Samba Digital and the Super Bowl: Engaging on Social Media

In part one of our two-part series looking at the impact of the Super Bowl, we examine how Samba Digital has responded to the big game with a mix of creativity and  While American football doesn’t have the universal popularity of football, it is increasingly a game with a growing audience, both in Latin America and Europe, and engaging with the game is a necessary and important strategy for any team hoping to grow their audiences in the US. From football in France to basketball in Brazil (via the United States) we’ve helped a variety of clients stay engaged and topical over the weekend, making us of both our creativity and our design studio, Força.

(Another) big game

AS Monaco have been in great form of late, unbeaten since French football returned after the World Cup. They also were set to host the biggest match of the round in Ligue 1, as Paris Saint-Germain came to town. Hosting the leaders is always a big deal, and AS Monaco took full advantage of this fact, equating the magnitude of the match with that of the Super Bowl. After a 3-1 win over capital side, a simple and clever copy helped to engage the NFL but without being negative about a rival.

Our #SuperBowl is done 🔥

Over to you, @NFL 😏#ASMPSG pic.twitter.com/kO4kvEE3ES

— AS Monaco EN (@AS_Monaco_EN) February 11, 2023

Simplicity meets creativity

American football is yet to really make a mark in football-mad Brazil, but that’s not the case with basketball, where our clever and funny approach has helped the Orlando Magic make a big impact. The Magic didn’t have a big win to celebrate, and had even lost the day before to their rivals, the Miami Heat. However, this post shows how a simple and clever play on words, using one of the team’s most popular players, can have a big impact, earning more than 800 engagements from a follower base of slightly more than forty thousand fans.

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An American focus

Like many clients, Everton are a client for whom we run multiple accounts. In addition to the more usual Spanish and Portuguese, we also in a unique twist, run an account focused solely on the United States. The growing popularity of the game in the United States, as well as the deep connections between the club and the US, with several former internationals having turned out for the Toffees, make the account a natural fit. With a follower base composed mostly of American fans, this called for a unique approach, and the team’s big win over Arsenal last weekend provided an ideal subject. Here, we applied an NFL-style commentary to James Tarkowski’s winning goal, making the connection between scoring a touchdown and a goal.

This #SuperBowlSunday we reimagined @Tarky19’s game-winning goal from last weekend as an NFL-style touchdown call.

Who do you have winning tonight’s @NFL Super Bowl? pic.twitter.com/l5ejvxKXjD

— Everton in the USA (@EvertonInUSA) February 12, 2023

A party for the winners

Finally, as we profiled recently, we do have one client in the NFL — and they just so happened to win the Super Bowl! Our work in Mexico with the Kansas City Chiefs has seen us create a series of unique engagements for the team, and we capped it all off with a spontaneous celebration in Mexico City. The account urged fans to meet at El Ángel, the national monument to independence, and they responded in kind, both on social media and in person, with dozens spontaneously showing up to celebrate in the heart of the city.

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