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How a Mascot Outshined Official Sponsors

Rivalry Chicken During IEM Major 2022

Industry

Esports

Challenge

Rivalry wanted to make noise at IEM Rio Major without being an official sponsor. To achieve comparable visibility and community impact to official sponsors, without paid stage presence or logo placement.

Results

Engage helped Rivalry bring humor and authenticity to the event through the now-legendary Rivalry Chicken mascot.

Key Service

Growth Solutions

www.rivalry.com
$1M+
Media Value
250K+
Engagements
12x
ROI
Rivalry Case

The Activation

The Rivalry Chicken activation at IEM Rio Major became one of the most talked-about moments in esports marketing.
What began as a playful mascot appearance quickly evolved into a viral phenomenon, featured in official IEM social media posts, competitor content, such as BLAST, and numerous fan clips.

Its popularity led to the creation of an official Steam sticker, turning a community-driven stunt into a lasting cultural symbol for gaming fans worldwide.

The Challenge

At the IEM Rio Major, Rivalry wanted to make an impact without being an official sponsor. Competing against brands with multimillion-real sponsorship deals, the company needed to cut through the noise and engage fans authentically.

All while spending just a fraction of what official partners invested.

The challenge: create a cultural moment that felt owned by the community, not the brand.

The Solution

Engage crafted a bold guerrilla activation: the Rivalry Chicken.
A quirky mascot dropped directly into the fan experience, not the stage.

By embracing gamer humor and grassroots chaos, the chicken became an instant hit across arenas and social feeds.

The activation was so viral it appeared in official IEM posts, competitor content from BLAST, and even evolved into an official Steam sticker. Cementing Rivalry’s status as the people’s champion of esports marketing.

The Results

The Rivalry Chicken didn’t just outperform official sponsors — it became a symbol of what happens when brands stop trying to act like sponsors and start behaving like the community.

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