RIO DE JANEIRO, Brasil — Everyone knows Brazilian fans bring the heat. And when it comes to Counter-Strike, the FPS title is more like a religion than a game.
That combination made the IEM Rio Major in November a must-have for Rivalry’s marketing team, and we made sure to bring our eccentric flair to the marquee tournament.
Fitting in discreetly with the other highlight-worthy happenings at the event — from impromptu human bicycles, ballistic fandom, and more — arena attendees and viewers from home alike were sure to have caught a mysterious and unmistakably muscular man in a costume chicken roaming around the stands.
But this wasn’t just any rooster, this was an actor we outfitted in a hand-woven mask, gloves, and dawned a heroic orange cape to build brand awareness throughout the event in a uniquely Rivalry way.
The chicken was not only a clever marketing tactic, but a necessary one. Since the tournament’s organizer had a betting partner in place for the event, there were limitations around the use of our logo that inhibited our brand visibility. As part of our booth purchase however, we were allowed to bring one cosplayer into the arena, and that’s when Rivalry’s Brazil CS:GO Growth Manager Lucas Lima said the idea struck him like lightning.
“Given the restrictions we had on our brand, we had to get creative and find a way to hack the event,” Lima said. “When we were told we could bring a cosplayer, I knew right away what we could do to have an impact.”
Equipped with a bright orange cape and belt each dawning a QR code directing visitors to our website, the chicken took to the stands, being stopped numerous times throughout the event for photo ops with fans and even a few autographs along the way.
An icon, mascot, and hero all in one package, the Rivalry chicken ticked all the boxes, allowing us to quietly build up our brand presence at the event, and receiving plenty of praise from the crowd and tournament broadcasters alike. In total, Rivalry’s chicken activation was featured on the official livestreams of ESL and Gaules for approximately 45 seconds to an average audience of more than 300,000 viewers.
ESL also tweeted the Rivalry chicken out from its ESL Counter-Strike and ESL Brasil channels to its combined 1.2 million followers, drawing several hundred thousand more social media impressions. He even made a cameo in ESL’s official IEM Rio aftermovie, allowing his spirit to live on forever… on YouTube.
“We are constantly leveraging our creative to build brand equity and awareness, and the chicken activation is a great example of that,” Lima added. “We’re always pushing ourselves to think outside the box and give a viral edge to our work.”
