Following the success of Dare Iced Coffee’s recent live stream with the St Kilda Football Club on esports platform Twitch, the drinks brand is now drawing on its broader sports sponsorship portfolio, bringing the Canberra Raiders and St Kilda Football Club together with two gaming influencers for an even bigger live stream event.
In what will be the first Battle of the Codes between NRL and AFL teams, the Raiders’ Corey Horsburgh and Joe Tapine will face off against the Saints’ Max King and Zak Jones in a friendly match on the popular online video game Fortnite, to see which code has the best gamers.
The two-hour ‘Dare Battle of the Codes – Saints vs. Raiders’ live stream on Twitch will air on April 29; devised by Publicis Sport & Entertainment, with media handled by Starcom and The Mark Agency providing creative support.
“We see this as a great opportunity to bring our sporting partnerships together and entertain our drinkers while they’re staying at home,” said Darryn Wallace, Marketing & Innovation Director at Lion Dairy & Drinks. “eSports is booming and we know that our St Kilda and Raiders players are avid gamers in their down time – so Dare is here to help our players drink it through. We wish both sides all the best in the Dare Battle of the Codes!”
The live stream will be hosted by gaming influencers, Australian pro-gamer Mr Fresh Asian, and one of the most-watched female gamers in the world, LoserFruit. The activity will also include a video Q&A with the players, product giveaways, and competitions on social.
Ashley O’Rourke, Director of Publicis Sport & Entertainment, said: “As a way of engaging the fan bases of both the Saints and Raiders, both teams will be running a social competition for one lucky fan to join their sporting heroes in a Fortnite match – further driving cross platform and audience engagement for the Dare brand and its partners.
“The live stream ‘Battle of the Codes’ format is a first for Australian sports, and something we’re immensely proud to support our client in bringing to life. It’s a great way for Dare Iced Coffee to maintain engagement with its traditional sporting partnerships, particularly while no physical professional sport is being played in Australia.”
The latest activity follows Dare Iced Coffee’s first live stream on Twitch earlier this month, which featured St Kilda Saints players Jack Bytel and Max King, along with gaming influencer LoserFruit.
St Kilda GM of Communications David O’Neill said: “Dare Iced Coffee is a long time, valued partner of the Saints. This latest activity is a testament to the creativity in Dare’s approach to engaging our supporters. We also know there is no love lost between rugby league and AFL fans, and this is chance for that rivalry to play out in lounge rooms across the country.”
Canberra Raiders’ Chief Operating Officer, Jason Mathie, added: “We’re very excited to be involved in the ‘Dare Battle of the Codes’ event. We’re quietly confident about our chances led by our team captain Mr Fresh Asian, with our representing players and members determined to claim bragging rights over our AFL opponents.”
