Samba Digital strengthens its iGaming services with new affiliate marketing services and expands into Africa

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Lisbon (Portugal) – April 22, 2024 – 18:00 PM CET: Samba Digital (ISIN PTDGL0AM0003 Mnemonic MLSMB), a global player in sports marketing, continues its growth by introducing affiliate marketing solutions and expanding its geographical presence, notably in Africa, to meet the increasing demand from iGaming operators.

Affiliate marketing is a business model where iGaming companies, called “operators,” collaborate with external partners, known as “affiliates.” These affiliates are responsible for promoting the operators’ services in exchange for performance-based compensation. This system ensures optimized advertising investment as affiliates are only paid when their efforts yield tangible results such as new player acquisition or increased brand visibility. This model not only allows for precise measurement of return on investment but is also scalable, meaning Samba Digital can apply it across multiple clients and territories simultaneously, thus enabling rapid and controlled expansion of its activities.

This initiative is bolstered by the hiring of Catarina Marques, former business development manager at Clever Advertising, whose expertise and deep knowledge of the African market support Samba Digital’s ambitions in this new market.

Camila Cunha, iGaming Manager at Samba Digital, explains: “Our goals for this year include enriching our offerings with affiliate marketing and broadening our global presence, particularly in Africa. Catarina, with her valuable experience, will play a key role in achieving our iGaming ambitions.”

ABOUT SAMBA DIGITAL
Founded in 2018 in the United States, Samba Digital assists clubs and players in the sports and eGaming industry with their internationalization strategy by developing their  digital audiences worldwide. The company is present on four continents: America (USA and LATAM), Europe, Africa, and Asia. Samba Digital works with the biggest English football clubs (Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea…), French football (Ligue 1, PSG, OM, OL, AS Monaco…), Italian football (Serie A, Juventus, Napoli…), German football (Bundesliga, Eintracht, Bayern Munich…) and, since 2022, the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

The company develops its expertise in many other sports such as basketball (Orlando Magic in the NBA and FIBA), rugby (World Rugby), golf (Ryder Cup), Formula 1, tennis (Roland-Garros, US Open, etc.). Based in Portugal, Samba Digital also owns Sports Translate and Sport Influencers, two platforms dedicated to the sports industry with over 300 translators and 5,000 influencers available worldwide. Sports Translate provides translation and adaptation of content in 50 languages and dialects and offers video subtitling and dubbing services.

Samba Digital is the world’s first sports marketing company to offer these diverse services with an economic model based on flexibility, no bank debt, and a comfortable cash position allowing it to self-finance its investments.

Samba Digital is listed on Euronext Lisbon under ISIN PTDGL0AM0003, Mnemonic MLSMB.

The PSG’s Spanish account leads in reach on X.com among semifinalist clubs in Europe

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Last week, the world discovered the clubs qualified for the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. But does on-field success reflect in the clubs’ performance on their digital assets? The Data Insights team at Samba Digital analyzed performance from Tuesday, April 16th to Friday, April 19th, to evaluate the performance of these clubs on their official Spanish-language accounts.

But first, which of these clubs have official accounts in Spanish?

 

 

Before we continue, it’s important to note that Real Madrid, being a Spanish club and its official account being in its native language, was not considered in this analytical comparison.

Of the other three clubs qualified for the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain and FC Bayern were ranked 1st and 6th, respectively, when analyzing the reach of their posts on their Spanish-language profiles.

Having a perfect year so far, which already includes the Bundesliga title, Bayer 04 Leverkusen reached the 5th position on their official profile in the language with 2 million accounts reached.

 

 

With a humorous tone, Paris Saint-Germain joked about repeating the feat that occurred in the 2020/2021 edition and the post alone reached 2.1 million accounts.

 

 

The work was so well done that the second post among all Spanish-language accounts was also from PSG with Dembélé as the protagonist and another 1.6 million accounts reached. It’s worth noting that the player left Camp Nou for Parc des Princes at the start of this season.

 

 

The strategies that allowed PSG to face this performance crossed different universes and included the knowledge of the recent history of confrontations between the clubs with a viral touch of an iconic phrase of Homer Simpson. The other piece only explored the rivalry intensified by the recent transfer of Dembélé and his funny face, which was very expressive.

 

Want to learn more about our digital community management? Reach out to Samba Digital!

