Love Cup — beeline's love show about gaming

In telecom, the playing field between the four major players has been stable for years. But despite increasing media investments, brand image scores for all operators have been slipping year after year. Rising prices, technical glitches, and the fact that telecom services don’t spark much emotional connection all play a role. beeline sits steadily in fourth place in both Share of Voice (SOV) and Share of Spend (SOS), which means the brand has to work harder to break through and be noticed. Another challenge is high market saturation: on average, each person already has 1.7 SIM cards. Growth can only come from stealing customers from competitors or convincing someone to buy their very first SIM card. That’s why young audiences are not just important — they’re a strategic priority. beeline’s “Share Everything” product allows users to share minutes and gigabytes within a group. While mass communication typically presents it through the family lens, we thought of a different way to look at it. Young people are a strategically important segment for beeline’s subscriber growth. Our goal was to speak to them from a relevant perspective. We chose gaming as a key territory of youth interest. To introduce a non-gaming product in this space, we needed a truly strong insight — one that would capture and hold attention.

Problem

Our challenge went far beyond simply capturing attention. We set out to create a real emotional bond with young people — in the world of gaming, through a non-gaming product. But this audience is notoriously hard to reach. They don’t respond to traditional advertising. If a product doesn’t spark curiosity right away, they won’t bother exploring the brand. Holding their attention through standard digital communication is nearly impossible. That meant we had to change the game: transform Beeline’s image from “not for youth” to a brand that truly belongs in their world — and break the perception of being “just a sponsor” in one of their biggest passion points: gaming.

Solution

We decided to break the stereotype that gaming has a negative impact on romantic relationships. To do this, we merged two worlds that seemed impossible to combine — esports and a love show.

That’s how beeline's Love Cup came to life — a Counter-Strike tournament for one of the most popular team shooters, where gaming skills and teamwork go hand in hand.

In addition to classic matches, we introduced “Share Everything” matches — where couples played on branded maps, controlling a single character together and splitting playtime — just like beeline users share minutes and gigabytes with their loved ones.

Viewers also took part by sharing their support in the tournament chat, directly influencing the outcome of matches. The most active ones received prizes from the brand.

In the spirit of early 2000s dating shows, we added a “confession room,” video love stories, and even the option to send an “SMS” live during the tournament stream — to find a match or make a love confession.

The tournament was covered by popular streamers and relevant Telegram channels, while Twitch stars Olyashaa and Anton Palych — a couple in real life with massive followings — became the show’s hosts.

All of this proved one thing: gaming doesn’t get in the way of love — it makes it stronger.

Result

The special project achieved its goal: we captured the attention of young audiences through one of their favorite games — CS2.

By skillfully leveraging in-game mechanics, we presented beeline’s product in a way that felt natural, clear, and engaging. The “Share Everything” service was seamlessly integrated into gameplay — and the project resonated so strongly that the audience demanded a second season.

Now, we are thinking about making it happen.

 
Business Results
● Consideration of beeline as a mobile operator grew by +18 p.p. (from 42% to 60%) vs. +9p.p.*
● Consideration of beeline as an internet provider among youth grew by +21 p.p. (from 35% to 56%) vs. +12p.p.*

 
Marketing Results
● Growth of key image attributes:
○ “I trust this brand” +18 p.p. (from 20% to 38%) vs. +7p.p.*
○ “A brand for people like me” +15 p.p. (from 13% to 28%) vs. +5p.p.*
● Awareness of “Share Everything” service grew by +32 p.p. among all subscribers and by +30 p.p. among beeline’s own subscribers.

 
Media & Tech Results
● Total reach: 8,204,094 (vs. benchmark of 7,000,000 — overdelivered)
● Total views: 530,397 (vs. benchmark of 147,000 — more than 3.5x overdelivered)

 
Internal benchmarks based on Beeline gaming special projects in 2023–2024