ABOUT THIS ENTRY

Building on an already successful partnership, Verizon reached out to LaLiga with the challenge to create a FIFA program focused on building a gaming community and engaging Hispanic gamers.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

In its first year, the LaLiga All-Star Gaming Challenge presented by Verizon established itself as the premier gaming program for Hispanic gamers, setting a new standard of excellence in engagement when it comes to connecting with this community.

The program had a Hispanic-focused approach at its core, starting with the hosts: Melissa Ortiz (Former Colombian Olympic soccer player and media influencer), Mando Fresko (Mexican-American media personality and Latino influencer), and RatedHugo (Mexican-American FIFA streamer and content creator), all the way through to the cities targeted and Captains selected.

This strategy allowed us, in partnership with Verizon, to authentically connect with the community resulting in seven of the eight program finalists representing the Hispanic community and ultimately winning a VIP trip to Spain. These gamers bonded during the trip and have maintained close contact, all returning to compete in Year 2 of the program and sharing the opportunity within their local communities.

By focusing specifically on engaging Hispanic gamers, LaLiga and Verizon took a different approach to connecting with gamers that will hopefully help move the sports and gaming community forward to be more inclusive across demographics.

Objective: Building on an already successful partnership, Verizon reached out to LaLiga with the challenge to create a FIFA program focused on building a gaming community and engaging Hispanic gamers.

The goal was to develop an always-on gaming program that would connect with Hispanics across key markets in the U.S. Due to Covid restrictions, the entire production had to be virtual with gamers, hosts, and LaLiga players and celebrity talent all participating from home.

In response to the challenge, we created the LaLiga All-Star Gaming Challenge presented by Verizon, which covered eight key Verizon markets: San Diego, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. We brought together current and former LaLiga players and American soccer and gaming icons to serve as “Captains” in each market and build the communities that would go on to compete for the ultimate prize: a trip to Spain for two.

Strategy & Execution: The program was brought to life by creating a virtual FIFA event (referred to as a ‘Showcase”) in each market. Gamers registered through Boom.TV where they completed online challenges to be eligible to participate. From there, eight competed against each other in a Showcase with the top four gamers moved on to face off in a FIFA match against a Captain who would select one person to travel to Spain for an unforgettable LaLiga experience.

The modern sports fan, particularly Hispanic sports fans, was top of mind throughout the program. In addition to the program design, each Captain selection was deliberate and designed to help the program achieve Verizon’s goal of engaging Hispanic American gamers.

The 8 Showcases & Captains included:
Luis García: LaLiga Ambassador and ESPN Anchor.
Diego Lainez: Real Betis and Mexico National Team Player.
Hector Herrera: Atlético de Madrid and México National Team Player.
Castro_1021: One of the biggest FIFA Streamers and Twitch Celebrity in the U.S.
João Félix: Atlético de Madrid and Portugal National Team Player.
Sergiño Dest: FC Barcelona and U.S. Men National Team Player.
Allie Long: Gotham FC and U.S. Women National Team Player.
Luis Suárez: Atlético de Madrid and Uruguay National Team Player.

Results: The program’s success led to an engaging product that was consumed by gamers and soccer fans around the U.S. The content-focused approach to the gaming program led to over 400 pieces of content delivered over the six month program allowing us to maximize reach. Achieving over 190 million impressions, 4.6 million video views, and more than 6.4 million streamed minutes watched, the remote gaming program created a passionate community that followed along and aligned with the participating gamers and their Captains, cheering them on through the finals. With 6,308 registered gamers participating in the program, LaLiga and Verizon built a sustainable project that can be executed on an annual basis and exist as a core event for the Hispanic American FIFA gamers in the U.S.

Production

LaLiga North America
LaLiga North America Studios
Verizon
Boom TV

Credits

Lucy Hartwell
Director Marketing Partnerships
LaLiga North America

Nicolas Garcia Hemme
VP Strategy & Business Development
LaLiga North America

Francisco Delgado
Head of Partnership Activations
LaLiga North America

Patrick Lowe
Head of Partnerships
LaLiga North America

Juan Sanz Pablos
Partnerships Manager
LaLiga North America

Jackie Brown
Consumer Marketing
Verizon

Rich Scheer
Manager
Verizon

George Polk
Marketing Manager
Verizon

Victor Suski
VP, Esports
Boom.TV

Rafael Gomez
Director
LaLiga North America Studios

Itzel Ubiarco
Managing Editor
LaLiga North America Studios

Cesar Orozco
Producer/Editor
LaLiga North America Studios

Adrian Segovia
Head of Content & Distribution USA
LaLiga North America

Catherine Lavoie
Delegate Canada
LaLiga