The players' social networks are helping to project the club's image around the world, and we take a look at how that is happening.
2.0 communication is not a science, but using it well shares a lot in common with the scientific method. For example, at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, web users posted more than 672 million tweets in relation to the competition. The two most featured players were both FC Barcelona stars, namely Leo Messi andNeymar Jr. The global impact of so many mentions made them the two of the most influential sportspersons on the planet: Messi is second with 57 million followers and Neymar is third with almost 40 million.
When Neymar scored two of his team’s three goals in the opening match, his Twitter account grew by 165,000 and he was the most mentioned player among the 12 million tweets generated by the tournament. In 2014, @Neymarjr was the account that gained the most followers out of the 300 million in this micro-blogging network, no fewer than one and a half million newcomers with a keenness to keep up to date with the Barça star.
Social strategies
This data confirms the relevance of social networks in players’ global profiles. This 2.0 content achieves a symbolic impact that catches the imagination of supporters, who feel emotionally implicated with their heroes. Social networks create a story around the player, and that history is also associated to the worldwide prestige of the FC Barcelona brand.
This exposure helps Barça with its marketing, media and digital campaigns, while also promoting the club’s own channels, which are expanding exponentially year after year.
The messages, videos and images published by the players on their profiles often go viral, thus attracting new followers and in turn creating extra exposure for FC Barcelona’s own information. Increased audiences with an interest in Messi, Iniesta, Neymar, Luis Suárez and other players also generates increased sales for Barça products, such as shirts, tickets and merchandising. But the impact is also felt in indirect sales, such as the attraction of sponsorship deals and the negotiation of television rights.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube all generate unique focuses for each individual player, where they and their fans can share views and capitalise on their success in the name of a shared triumph – that of the team.
Joel Borrás, who is in charge of the accounts belonging to Andrés Iniesta and Luis Suárez, as well asRafinha Alcántara and Javier Mascherano, explains that such media “help to create the players’ value … because they reach the fans without middle-men. What a player seeks from their social profile is to feel closer to their fans. Before speaking to the press, players can express their feelings about the match on social networks. It is a more pure way of communicating with their fans.”
Marcelo Méndez, who works for Leo Messi in the social context explains that “his favourite media are Facebook and Instagram. That’s where he feels most comfortable because he can speak to his fans whenever there’s an important event and can thank them for their unconditional support”.
“Players are very aware of the impact of what they publish on social networks”, continues Borràs. “If a player’s attitude on social networks is bad then this can have a negative impact on the club … So players are very aware that if they do things right and act authentically and sincerely, then this also benefits Barça. They also represent the club’s values”.
