Bell is showing its love for the (video) game with a new commitment to its esports partner, Toronto Ultra, by insuring the tools that are most important to the players on the team.

As part of the brand’s “Million Dollar Fingers” campaign, developed with creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo. Channeling moves made by other professional athletes, such as baseball pitchers who insure their arms or soccer players who insure their legs, each member of the team has had their digits insured for $1 million – a first-of-its-kind arrangement not only for Bell, but in the esports sector in this country.

Bell has been a sponsor of the Toronto Ultra and parent company Overactive Media since 2019. Last year, the telco extended its sponsorship by three years in a deal that also added presenting rights for several epsorts events, jersey placement and naming rights for Overactive’s practice facility.

The sponsorship has also included branded content, but this is the first time Bell has focused on esports in a broader campaign. David Kennedy, VP of brand and sponsorship, says Bell is “always looking for innovative ways to support” the growing esports community, and that this campaign reinforces the legitimacy of esports and demonstrates the potential for growth and investment in the industry.

“We wanted to show everyone just how committed we are to the team, while also having some fun and shining a spotlight on the stars of Toronto Ultra,” adds Kennedy. “Our ‘Million Dollar Fingers’ campaign achieves both, and has already got the gaming community talking.”

The campaign launched earlier this week on digital and social, anchored by a flashy spot produced by Zulubot. In the spot, the connection between the initiative and its soccer and baseball inspirations is made abundantly clear, while the players on the team – Jamie “Insight” Craven, Tobias “CleanX” Jønsson, Thomas “Scrap” Ernst and Charlie “Hicksy” Hicks – are featured prominently.

“We got creative with our approach for this campaign given the less traditional nature of the competition,” explains Zak Mroueh, founder and creative chairman at Zulu. “We wanted to push the boundaries of what sponsorships can look like for brands.”

Overactive Media and Bell itself led PR efforts for the campaign.