Overview

Having ascended to the top of the mobile gaming charts with 450m+ downloads and 80m daily users, Garena Free Fire worked with SportQuake to make a unique marketing move that would engage hardcore, casual and non-gaming audiences and drive user growth across all of their key markets.

The Challenge

Since launch in 2017, Garena Free Fire had experienced a meteoric rise to the top of the mobile gaming charts. Having successfully activated localised ambassador strategies to drive user growth in key markets, the brand now wanted to use a renowned football IP to activate a global campaign that would reach new audiences around the world and help them maintain their #1 position.

 

The Solution

Working across the entire football ecosystem – all rights holders, all inventory – SportQuake helped Garena Free Fire to understand the marketplace, including competitor activity, and identify the most impactful strategy available within it.

Following an extensive analysis, SportQuake worked with Garena Free Fire to develop an Ambassador sponsorship strategy with global icon Cristiano Ronaldo for four key reasons:

  • Heroic IP – Garena could leverage Ronaldo’s unique level of global fame to create an in-game hero to personify Free Fire’s ‘Join The Battle. Be The Legend’ call to arms vs. core gaming, casual gaming and mainstream target audiences.
  • Brand Sector Leadership – Ronaldo is not just a footballer but the world’s most popular athlete. By partnering with CR7, Garena took the level of celebrity being used ‘in-game’ to another level, showing their ambitions to entertain both core customers and new customers.
  • Mainstream Marketing Platform – With the global mobile games market valued at over $60bn, Garena could leverage Ronaldo’s mainstream appeal to engage both core and non-traditional audiences, generating new, long-term interest in Garena Free Fire.
  • PR Campaign – As the first footballer to be integrated as a playable character into a battle royale game, the industry-first move would generate headlines in industry and mainstream press around the world.
  • Social First Approach – As a digital-first business, Garena Free Fire could drive massive exposure online, bringing together their own channels and Ronaldo’s 450m+ social following and global popularity to drive talkability and engagement at scale.

The Result

The partnership was announced in December 2020, with Cristiano Ronaldo integrated into Garena Free Fire as the face of their Operation Chrono campaign. Chrono, Ronaldo’s in-game persona, was a huge hit with the game’s audience, receiving widespread global press coverage and increasing Garena Free Fire’s user base by over 15 million players.

Find Out More

To find out more about Garena Free Fire’s partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo and wider sports sponsorship activity by world leading mobile gaming brands, contact us at [email protected]