Clubs with Spanish-language accounts managed by Samba Digital achieve impressive results in March

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Samba Digital achieved a significant milestone on social media in March: four out of the five clubs with the highest reach on their pages in Spanish – as second language – on X.com are managed by the agency, specialized in brand internationalization.

The clubs that reached large audiences throughout the month were Tottenham (ENG), AS Monaco (FRA), Leeds United (ENG), and Paris Saint-Germain (FRA).

Top 10 Ranking of the SPA football clubs in March

 

One key factor behind the English club’s outstanding performance was a simple yet original feature that X offers to users for image descriptions.

In the message, Argentine defender Cristian Romero is praised:

“We saw that this content was viral on social networks and we took advantage of the trend. We are always on the lookout for those moments where something so simple can have a great impact”, told Tomás Marco Del Pont, who manages Spurs accounts in Spanish.

As for AS Monaco, not only did they secure the second position overall, but the second post with the highest reach was also Monegasque. It arose from the historical connection AS Monaco has with Real Madrid through players shared by both clubs, such as Morientes, Saviola, James Rodriguez, and Tchouameni.

 

In March we had Real Madrid birthday and I did a post about the players that both teams shared that went viral. Some influencers a DjMariio commented and that also brought as a lot of followers and engagement to. By the end of March the account grew 3K+ followers”, explained Pablo Lee, the Social Media in charge of AS Monaco Spanish account.

In their quest for promotion back to the Premier League, Leeds United experienced a notable improvement in March, thanks to a highly original design featuring Wilfried Gnonto. The midfielder scored one of the goals in Leeds’ 2-0 win over Sheffield United, and the Spanish-language page highlighted it in this manner:

 

 

Want to learn more about our digital community management? Reach out to Samba Digital!

Samba Digital announces the creation of a new “Data Analytics” department intended to maximize digital marketing performance for its clients

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Lisbon (Portugal) – April 10, 2024 – 6 p.m.: Samba Digital (ISIN PTDGL0AM0003, Mnemonic MLSMB), pioneer in digital marketing for rights holders, announces the launch of its new Data Analytics department, to respond as accurately as possible to the constant evolution of the market and the needs of its customers.

This new offering is designed to strengthen strategic decisions based on customers’ data and to concretely demonstrate both return on investment (ROI) and return on objectives (ROO).

Investing not only in talent, Samba Digital is also developing and integrating cutting-edge tools for performance analysis and decision-making. In collaboration with the best technologies on the market, the solutions developed by Samba Digital are based on social and media performance measurement tools, encompassing behavioral data and market research.

These innovations aim to support clients at every stage of their marketing strategy, from the precise identification of different fan segments to the creation of more meaningful connections to increase the value generated by each media campaign. The solutions developed are accessible to the entire industry and target all types of customers.

To achieve this ambitious goal, the company has recruited Emmanuel Barilley, former director of digital consulting at Nielsen Sports in London and one who has also worked at Dugout and Lagardère Sports.

“Our mission is divided into two main goals: the first is to integrate a more advanced analytical dimension into our existing services such as community management, content creation and audience development. The second aims to provide additional services for more informed decisions and better evaluation of ROI and ROO,” explains Emmanuel Barilley.

With this development, Samba Digital confirms its desire to constantly innovate in the field of sports marketing, offering its clients cutting-edge tools and strategies to stay at the forefront of the industry. This new offering, focused on enhanced use of technology should contribute to Samba Digital’s revenue from 2024 and support its growth trajectory in the medium term.

ABOUT SAMBA DIGITAL
Founded in 2018 in the United States, Samba Digital assists clubs and players in the sports and eGaming industry with their internationalization strategy by developing their  digital audiences worldwide. The company is present on four continents: America (USA and LATAM), Europe, Africa, and Asia. Samba Digital works with the biggest English football clubs (Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea…), French football (Ligue 1, PSG, OM, OL, AS Monaco…), Italian football (Serie A, Juventus, Napoli…), German football (Bundesliga, Eintracht, Bayern Munich…) and, since 2022, the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

The company develops its expertise in many other sports such as basketball (Orlando Magic in the NBA and FIBA), rugby (World Rugby), golf (Ryder Cup), Formula 1, tennis (Roland-Garros, US Open, etc.). Based in Portugal, Samba Digital also owns Sports Translate and Sport Influencers, two platforms dedicated to the sports industry with over 300 translators and 5,000 influencers available worldwide. Sports Translate provides translation and adaptation of content in 50 languages and dialects and offers video subtitling and dubbing services.

