Footballing superstar Lionel Messi is featuring in a new campaign for his performance hydration brand, Más+ by Messi, which sees him launch a a global 1v1 football tournament.
Developed by London agency VCCP, ‘The 1v1 World Crown’ will mark the ‘cultural debut’ of the new beverage, and will anchor the brand’s first global campaign.
Kicking off in August, the tournament will include live qualifiers in Los Angeles on 2 August, followed by Toronto on 16 August, London on the 23 August, Dublin on the 6 September and culminating in a final in Miami on 19 September.
“We didn’t want to just show Messi. We wanted to build a world that reflects what he stands for. ‘The 1v1 World Crown’ is pure football energy. This is a brand launch that gives power to the people who play, not just those who watch,” said Sophie Van Ettinger, VP global brands at Mark Anthony Group.
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Consumer PR was led by VCCP and web design was led by digital experience agency Bernadette. Event management and production was led by Messi-owned production company 525 Rosario. VML led on UX for the website and CRM comms plan.
Julian Douglas, group CEO at VCCP added: “Messi is the greatest 1v1 player of all time, and his new hydration drink, Más+, is here to fuel a new generation of ballers.
“So we didn’t want to do just another product ad. We built a world fans can step into, with real events, real cities, and real stakes. ‘The 1v1 World Crown’ isn’t just a campaign. It’s game on.”
