MAN UNITED, MOST FOLLOWED
Manchester United have become the most followed Premier League club on Twitter, dethroning Arsenal who had topped the Twitter table. Data collected since November 2013 shows United’s Twitter account has gained over 7.3 million followers in just three-years, rising from less than 1.5 million to over 8.9 million, a growth rate of 505.98%.
The club have developed a social strategy that doesn’t only engage the audience but utilises the sponsorships it has. Partnerships with Adidas and Chevrolet have acted as a platform for United and their new signings to increase the clubs’ following, in particular Adidas’ video to announce the arrival of Paul Pogba this summer. This new strategy allows the club to create better content and greater sponsor relationships.
Manchester United are the most followed Premier League club on all social media platforms with over 93 million followers across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
FIFA 17 LAUNCH
FIFA 17 was released this week and developers EA Sports have adopted a new approach in an attempt to break last years’ sales record of 2.5 million copies.
EA signed a three-year deal with the Premier League, which allows the developer’s more in-depth access to Premier League clubs and players. EA also receive on screen advertising during the league’s global broadcasts as well as sponsoring the Player of the Month and Season awards.
The developer also dropped cover star Lionel Messi, allowing fans to vote for the new face of FIFA. Marco Reus beat game ambassadors Eden Hazard, James Rodriguez and Anthony Martial. Manchester United sent direct messages to their 8.9 million Twitter followers in an attempt to boost votes for Martial. Even before the official release the #FIFA17, which generated its own emoji, was trending globally for two days.
76ER’S ACQUIRE ESPORTS TEAMS
Following SportQuake’s report last week of football teams investing in professional esports players, the Philadelphia 76er’s have now become the first professional team in the U.S. to invest into the world of competitive video gaming, as they plan to merge esports teams Dignitas and Apex into one team.
Esports is continuing to grow, a report from Newzoo shows that viewing figures rose from 204 million in 2014 to 292 million in 2016. Revenue from esports has also kept up with the pace, growing from $194 million to $463 million in the same period.
Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil told CNN Money that the club are “always looking for new and exciting opportunities and eSports is an incredible, growing space”. O’Neil continued to say that the 76er’s “like to be first and get out in front”.
NFL EMOJIS
With the new iOS 10 update being recently released brands have been quick to create their own branded iMessage stickers. However NFL partner and U.S. online retailer of licensed sportswear, Fanatics, have gone one step further.
The retailer has developed 21 NFL stickers, including Eli Manning and Colin Kaepernick, which can be sent to iMessage users who also have iOS 10 installed. The interactive stickers allow the recipient to tap on the image, they are then taken to the Fanatics NFL Shop, where they will be able to purchase a t-shirt featuring the same sticker.
Nate Lyman, the company’s director of mobile engineering, said that half of Fanatics sales come from mobile and when a championship takes place, mobile can drive up to 80% of sales. Fanatics sell licensed products for more than 300 leagues, teams and events, so are looking to bring emoji integration outside of NFL.
BETSTARS RYDER CUP #GAMECHANGERS
Online sports betting company BetStars, provided by PokerStars, has relaunched their animated online campaign #GameChangers. The campaign follows on from the successful animated series during Euro 2016, achieving a reach of 2.8 million and gaining recognition by Twitter as one of their ‘Creative Wins’ for June. In the build up to this years’ Ryder Cup at Hazeltine Golf Club in Minnesota, BetStars have turned their attention to the most memorable moments from previous tournaments.
Working with SportQuake, BetStars have animated six iconic moments from past tournaments and opened it up to the public to vote for their favourite. The online sports book are once again using Twitter’s innovative video poll mechanic, which automatically generates a Tweet in voters timelines. Vote for your favourite moment here.
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