Serviceplan Culture Partners With OG Collective to Build Gaming Expertise
Updated: 3 days ago
Serviceplan Culture has entered a strategic partnership with Krefeld esports and gaming outfit OG Collective to deepen its gaming-culture marketing, pairing agency strategy with native community expertise.
What happened
Serviceplan Culture, part of Munich's Serviceplan group, has entered a strategic partnership with Krefeld-based esports and gaming outfit OG Collective to deepen its gaming-culture marketing capabilities. Launching in September and led by OG CEO Paul Dahlhoff and Serviceplan Culture MD Franziska Gregor, the alliance pairs agency strategy with native gaming-community expertise for brands.
It is a structural answer to a problem every agency chasing gaming budgets runs into.
Why it matters
Gaming is one of the largest and stickiest cultural spaces, but it is notoriously unforgiving of brands that get the codes wrong. Agencies have the strategic and client muscle; specialist gaming outfits have the community credibility. Partnering, rather than pretending to have both in-house, is the honest way to serve brands here.
Our read: this reflects a wider agency truth — you cannot fake subculture. Rather than hiring a token "gaming lead", Serviceplan is partnering with people already embedded in the community. For any brand chasing a subculture, borrowed authenticity via the right partner beats a shallow in-house attempt.
What businesses should do
If you want into a subculture — gaming, sneakers, music, sport — resist the urge to fake fluency. Communities spot inauthenticity instantly. Partner with people who already belong, and let their credibility carry your brand in.
And separate strategy from authenticity in your resourcing. An agency can bring the planning and craft; a native partner brings the trust. The best subculture work usually comes from combining the two, not from one side pretending to be the other.
Quick FAQ
What is the Serviceplan–OG Collective partnership?
A strategic alliance pairing Serviceplan Culture's agency strategy with OG Collective's native esports and gaming-community expertise.
Who is leading it?
OG CEO Paul Dahlhoff and Serviceplan Culture MD Franziska Gregor, from September 2026.
Why partner rather than build in-house?
Because gaming communities reject brands that get the codes wrong; borrowed authenticity from an embedded partner beats a shallow in-house attempt.
You can't fake subculture, and gaming punishes brands that try. The honest move is what Serviceplan did — partner with people already embedded in the community rather than hiring a token 'gaming lead'. Borrowed authenticity from the right partner beats a shallow in-house version. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
You can't fake a subculture — the smart route into gaming is borrowing authenticity from an embedded partner, not staffing a token role.
If you're chasing a subculture, are you partnering with people who belong — or faking fluency from the outside?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Horizont, new business.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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