Samba Digital is the world’s first sports marketing company to offer these diverse services with an economic model based on flexibility, no bank debt, and a comfortable cash position allowing it to self-finance its investments.

Samba Digital is listed on Euronext Lisbon under ISIN PTDGL0AM0003, Mnemonic MLSMB.

Mastering Targeted Engagement and Connection in Sports Marketing

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In today’s saturated digital landscape, sports marketing presents unique opportunities and challenges for brands looking to stand out. Two critical aspects – qualified reach and regular connection – are fundamental to crafting a digital strategy that resonates with targeted audiences and fosters lasting relationships. Delving into these concepts highlights the role of Samba in optimizing both for sports brands, ensuring that their marketing efforts are not just seen but also impactful.

Elevating Targeted Reach with Samba
The concept of “qualified reach” is crucial for brands aiming to connect with specific demographics. A brand targeting young men aged 18-24 in Brazil, for instance, may not find general metrics such as the total number of followers on a sports club’s social media platform to be beneficial unless a significant portion of these followers align with their target demographic. Successful rights-holders will be those who can demonstrate that their audience is a perfect match for brands. Rather than focusing on their total number of followers, they should showcase the specific audience demographics that align with the brands’ target markets, including age, gender, location, and interests. This strategic approach ensures that marketing efforts are aligned with the right audience segments, enhancing the effectiveness of campaigns and partnerships.

The Power of Regular Connection through Sponsorship
The importance of regular, meaningful connection in sponsorship cannot be overstated. While paid campaigns can achieve wide reach, they often lack the emotional depth and repeated engagement that sponsorship offers. Partnering with a sports club provides a brand with ongoing access to the club’s intellectual property and its dedicated fanbase. This relationship enables brands to create multiple touchpoints that enhance brand visibility, image, and association, fostering a sense of community and loyalty between fans and the sponsoring brand.

Digital media plays a pivotal role in maintaining and amplifying this connection. Samba helps clients increase their engagement points through various digital channels, equipping brands with the tools and insights needed to maintain and deepen their connections with fans. Whether through behind-the-scenes content, interactive campaigns, or exclusive offers, digital media stands out as the premier channel for fostering regular, emotional connections between brands and sports fans.

Case Studies: Samba’s Impact on Qualified Reach and Regular Connection
Samba’s work with various sports entities demonstrates its effectiveness in enhancing both qualified reach and regular connection. By collaborating closely with clubs and brands, Samba has facilitated targeted campaigns that resonate deeply with specific demographics, resulting in increased engagement and stronger brand affinity. Moreover, its strategies for regular connection have helped brands become integral parts of the sports experience, fostering loyalty that extends beyond the game day.

 

 

Conclusion
As digital media continues to evolve, the ability to connect meaningfully with audiences becomes both a challenge and an opportunity for sports brands. The concepts of qualified reach and regular connection serve as pillars for a successful digital strategy. With the expertise of partners like Samba, brands can harness the power of digital media to achieve targeted engagement, foster emotional connections, and ultimately drive greater brand loyalty and consideration among their desired audiences. In the competitive arena of sports marketing, mastering the art of digital engagement is not just about capturing the attention of a target demographic but also about winning their hearts and minds.

Samba Digital Launches an Artificial Intelligence Platform for Sports Organizations in Collaboration with Orange Business

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Lisbon, Portugal – March 28, 2024, 6:00 PM: Samba Digital (ISIN PTDGL0AM0003, Mnemonic MLSMB), a global player in sports marketing, is delighted to announce the launch of its new artificial intelligence (AI) platform designed exclusively for sports organizations. This innovation marks a significant advancement in the field of sports marketing by offering a personalized Generative AI solution for content production.

Developed in close collaboration with Orange Business, this platform is based on the Stable Diffusion environment, one of the most advanced and powerful machine learning models in the world. This cutting-edge technology enables the generation of high-quality images and videos from simple sets of words or texts.

The most innovative aspect of this platform is its ability to be fed with photos and videos from sports organizations for which it holds the image rights. By simplifying and speeding up production processes, this platform promises to achieve unparalleled levels of creativity, efficiency, and quality.

As stated in the press release on January 23, Samba Digital is making artificial intelligence a strong lever for development to serve its clients. AI will also progressively reduce production costs and improve operational processes.

