Numbers behind engaged athletes

Over the last year, we’ve seen content of the highest quality being uploaded on the ScorePlay platforms. There is an enormous amount of skill and effort that is put in by the media teams in sports to capture moments and the people at the heart of it all - the athletes.

Athletes are valuable assets for clubs, performing at a high level week-in week-out, but their importance extends beyond the field as well. They are the face of your organisation and at the centre of your marketing efforts. They have a huge following, sometimes extending even beyond the teams that they play for, and so it’s a no-brainer to give them simple quick access to their content to increase digital fan engagement.

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Athlete app

A key part of the digital strategy in sports teams revolves around providing a platform for players and capitalising on their players as their best marketing assets. Thanks to ScorePlay’s simplified workflows and dedicated Athlete App, you can easily distribute assets to your players, making it easy for them to post on socials. Players post more, and the digitally savvy players even more so. With a constant flow of photos coming through, athletes are more inclined to use them - so much so that the player in question often posts on their social media within 5 minutes of the end of the game.‍

"All the players love the app. We have new signings coming in, and discovering it for the first time. that’s where we see the most value coming through. Players are happier, and it makes our life easier - it’s a no-brainer." Sven Houston - Head of Marketing at Hearts

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Player spotlight

Looking at just a 2 month period before and after ScorePlay (transfer window aside), the evolution is clear. Saïd Benrahma has downloaded more than 200 times since he started using the Athlete app, and this increased and easier access to his content has resulted in a:

• 130% increase in club-related posting

• 180% increase in total photos posted

Increased posting means more fan engagement, and this was also evident in our deep dive:

• 70% increase in likes on Instagram

• 75% increase in comments on Instagram

Additionally, the total reach of the player on Instagram over this period increased in tandem to previous metrics:

• 65% increase (18M to 30M)

These metrics indicate towards a much larger reach of the content across platforms than before, and the result is clear - organic brand amplification and visibility, as well as engagement with fans. These numbers showcase that squad-wide increases immediately boost a club’s presence at home, online and abroad with each player having a varied international reach that gives a club’s colours and partners increased brand visibility. Finally, they show that ScorePlay is the best way to share photos with a group of athletes.

Sponsorship Value

Digital advancements and social media expansion have brought new possibilities for brands to increase their visibility and improve their partnership message. More fans means more engagement for brands, and there are a lot partner activations that come into play. As brands look to break into new markets and get increased value from sponsorships, the importance of the involvement of engaged athletes cannot be understated - brands are always on the lookout for team with strong athlete brands. If we take an example of a shirt sponsor, an engaged athlete brand means more posting, and more posting means a higher exposure and visibility, which in turn leads to a better logo retention for the brand in question. To put this into numbers, within just a 2 month period of using ScorePlay, the shirt sponsor of the club of the player in the spotlight has an increase in visibility of over 180%.

We did a thorough analysis of the entire squad, and this player’s numbers outshine those of his teammates only slightly. Considering that this is only over a 2-month period, the potential increase in visibility, and hence the upside value of your and your partner’s brands is massive, and could be game-changing for your digital and brand strategy.

About ScorePlay

ScorePlay is your best-in-class media solution that provides an automated architecture to centralise, distribute, and classify your digital assets, whether photos, videos, or live broadcasts. We are transforming sports organizations, automating their creative processes and growing their brands and unlocking new revenue. We are the bridge to the future of sports storytelling, from content capture to fan consumption. Automate. Grow. Unlock.

Credits
Photo credit: West Ham United