Italian coffee brand Lavazza has entered esports through a partnership with UK-based organisation Fnatic. 

The partnership will involve the “Icons of Italy” campaign, bringing a custom, co-branded map to Fortnite, in a first-of-its-kind collaboration.

Apparently, professional Fortnite player and streamer, POW3R, will tell the lifestyle journey of Lavazza and Fnatic through an interactive in-game experience, with players engaging through a custom map called “Icons of Italy.” 

Starting a POW3R’s mansion, players will compete to finish the course as fast as possible, journeying through Italian culture, symbolically represented by coffee-themed customisation and references to Lavazza A Modo Mio brand. Landmarks will include the Lavazza headquarters in Turin, and historical sites like the Colosseum. 

Two additional levels will be added to the map over time, and players will be submitting their best runs by posting video using the hashtag #IconsofItaly and tagging Lavazza, POW3R, and Fnatic on Instagram or Twitter.  The fastest competitor will win a digital meet and greet with POW3R via Zoom, and a stash of co-branded products, while second and third places will land co-branded products and Fnatic gear. 

The partnership will also involve the creation of a two-part documentary chronicling POW3R’s rise to stardom, and how he, with the help of Fnatic and Lavazza helped make gaming a part of mainstream Italian culture. 

Discussing the partnership Group Marketing Communication Director and Brand Home Director, Lavazza, Carlo Colpo, said:

“We are delighted to announce this collaboration with Fnatic because it represents an important debut for Lavazza in a sector that is experiencing considerable growth, and we could not have hoped for a better partner.

“Esports and gaming is an interesting, challenging world, perfectly in line with the brand’s desire to relate to young people through tools and languages that are more appropriate to them”.

While Partner Development Director at Fnatic, Craig Santicchia, added:

“Fnatic and Lavazza share the same values including a strong sense of heritage, a passion for work ethic and an unrelenting drive to be the best.

“This partnership is a taste of what’s to come from our two brands as we continue pushing boundaries and activating inside the most relevant platforms for Gen Z. Helping Lavazza enter the industry in a fun, disruptive way via these digital experiences shows that the only limitation is our imagination.”

AYO.NEWS says:

There’s obviously a natural vibe between coffee and video gaming, with players wanting that caffeine fix to stay alert, and we’ve seen plenty of partnerships between beverage brands and esports organisations. But, Lavazza and Fnatic have really pulled out the stops to take this collaboration to a new level, which is pretty dramatic for a brand’s first entry to esports. It will be interesting to see how well this engages fans. 

Staying with Fnatic, last week it became the first UK-based esports organisation to sign a British music artist, teaming up with rapper Lukman Odunaike, aka Not3s. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

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