ONCHAN, Isle of Man,
August 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand,
launched a new advertising campaign on Facebook this weekend
starring global sports giants Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. The
players' Facebook fans were given an exclusive preview of the
videos, which can now be viewed on their Facebook pages, two weeks
before the commercials air for the first time on television
globally.
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150803/254265 )
(Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150803/254264 )
The world's largest online poker operator will combine the
enormous popularity of Ronaldo and Neymar Jr, with the unparalleled
scale and sophisticated targeting tools offered by Facebook, to
engage gaming and sports fans and maximise the impact of the
campaign. Ronaldo is Facebook's most popular public figure with
more than 104 million fans. Neymar Jr has more than 53 million
Facebook fans.
The athletes star in short videos produced by acclaimed
commercial and music video director Vaughan
Arnell and were shot on location in Madrid and Barcelona. Arnell has worked on TV commercials
for brands including Levis and Dove, but is most famous for his
collaborations with Robbie Williams
and One Direction. Each video features poker as the centrepiece of
the athletes' evening with friends, and highlights the fun, social
and competitive aspects of the game.
PokerStars announced sponsorship deals with Brazilian football
superstar, Neymar Jr, and arguably the world's best known
footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo,
earlier this summer. The signing of the two global football giants
is a massive coup for the brand and PokerStars' largest sponsorship
to date.
Tarquin Henderson, Head of EMEA Gaming Sales at Facebook,
commented: "People come to Facebook to discover things that matter
to them, whether it's photos from their friends and family, videos
from brands they love, or posts from their favourite celebrities.
PokerStars' campaign combines the best of this - fresh, engaging
content from two of the biggest footballers on the planet. And
thanks to Facebook's scale and unparalleled targeting tools, these
videos will reach the most relevant audience, from poker and gaming
fans to football aficionados."
Michael Hazel, Interim CEO at the
Rational Group added: "This is the biggest PokerStars marketing
campaign in history and we are excited to launch with exclusive
distribution on Facebook. Both videos show how each of the stars
love the game of poker in their own unique way. The vast numbers of
fans who engage with both stars make Facebook a great platform to
reach a big audience. To put this into context the combined fan
base for both superstars is a huge 157 million; the estimated
global TV audience for the recent Champions League final was 180
million."
To coincide with the global TV launch on August 17, PokerStars will also be running a
separate promotion called 'Dream Team Collection'. This involves
online poker challenges and puzzles that incorporate Ronaldo and
Neymar Jr, giving fans and poker players a chance to win various
prizes plus a shot at $1,000,000.
Cristiano Ronaldo Video: http://psta.rs/1fZc4NV
Neymar Jr Video: http://psta.rs/1IFXWo3
About PokerStars
PokerStars.com and PokerStars.eu operate globally under licenses
from the Isle of Man and
Malta governments, respectively.
PokerStars also operates under licenses in locally licensed
jurisdictions including Italy,
France, Estonia, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, United
Kingdom and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.
PokerStars is the key brand of Rational Group, which operates
gaming-related businesses and brands, including PokerStars, Full
Tilt and the European Poker Tour and is owned by Amaya Inc.
(Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA).
Scott Collins,
+44(0)207-319-3052, scott_collins@halfordsmedia.co.uk
SOURCE PokerStars