New doors have opened for the South American betting industry. With less logistical shackles and more scope for growth than ever before, the industry is now attracting new brands, businesses, and players. Yes, the South American betting market is a go, go, go situation. In Brazil especially, stringent betting legislations have been lifted—bans that were set in stone for 70 long years. While there was once a great deal of skepticism surrounding sports betting in Brazil (and across the continent), optimism is beginning to spread. There’s now a far more unified vision that the South American betting market will create more economic growth and create a wealth of new jobs. Here we’re going to look at this bold new chapter for South American sports betting and the potential opportunities it presents for those willing to play the game.
The impact of Web 3.0 on the business of sports
As the bond between cryptocurrency and sports becomes all the more robust, a wealth of new age sports partnerships are emerging from the digital woodwork.
Did you know? Sports fans are far more likely to know about or deal in cryptocurrency and NFTs than any other type of consumer. In fact, 57% of male sports fans currently own digital assets.
Big sponsorship deals and celebrity endorsements are a significant driving force behind cryptocurrency-inspired engagement among sports fans.
By placing power into the hands of the people, cryptocurrency and NFTs have spawned the introduction of community and team-based branding within the industry. For a sports marketer, the decentralised playing field developed by crypto and NFTs offers priceless opportunities for reaching new audiences and developing value-driven branded campaigns at a community level.
Samba Digital is providing a free white paper to enable sports industry players to better understand the Web 3.0 opportunities. Enjoy reading!
River Plate receives the 2022 Samba Awards trophy
Club Atlético River Plate received the 2022 Samba Awards trophy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after the Millonario’s win in the Engagement category last March.
Thanks to the “Tu momento de ser Socio” campaign in 2021, River Plate won the Engagement category of the 2022 Samba Awards and now it was Stefano Di Carlo, General Secretary of the club, who received the trophy in hands of Johnny Hemann, Creative Chief at Samba Digital, at the Mâs Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“This award is very important for River because it is a recognition of the digital strategy that we have started since the beginning of our management, more than eight years ago”, Di Carlo said.
River Plate won the award beating Fortaleza and Flamengo, second and third place respectively, in the Engagement category after the great work from the Argentinian giant with “Tu momento de ser Socio”. That great campaign helped them to generate over USD 1 million in customer lifetime value using Facebook and Instagram.
Results from River Plate’s “Tu momento de ser Socio campaign”
- 5.5x QoQ increase in 1-min video views on River Plate’s Facebook Page*
- +80% QoQ increase in interactions on River Plate’s Facebook Page*
- +$1 Million USD in customer lifetime value by increasing their members by more than 3,100 and their registered users by nearly 16,800
Samba Digital analyzes profile performances of teams qualified for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is coming.
We, at Samba Digital, have decided to analyze the YouTube performances of 32 teams that have qualified for the World Cup.
This first article will be about YouTube and the analyzed period 2022.
Despite not being the national team with the highest number of subscribers on its channel, England (@FATV) is the one with the most views on its publications in 2022.
Overall, there were 641.9 million views until June 12.
Second place in the ranking, France is the team with the most interactions. In other words, likes, dislikes and comments.
It is also interesting to note that countries that are smaller in population have a great number of followers.
But, interestingly, these numbers may soon change as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 approaches.
The recent growth brings news in the list from January to here.
And the social media editors & cameramen that worked the most were the French…
Learn more about OneFootball grabbing media rights for the Argentinian Football League
Samba Digital is the ideal companion to develop its activities in Africa
This article content comes from the media outlet Ecofoot
More and more French sports organizations are looking to densify their internationalization strategy toward the African markets. A movement that Samba Digital agency wishes to accompany thanks to its expertise developed in a dozen key markets in the continent. Spotlight
What if the African continent was the main growth driver for French professional soccer?
French professional football? Many decision-makers in the sector are now seriously considering this hypothesis by placing certain key African markets at the heart of their internationalization strategy. “The development of the attractiveness of the Uber Eats League 1 internationally is one of the priorities of the LFP. Our goal is to increase the visibility of the Ligue 1 Uber Eats among fans around the world, and in particular in four priority territories- the United States, Africa, the Middle East, and China,” said Yoann Godin, Director of International Development for the French Professional Football League, last June.
