AFP
GP Explorer 2: the race of internet stars thrills brands and “generation Z”
Audience record on Twitch in France broken by the GP Explorer 2: the second edition of the race of internet stars thrilled both sponsors and “generation Z” on Saturday, who came en masse to the Le Mans circuit and in front of the screens.Broadcast live on the streaming platform, the race which saw around twenty content creators compete on Formula 4 cars, including the YouTuber Squeezie and the rapper SCH as a guest, recorded an audience record in France with a peak of more than 1.3 million people, compared to a million during the first edition. A sign of the enthusiasm for the GP Explorer 2, the 60,000 tickets put on sale were sold in less than an hour , last May, also beating the influx of 40,000 spectators gathered on the Sarthe circuit in October 2022. Even before the start of the race won by the YouTuber Depielo, the high point of an event which lasted more than ten o’clock, everything was scripted like a large-scale sporting event, with production means worthy of a professional grand prix. Free trials, visits to the stands, souvenir shops, entertainment of all kinds provided by the numerous brands sponsoring the event, teams in the colors of a major sponsor, and even selfies with the drivers for the luckiest of a mixed audience composed in the vast majority of young people under 30. Among the headliners: French internet celebrities with millions of subscribers on social networks, starting with Squeezie, instigator of this race for more than 18 million subscribers on YouTube, or Gotaga, Mister V, Seb, Billy, or Maghla, one of the most followed streamers in France with 800,000 subscribers on the Twitch streaming platform.”Maghla, I follow her on Twitch, I support her fully, I +love+ what she does. In addition, she only had her (driving) license this year, she is the rookie of the race,” Clément Huyghe, 28, an insurance expert in Bordeaux, told AFP and who paid 60 euros on the internet to have the jersey of your favorite streamer on your back. Marseille rappers SCH and Soso Maness, known for having participated in the title “Organized Band”, were also there. – “reach young consumers” – “A lot of friends wanted to come but only four of us got places. We’re one of the lucky ones!” rejoiced Essye Brossas, 20 years old, a psychology student in Nantes, who was unable to attend the first edition. Popularity with the strategic target “generation Z” who pushed the brands already present last year to strengthen their presence, like Deezer or TCL, and others to invest, like Samsung or Crunchyroll, while sports competitions between content creators, like the GP Explorer, capture an audience approaching those of major traditional competitions. This allows “to reach young consumers where they are”, namely on “these events”, explains to AFP Jérôme Bloch, marketing director of Samsung France for the mobile activity, keen to associate its brand “with innovation”. “We saw a before and after” in terms of visibility after the first GP Explorer, “with between 10 and 15% increase of our +followers+ on Instagram”, adds Virginie Guimaraes, marketing manager for France for the Chinese brand TCL, specializing in electronic equipment. Increased media profitability and lower costs compared to a 30-second TV advertising spot at half-time of a major sporting competition. And which attracts beyond just tech, streaming and video game brands, such as Subway or Del Arte (catering). “When a creator (from GP Explorer) will also produce content on its personal accounts, the brand will benefit from 360 communication, to which it would not necessarily have had access if it sponsored a more traditional event” at a higher price, underlines again to AFP Antonin Assié, co -founder of Odace, an agency specializing in digital communication.yk/elc/dlm