As anyone who’s been to London’s Little Portugal during a Primeira Liga derby knows, portuguese fans are amongst the most fanatical around. So here at the Leader we were pretty pleased to get the chance to quiz SLBenfica’s Multimedia Director – Tiago Silvério Marques – about how they’re capturing that passion online.
Tiago manages a number of teams at the club and is responsible for both their digtal presence and digital strategy, as well as 6 different websites, their social media actvity (facebook, twitter, YouTube and Google + accounts and their own social network – SLB Fans), multimedia products, games and apps, social CRM, online ticketing and e-commerce. He explained his priorities for social media as “Know more, talk more, sell more” and as you’d expect with a club the size of Benfica, success in the social channels has been very impressive (1m facebook fans and growth of 650,000 fans in less than a year). But I was especially interested by their newly launched Benfica Funzone website and how they are integating their partners into their digital strategy.
Funzone, launched in May this year, is defintiely worth taking a look at. The website hosts a number of games and other online content, and drives participation through a series of in-game rewards and prizes, and a competitive element with friends and other fans. It also has various links to the club’s online store. At Funzone, Benfiquistas can earn a virtual currency called “gloriosos” which are required for playing certain games , and gain “Experience” from playing them, and by recruiting new players. A fan’s Experience determines their Funzone ranking, against all the other registered players.
Tiago and the team have also been doing some cool things with sponsors in the social channels and he highlighted the “Camarata Coca-Cola ” as one example of activation using Benfica’s social media assets. Camarata Coca-Cola, or the Coca-Cola Ward as google translate would have it, was formerly Coke’s VIP hospitality suite. It is now a fan’s dream – a hospitality box for 7 fans, kitted out with gadgets, TVs and table football, and beds so they can sleep in the stadium the night before the game. (link). The whole thing was promoted through benfica’s facebook and youtube channel and is one of a number of Coca-Cola’s activations around their partnership with Benfica.
Stephen Dobson is Head of Content at Leaders in Digital Sport
THIS MONTH’S ARTICLES:
PATRICK CAHILL (BETFRED): ON SPORT, BETTING & MOBILE
JOSH ROBINSON (SPORTS REVOLUTION): WHAT LUTON TOWN FC CAN LEARN FROM LADY GAGA
CARLO DE MARCHIS (DELTATRE): THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE OLYMPICS
MICHAEL LEAVEY: SOCIAL MEDIA AT ARSENAL FC
WILLIAM FIELD: WELCOME TO THE ERA OF CONNECTED TV
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