Words that have not remained without effect. Each season, through its Ligue 1 Touch program, the Professional Football League organizes several events in the African continent, especially during the highlights of the French championship. In February 2021, the LFP had organized its first fan zone in Cameroon, welcoming more than 800 people to Douala to watch the Olympique de Marseille – Olympique Lyonnais match live on a giant screen. A similar operation was organized in Abidjan last April for the Paris Saint-Germain – Olympique de Marseille match.
The LFP is obviously not the only player in French soccer to take a close interest in the various African markets. Due to strong historical, cultural, and sporting links – many of the great African football players have played in the French league – several Ligue 1 clubs already have large fan communities in the Maghreb or in French-speaking African countries. Communities that the clubs now want to animate more effectively to unlock their commercial potential in these markets.
“At Olympique de Marseille, we are targeting French-speaking Africa as a priority in our internationalization strategy. The club already enjoys a very good image in many African countries. Several great players from the targeted areas have made the club’s happy in the past. For example Didier Drogba or Mamadou Niang. In addition, there is geographical proximity but also social and cultural proximity between Marseille and French-speaking Africa. It is therefore natural for OM to focus on this region in its internationalization strategy” confirmed Laurent Colette, Director of Operations for Olympique de Marseille, last May.
Faced with this increased interest in African markets, the Samba Digital agency intends to accompany the French professional soccer teams in the deployment of their internationalization strategy in such territories. Already supporting the international expansion policy of many European clubs in Latin America, the United States, and Asia; Samba Digital has been able to gather the necessary network and the skills needed to help sports organizations develop their activities in several key markets in Africa.
“To speak of Africa as a single market makes no sense, given the vastness of the continent and its diverse territories. But today we are able to accompany clubs in the main markets of the Maghreb and French-speaking Africa. In English-speaking Africa, we have also recently built a solid PR and business network in Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania. In a dozen African markets, we are now able to accompany clubs in community management, acquisition campaigns, networking, and establishing relationships with sponsors and PR/influencer campaigns” says Jean-Philippe Dubois, Marketing Director at Samba Digital.
Successful collaborations with OM and LFP
Samba Digital has already had the opportunity to demonstrate its expertise in the African markets to several French professional soccer teams. For almost a year and a half, the agency has been in charge of the digital communication of the Olympique de Marseille to several African countries, including Senegal, Cameroon, and the Ivory Coast. With three priorities: the creation of geolocalized content, the organization of local activations with fan clubs in the targeted countries, and the organization of PR campaigns with local journalists and local influencers.
“We are increasingly solicited by Ligue 1 clubs to set up a specific content strategy for the various Arabic and French-speaking markets in Africa. French clubs already have large fan communities in the region,” says Jean-Philippe Dubois. A club like Olympique de Marseille has more than a million fans in Algeria alone. But the English and even Portuguese-speaking markets are also attracting the attention of some sports organizations. “For more than 2 years, we have been working with the LFP on a geolocalized content strategy for certain markets in English-speaking Africa. But for the 2021-22 season, we have gone even further by producing Ligue 1 content in local dialects” continues Jean-Philippe Dubois.
“We started using Samba Digital’s Sports Translate service in 2021 to enrich our content strategy for specific markets. We were then able to implement an editorial strategy in 7 African dialects including Fulani, Yoruba, Hausa, Dioula, Wolof, Swahili and Lingala. Offering the most affinitive content possible is at the heart of our development strategy,” confirms David Labrune, Head of International Rights at the Professional Football League. A strategy that is bearing fruit: the LFP’s publications have reached over 10 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa last season, with engagement rates exceeding 15% in these territories!