Frédéric Fausser, CEO of Samba Digital, states: “Samba Digital has always been driven by innovation and the search for effective solutions for its clients. In collaboration with Orange Business, we have developed a platform that not only simplifies content creation for sports organizations but also opens the door to an era of unprecedented personalization and creativity. We are thrilled to be able to support our first clients on this  path, including football clubs such as Juventus and Chelsea.”

ABOUT SAMBA DIGITAL
Founded in 2018 in the United States, Samba Digital assists clubs and players in the sports and eGaming industry with their internationalization strategy by developing their  digital audiences worldwide. The company is present on four continents: America (USA and LATAM), Europe, Africa, and Asia. Samba Digital works with the biggest English football clubs (Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Chelsea…), French football (Ligue 1, PSG, OM, OL, AS Monaco…), Italian football (Serie A, Juventus, Napoli…), German football (Bundesliga, Eintracht, Bayern Munich…) and, since 2022, the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

The company develops its expertise in many other sports such as basketball (Orlando Magic in the NBA and FIBA), rugby (World Rugby), golf (Ryder Cup), Formula 1, tennis (Roland-Garros, US Open, etc.). Based in Portugal, Samba Digital also owns Sports Translate and Sport Influencers, two platforms dedicated to the sports industry with over 300 translators and 5,000 influencers available worldwide. Sports Translate provides translation and adaptation of content in 50 languages and dialects and offers video subtitling and dubbing services.

Samba Digital is the world’s first sports marketing company to offer these diverse services with an economic model based on flexibility, no bank debt, and a comfortable cash position allowing it to self-finance its investments.

Samba Digital is listed on Euronext Lisbon under ISIN PTDGL0AM0003, Mnemonic MLSMB.

The Data Performance of The Clubs Behind the Libertadores Draw

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River Plate has twice the engagement of the closest club in the Copa Libertadores 2024 draw

The Argentine club surpasses the mark of 1.4 million interactions on Instagram on the day when the 32 clubs had their opponents defined

It’s not new that River Plate’s social media management yields good results for the Argentine club. Last Monday, March 18th – when the Competitions Department of Conmebol held the draw to define the eight groups of the tournament – the Argentine club once again stood out among competitors.

With 1.4 million interactions on its official Instagram page, River Plate achieved nearly double the total recorded in this regard by Palmeiras, responsible for the second-best performance of the day. The club from Buenos Aires also had approximately 2.5x the interactions of the giant Flamengo, which has 19.5 million followers – 2.3x more than River Plate.

The Argentine leaders are followed by a series of Brazilian clubs, ranging from 2nd to 8th place. Finally, in 9th place, a Uruguayan club appears: Peñarol, the top seed of Group G, with 103,000 interactions.

The top 10 consists of:

In the quantitative analysis of the performance of the top 10 clubs with the most interactions, this is how the graph looks:

It is important to highlight that the performance line in the above graph is composed of the 32 teams, and it includes the average number of followers and the average performance of the clubs throughout March 18th.

 

The post with the most interactions is from Flamengo

Despite having a performance below average considering the size of its page and the total number of followers, Flamengo had the post with the highest number of interactions on Instagram on March 18th. 

When announcing the composition of its group, with Bolívar (BOL), Millonarios (COL), and Palestino (CHI), the club reached 513,000 interactions, leading in this regard.

The post even had a message from Palestino, their rival in the group stage:

However, when we analyze the engagement by the followers of these pages, the situation changes a bit: Talleres, from Argentina, becomes the club with the most engaging post.

The group stage of the Copa Libertadores da América begins on April 2 and Samba Digital will monitor all the clubs’ digital movements.

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Ligue 1 Rayonne En Afrique

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MISSION

French football is historically linked to Africa. For decades, many talented players from the African continent have been shining the colours of French clubs. It was therefore only natural to offer the Ligue de Football Professionnel very special coverage of the recent African Cup of Nations, to highlight the performances of players from Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 on the pitches of Côte d’Ivoire. Samba Digital has been supporting the Ligue de Football Professionnel in its international digital development since 2017.

 

A 5-FOLD INCREASE IN ENGAGEMENT DURING THE COMPETITION

Samba Digital put together an ambitious content plan to reach all the digital fans of the African countries involved in the African Cup of Nations, with a strong focus on the countries most represented in the French league. In detail, it was in Côte d’Ivoire, Angola, Cameroon, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo that content relating to African footballers playing in France generated the highest rates of engagement. Overall, the engagement rate of the League 1 Uber Eats Facebook account increased 5-fold between November 2023 and January-February 2024, the period during which the CAN took place.

