Few streamers have moved the mainstream needle as much as Canadian hip hop legend Drake in recent years.
However, all that glitters is seemingly not gold as his relationship with Stake hit rocky waters amidst an ongoing public spat between the pair.
The Canadian rapper questioned whether it was ‘personal’ as he broadcast his futile efforts to withdraw funds from his account, posting to his 142 million Instagram followers criticising Stake over four failed attempts to withdraw the funds from his account.
Central to Drake’s dispute with Kick and the firm’s CEO, Ed Craven,’, is the obstacles that Craven places in front of him when it comes to pushing affiliate to his fans, as Drake aired his grievance during a live stream with Adin Ross. Drake reportedly described Craven as ‘a goof’ as he revealed the hostility between the two.
Drake’s Kick account was also deleted recently as the dispute intensifies between the two, with the rapper vowing on a different live stream that he would never stream on Kick again.
The relationship between the two may have soured to beyond the point of repair, with the rapper’s animosity towards the platform also seeing him offer to step into the ring and box CEO Craven.
The social media pull of Drake has been a vital ingredient in the guerilla marketing strategy of Stake
One of the most viral campaigns saw the rapper being pestered by a drone, which led to many questioning whether it was real.
The video was filmed on a drone which circled Drake’s Sydney Penthouse, much to his apparent annoyance.
The drone disrupted Drake as he engaged with an iGaming screen, which clearly became visible on his laptop as the drone panned out.
Mirroring a very specific genre of YouTube videos, the rapper then flimsily launched a slider at the drone in an attempt to accelerate its departure.
Later in the day, following the online surge of the video, Drake posted on Instagram a still image of him launching the slider, alongside a picture wearing a Stake branded shirt. He also captioned the video: “The Stakes are high, but so am I.”
The clip garnered millions of views across multiple social networks sites, fuelling speculation that it wasa campaign from one of Drake’s partners.
The stunt fit with the guerilla marketing strategy of Stake, as the company embarked on an aggressive social media marketing campaign to elevate its brand exposure.
Controversy around the streaming platform was elevated when French streamer Jean Pormanove died following a 10-hour live stream.
The streams of Pormanove had become synonymous with him taking part in acts of degradation and being humiliated.
Ross and Drake, two of Kick’s most prevalent streamers confirmed that they would partially cover the costs of the funeral, emphasising their disgust at the act.
iGaming Expert Insight: Drake’s departure from Kick will be a major loss to Stake – few stars in the world carry as much weight as the Canadian legend and his engagement when it comes to gambling has drawn mass appeal. It does underpin the risks of working with influencers for operators, as a very public dispute risks backlash for Stake, with the ardent OVO fans potentially now viewing the Stake and Kick brands in a different light.
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