Business opportunities to activate
Samba Digital is also able to work on more specific missions with sports organizations, especially on the PR side. For example, the agency helped the LFP to amplify the media coverage of its two-part event in Côte d’Ivoire last March-April. In addition to the “viewing party” set up in the Ivorian economic capital on the occasion of the last PSG – OM classic where more than 2000 people gathered- the LFP set up a CSR operation in collaboration with the association Analog Sport. It has organized various workshops around the photography of sporting events in the orphanages of Bingerville and La Maison du Potier. Actions that received a strong echo of media support for Samba Digital: more than a dozen leading Ivorian national media companies covered the different actions carried out by the LFP including RTI, Inter, and La Fraternité.
“During the viewing party organized in Abidjan, we also asked Samba agency to set up an influencer campaign. We then called upon a dozen of local influencers. The posts published before the event and live generated nearly 1.5 million impressions on social media. Samba Digital’s strong point is to offer flexible and agile solutions. In a few days, the agency is able to activate PR/digital plans in the targeted markets” says David Labrune.
However, French professional clubs could quickly face stiff competition in the various African markets. Indeed, other protagonists of European soccer are eyeing the continent’s immense potential. “We have started serious discussions with several Premier League clubs to accompany them in these new markets,” confirms Jean-Philippe Dubois.
The animation and activation of communities in such markets can now represent significant commercial stakes, particularly in terms of merchandising and sponsorship.
“We track the number of OM jerseys and parts sold in the different African countries we’re targeting in our internationalization strategy with the help of our partner Puma,” explains Laurent Colette. “Through our support, we also want to create business opportunities for the clubs. Many markets are gaining maturity at the moment in various African territories, particularly in betting and fintech in the broadest sense. There are connections and market opportunities to be seized. Today, we are able to connect clubs to such players,” adds Jean-Philippe Dubois. There are also opportunities in the tourism sector, such as the contracts signed between Rwanda and several European clubs, including Arsenal FC and PSG, or between Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Liverpool FC. Africa, the new Eldorado of European soccer?
Learn more about Ligue 1 launching new Brazil focused marketing campaign
Samba Digital accelerates its development in Africa
In order to offer its clients new opportunities, Samba Digital has decided to expand and strengthen its operations in the African continent. In line with its development plan, Samba Digital is pursuing its strategy of utilizing all of the company’s expertise in key geographical areas for its clients.
The importance of Africa in the sports industry is well known. As governments become aware of the potential of the sports economy, they are developing coherent policies, while the private sector is developing initiatives to build a sports business eco-system. With nearly one billion new entrants to the labor market over the next 30 years and the world’s youngest population (1.8 billion people aged 15-29), sports will be a powerful driver for development in the years to come.
“This is a major step for the international development of Samba Digital” says Frederic Fausser, CEO of Samba Digital. “This is part of a strategy initiated two years ago with the first missions in Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and the Ivory Coast on behalf of rights holders. By putting our experience and knowledge of local markets at the service of our clients, we want to help them enhance their brands in the African continent and create meaningful synergies. Samba Digital also wants to be a trusted partner for African sports industry companies looking to strengthen their brand on a global scale.
With the help of local teams driving its clients’ strategy in Africa, Samba Digital will be able to offer a full range of solutions to sports rights holders, brands, athletes and media:
- Marketing, sponsorship and partnerships
- Brand consulting, activation and digital solutions
- Content creation, production and distribution
- Media relations and influencers
- Event management
Samba Digital is providing a free white paper to enable sports industry players to better understand the opportunities in three key markets: Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania. Enjoy reading!
Samba Digital has joined forces with Liga Portugal as their official partner for Thinking Football Summit.
Samba Digital has announced its tie-up with Liga Portugal as their official partner for the Thinking Football Summit. The event will take place from November 18 to November 20 in Portugal.
The Thinking Football Summit which is a leading project on a European scale aims to promote the corporate and business side of football in what is a unique opportunity to strengthen ties with sponsors, partners, stakeholders and other institutions of professional football. The summit will feature internationally renowned speakers who will talk about different topics in the football industry starting from future challenges, fan engagement and matchdays to health & performances, and women’s football etc.
