspire people to act on their mutual attraction, free from self-doubt and judgment, so that they can experience closeness on their terms,” said Closeup Global Vice President Gaurav Datta.
