The 2026 World Cup promises to move the global sports betting market like never before. Faced with an increasingly competitive environment, EstrelaBet decided to bet on a different strategy to attract the public’s attention.
The company announced the launch of the “Operação Zica Neles” campaign, a creative platform that transforms superstitions and habits of Brazilian fans into entertainment and engagement actions.
The official launch of the initiative took place last Friday (5). The proposal is based on a behavior that is very present in national culture: the belief that rituals, sympathies and even the famous “zica” can influence results on the field.
The campaign invites fans to participate in a kind of national mobilization against teams considered obstacles to the dream of a sixth Brazilian championship.
Produced by the company’s internal creative team, with strategic and creative support from the Valiant agency, the project abandons communication focused solely on bets and transactions. Instead, the initiative focuses on humor, digital culture and entertainment.
Victor Blecker, Head of Branding at EstrelaBet, explains: “The entire market will be competing for attention during the World Cup, so we knew we would need to build something really memorable and original.”
The idea of ‘Operação Zica Neles’ was born precisely from this desire to occupy a more fun, cultural territory and connected to the real behavior of Brazilian fans. It’s a campaign that mixes humor, entertainment, internet and football in a very proprietary way for the brand.”
How Operation Zica Neles works
One of the main elements of the campaign is the creation of original characters developed with the support of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These characters form a fictional task force responsible for working behind the scenes to “zip” the Brazilian team’s opponents.
The narrative presents figures such as “Vovó Zica”, leader of the operation; “Toni T.I.”, responsible for transforming superstition into strategy; and “Marta Chef”, a specialist in controlling rituals and decisive moments. In addition to them, “Dinho Boy” and “Cacá Influ” work on executing and amplifying actions on the streets and on social media.
The visual identity also reinforces the campaign concept. Elements such as the frozen Barcelos Rooster and references to the Argentine national team help to build an environment with a mystical, provocative and good-humored tone.
Strategy brings together influencers and former player
To sustain the campaign during the World Cup, the company created a content strategy with different influencers.
The team brings together content creators with different functions. Among them are Lucas Monteiro (@lucasmonteirosg), who takes on the role of “agent of chaos”, and Lauro Henrique (@canalfutebolpelomundo), responsible for contextualizing themes linked to football and sports culture. In addition, several micro-influencers will provide daily support for the actions.
The campaign also features the participation of former player Zé Roberto, brand ambassador.
The former athlete comments: “I love my player friends, I respect everyone who will be on the field, but there is no way around the World Cup: friendship takes a break and the banter comes into play.
You know that in football there are a lot of reviews, right? So during the World Cup it’s even bigger. If it’s to help Brazil with a healthy ‘zicadinha’ on the opponents, I’m in.”
Promotion will distribute up to R$10 million
The campaign will also have a direct impact on the platform’s promotional actions. EstrelaBet will distribute up to R$10 million in prizes through weekly missions carried out during the tournament.
Participants will receive tickets, which will act as the currency of the promotion. Furthermore, the mechanics seek to encourage bets on less popular matches and on results considered unlikely.
According to the company, users will accumulate tickets regardless of the final result of the bets. However, certain teams considered to be Brazil’s most relevant rivals will generate greater prize opportunities. Among them are Argentina, Germany, France, England, Spain, Holland, Portugal, Croatia and Belgium.
Blecker explains how the dynamics work: “For example in the Argentina and Jordan game on June 27th: whoever bets on Jordan just to ‘zip’ the brothers will win tickets straight away, even if Argentina wins the game. But if, in this case, Jordan wins, the player will win double.”
With “Operação Zica Neles”, launched at a time of consolidation of the regulated betting market in Brazil, EstrelaBet seeks to unite entertainment, responsibility and technological innovation in a single communication platform focused on the 2026 World Cup.
