After Barcelona announced the departure of Messi, at least two teams emerged as possible destinations: PSG and Manchester City. In Brazil, clubs played a game to try to convince the Argentine to defend their shirts.
One of them was folkloric Íbis, from Pernambuco, who proudly holds the title of “worst team in the world”. On June 30, when Messi's contract with Barça ended, the club published a “proposal” for the midfielder. The uproar reverberated in the press in Argentina and Spain, as mockery.
This Thursday (5), Íbis took the opportunity and responded with one more joke. “Messi was shaken, huh?”, “Just come on, Messi” and “I think Messi liked the contract, right? All that's left is to sign...”, published the club on Twitter.
The game is part of Ibis' strategy to remain active on social networks. Movement that made the so-called “Pássaro Preto” (Blackbird) become the fourth largest club in the world in engagement on Twitter.
This season, Íbis has been divided into two lines of action. While the club's social networks continue to bet on playfulness to gain more followers and public empathy, the football department lives the expectation of gaining access to the Serie A of Pernambucano, after 20 years, with athe support from bookmaker Betsson.
The Íbis Sport Club owns the profile with one of the largest engagements in the world on Twitter and that is why it was chosen to launch the BetssonFC football Fantasy Game, by Betsson.
The club hit its biggest sponsor in history and seeks to form a qualified team, to be able to face the opponents and leave, even for a while, the reputation of the “worst club in the world.”
The campaign brings content strategically designed to generate buzz and boost engagement on the social networks of Betsson and Íbis Sport Club. In addition, the action will feature digital pieces, the participation of influencers such as Bolivia (formerly unencumbered), Hugo Valença, and FuleragemFC and a film (versions 45”, 30” and 15”) starring the players and recorded at Arena Pernambuco.
“The choice of Ibis was not by chance. The team has built all its popularity with good humor, in a light and relaxed way, and is very well regarded by the entire football community. It is a unique opportunity to kick-start BetssonFC history. In addition, we are passionate about football and this is also a way to encourage and contribute to the development of the sport and its athletes,” explained Andre Gelfi, managing partner of Betsson in Brazil.
BetssonFC has 12 championships and more than 400 tournaments linked to the main world football championships, in addition to offering participants the opportunity to win prizes that surpass the R$1 million mark.
Varying between the mood of social networks and the expectation of better days in the real world, Íbis is convinced that if Messi's football cannot be counted on, engaging the Argentine's name is a good alternative.
Source: GMB
