Increase the reach of Zenit's brand communications.
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The gaming community revolves around gaming influencers — and they became the bridge between footballers and gamers. As it turned out, midfielder Zelimkhan Bakayev is a long-time fan of esports player Dosia, while defender Danil Krugovoy is friends with streamer Recrent. These pairs hosted streams on Twitch, teasing the upcoming campaign, inviting the audience to the match, and saying for the first time: #weplay.
Posters featuring Malcom and Buster appeared across Saint Petersburg. Buster became one of Zenit's special guests at Round 27 of the RPL, announced the event on his social media, and shared content from the venue. He also recorded a video message for Zenit's subscribers and congratulated the club on winning the championship.
Before the match kicked off, Buster met with his fans. He was joined by PGL Major Kraków 2017 CS:GO champion Dosia, former professional PUBG player Recrent, YouTuber and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree Exile, and million-follower streamer Dmitry_Lixxx. The influencers came to support the players and held an autograph session. Each creator announced their match attendance on stream via banners and verbal mentions. Dmitry_Lixxx also hosted a live broadcast from the venue.
Results
Across the club's social media, influencer channels, and gaming and esports Telegram channels alone, total views reached 25,722,083. Among those who purchased tickets using streamer promo codes, 53% were first-time buyers.