By posting content sometimes targeting several countries at the same time, developing innovative campaigns around emblematic figures of African soccer (Didier Drogba, El Hadji Diouf), organising competitions among followers or producing creative and impactful visuals, Ligue 1 Uber Eats saw its results exceed expectations.

 

A BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN IN THE STREETS OF ABIDJAN

At the same time, Samba Digital proposed to the Ligue de Football Professionnel to salute Cote d’Ivoire’s final victory with a poster campaign in the streets of Abidjan. The poster congratulating the “Elephants” on winning the trophy features goalkeeper Yahia Fofana (Angers), strikers Jérémie Boga (Nice) and Oumar Siakité (Reims), and defender Wilfried Singo (Monaco, from left to right in the poster photos).

By highlighting African players playing in France, the LFP has succeeded in raising the profile of the French Championship on the continent, contributing to its international reputation and distinguishing itself from other major leagues by the strong interest expressed in the game by fans from this part of the world.

 

RESULTS

League 1 Uber Eats generated huge interest on Facebook among followers of the African Cup of Nations 2024, organized and won by Côte-d’Ivoire.

  • 100 posts published
  • 50,000 new followers
  • 22 million impressions
  • 4 million engagements

 

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Samba Digital Welcomes Catarina Marques as iGaming Business Development Manager

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Samba Digital is thrilled to announce the newest addition to our team, Catarina Marques, who joins us as the iGaming Business Development Manager. With an impressive background in iGaming spanning seven years, Catarina brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our growing family.

Prior to joining Samba Digital, Catarina served as an integral part of the Clever Advertising team, where she demonstrated her exceptional skills and dedication to the gaming industry. They were one of the first international affiliates to forge successful partnerships with local operators in Africa and LATAM. Her commitment to fostering global collaborations has led her to showcasing her expertise as a speaker at various conferences in Africa. Her contributions to the industry go beyond traditional roles, with a keen eye for detail in commercial endeavours such as media buying, SEO, PPC, influencing marketing, and in-app strategies.

“I’m thrilled to join such a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation, I can’t wait to learn and collaborate with such an amazing team!” – Catarina Marques 

Catarina’s in-depth understanding of the igaming landscape positions her as a perfect fit for Samba Digital’s commitment to innovation and global growth. Her dedication to staying at the forefront of industry trends and her proven track record in driving successful campaigns make her an invaluable addition to our team.

Camila Cunha, Head of iGaming at Samba Digital says, “We´re very excited to have Catarina on the team! She will add great value and expertise to help us to continue progressing in the iGaming industry.”

Join us in welcoming Catarina Marques to Samba Digital, where her passion for gaming and business development will play a crucial role in propelling us to new milestones and to see the positive impact she will have on our iGaming ventures.

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Samba Digital’s Clients Unleash the Spirit of Carnaval

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Carnaval, the vibrant Brazilian festival, has always been a time of joy, unity, and cultural expression. This article delves into the ways Samba Digital helped its clients celebrate Carnaval and explores the significance of celebrating this holiday.

For this year’s Carnaval we created various social media content for some of our clients portuguese social media channels. We created illustrations adorned with colourful and festive visuals in order to connect with their audience in a more personal and lively manner. We also organised a fun and festive photo shoot and created engaging video content with the official Spurs fan club in Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.

Significance of Carnaval Celebrations:

Celebrating Carnaval allows clubs to create a sense of pride and unity among their Brazilians fans. By actively participating in the festivities clubs contribute to the communal spirit that defines the holiday and reinforces their understanding and appreciation of the culture. Carnaval is a social media goldmine, with users actively sharing their experiences and engaging with content that captures the festival’s spirit. Not taking part in the celebrations would be wasteful as it is the biggest celebration in Brazil and is known all across the world.

Samba Digital’s clients have successfully tapped into the joyous energy of Carnaval, using it as a platform to connect with their Brazilian audience on a deeper level. By embracing the cultural richness of this festival, clubs not only celebrate diversity but also strengthen their ties with the community. Carnaval, with its impact on culture and community, proves that partaking in the celebrations are not just moments of joy but powerful tools for fostering unity and building lasting connections.