“The ‘Thinking Football’ is the ideal place to discuss the business side of the football industry. That will be the basis of this event, as it can be seen by the profile of the panels and speakers we want to invite, from various parts of the world. At the ‘Thinking Football Summit’ there will also be room – and plenty of it – for our fans to experience the fun side of Football. Basically, we want this ‘Thinking Football Summit’ to bring together several Liga Portugal projects, from a business perspective, as well as strengthen our ties with partners, stakeholders, and other entities, such as the FPF, ANTF and APAF. This will be a great event and we count on the participation of all those who love Football”. Pedro Proenca President of Liga Portugal
Samba will be present on-site and they will be the official content localization partner through the sports translate platform during the months leading up to the summit.
Click on the link to register https://thinkingfootballsummit.com/ticketing-prices.php
FIFA announces the launch of its own Over the top platform FIFA+
The global soccer governing body FIFA has announced the launch of its own Over-the-top platform known as FIFA+. The platform will feature live matches, original content, and feature-length documentaries such as Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World and Croatia: Defining a Nation, etc. The other additional features embedded in the platform include match data feeds, news content, interactive games, and e-commerce.
The development of FIFA+
Initially, the platform would broadcast over 1400 matches per month which consist of Europe’s top-flight leagues and previously unserved competitions. However, by the end of 2022, FIFA+ would broadcast 40,000 live matches in a year out of which 29,000 would be the men’s matches and over 11,000 would be the women’s matches.
In addition to the live coverage, FIFA + would have over 2000 hours of archive content that consists of match replays, highlights and goals. The platform will be launched in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish, with an additional six languages to follow in June of 2022.
Learn more about FIFA’s new commercial partnership structure which includes dedicated Women’s and Esports sponsorship rights
“FIFA+ represents the next step in our vision to make football truly global and inclusive, and it underpins FIFA’s core mission of expanding and developing football globally. This project represents a cultural shift in the way different types of football fans want to connect with and explore the global game and has been a fundamental part of my Vision 2020-2023. It will accelerate the democratization of football and we are delighted to share it with fans.” FIFA president Gianni Infantino
FIFA has roped in ELEVEN with the objective of utilizing its expertise in the production and the delivery of content on its platform.
“FIFA+ will be home to an unprecedented volume of live football, and leagues and member associations from around the world will have the opportunity to showcase their competitions to a global audience. We are particularly proud that the new service will make the women’s game more accessible to fans than ever, comprising more than one-third of all live games streamed each year.” Pedro Presa, Eleven Group’s chief advisor for DTC and strategic projects
FIFA+ director of OTT Dave Roberts praised Eleven by saying that it is “strongly positioned to bring football at all levels into the spotlight.”
The unusual and original content that is successful in Brazil
A constant challenge for us at Samba Digital is explaining the Brazilian “meme” to the social media directors and managers of our customers’ clubs and entities. In its most basic form, a meme is a digital joke conveyed through an image, such as a photo or gif, that goes viral. The perfect analogy that defines how a piece of content can go viral is a level 5 hurricane, an intense one that destroys everything in its path.
However, it demonstrates to clubs that original content is more than important for them to break out from the repetition of a football club routine. Flamengo, Latin America’s top in interactions, created content that didn’t require any special production other than the sharp eye of its social media manager.
Saying farewell to the club after confirming a transfer to Al Hilal, from Saudi Arabia, Michael has passed the title of “The Ugliest of the Squad” to the right-back Rodinei, another player known for his jokes and good humour. Overall, there were more than an amazing 2.5 million views on this video.
View this post on Instagram
This is what stands out when looking at TikTok, for example. Despite the lack of a more effective effort from some of the more traditional clubs, which can go weeks without posting on it, the social network, dubbed the dancing social network in Brazil, reached nearly 60% of the total views of Instagram, the platform with the most interactions between February 16th and 22nd. During that week, the right-back Guga’s dance with teammate Mariano received 3.9 million views, propelling Atlético-MG to the top of the social network.
Corinthians adopt a different model
Corinthians, which finished 2nd in the Brazilian Serie A with a consistent performance of around 28 million monthly views in the previous three months, bets on on-field content ranging from historical plays to current highlights of both youth and professional teams.
We invited Rodrigo Vessoni, editor of Meu Timão, a website specialized in Corinthians, to give his opinion on the content that the club uses on social networks:
“About Corinthians’ social networks, basically there is a clear fear of going a little over the top when opening up to greater exposure. We feel that the board does not allow the Communication Department to produce funnier videos that can generate greater exposure for players. I don’t know if they are prohibited, but there is a recommendation to avoid moments of too much relaxation as in other social networks. Maybe it’s the directors’ profile, who are a little averse to the social network. Maybe it’s a lack of knowledge about social media that explains why Corinthians has a more serious profile in recent times”, said the professional, who works in Corinthians for at least two decades, both as a reporter and, now, as an editor.
Provocations
Despite wearing down the relationship between the clubs, the provocations always stir up the fans and raise the numbers. After much backroom wrangling over issues ranging from the holding of the Brazilian Supercup since Atlético-MG had won both the Brazilian Championship and Cup, to the stadium that would host the match, Atlético-MG faced Flamengo and won the trophy. This victory came after a lengthy penalty shootout, with the match ending 2-2 after 90 minutes.
After winning the championship, Atlético-MG tweeted a photo of a model carrying a perfume bottle containing the freshly obtained cup. In the caption, the word “cheirinho” (smell) was the trigger to provoke Flamengo, which was the runner-up in three different tournaments. This post earned 100,000 likes, while the club received 1.6 million in a single day.
Wagner Leitzke, Social Media Manager at Samba Digital, discusses how provocations like this work, saying…
“It is necessary to get out of common sense, out of the stagnation. Publications that can have an impact, often with provocative content, will reach other niches. The provocation has always been present in the sports world and with social media gaining more and more importance, it is impossible not to bring them to the digital realm as well. Sometimes, you need to be a little more fan and a little less institutional. Balance is the key.”
Manchester City sign sponsorship deal with Crypto Exchange OKX
Manchester City have announced a multimillion-dollar sponsorship agreement with Crypto Exchange OKX. The deal will see the company’s brand being featured in the Etihad Stadium, the academy stadium on the Etihad campus and on the club’s digital assets. The development of this deal will pave the way for the launch of an exclusive club-themed experience on the OKX cryptocurrency exchange platform and both parties would go on to work on future projects as well.
City had initially roped in 3Key technologies as their crypto partner however with the company coming under scrutiny over its legitimacy the club had decided to terminate their sponsorship agreement with them. By brining on board OKX the club has been able to fill the void that was created with the departure of 3Key technologies.
Welcome to @okx, Official Cryptocurrency Partner of Manchester City.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 4, 2022
Game On! 🙌
Manchester City signing this deal would see the club make another addition to their extensive sponsorship portfolio which consists of 33 global brands and 16 regional brands meanwhile OKX signing this agreement would see them set foot into the sports industry for the first time
The materialization of this deal would shed light on the growing power of the crypto space which has witnessed a massive revolution since its inception. OKX is a cryptocurrency exchange that has more than 20 million users in over 180 countries and the Seychelles-based company is the world’s second-largest crypto exchange by spot trading volume.
What has been said by both the parties
Roel De Vries, Chief Operating Officer, City Football Group, said: “We are pleased to welcome OKX as an Official Partner of Manchester City today as they look to venture into the world of sports. The new partnership aligns our shared values of innovation, drive for success and being at the cutting edge of our respective industries. Their broad and inclusive approach to targeting diverse audiences resonates with our approach. We look forward to working together throughout the partnership.”
“We are delighted to partner with Manchester City, one of the world’s best-loved and most successful teams. Football and crypto share something important; they are for everyone, they create inclusivity within society. For OKX, Manchester City is a Club that represents the effect football has to make a positive difference in people’s lives, to bring people together around a shared love of the beautiful game. We are entering the Premier League for the first time as City’s official crypto partner to celebrate this community spirit in the world of football because it’s something we both share,” said Jay Hao, CEO of OKX.