Watch Parties: An Increasingly Direct Connection
According to GWI Insights, a public research company, 31% of global UEFA Champions League fans says that physical events related to a competition would boost their interest in the competition, provided these events happen near their residences.
This action ranks fifth among fans’ interests related to the competition. However, it is the first that directly addresses the relationship between people and the competition in a physical form. All previous requests focused on more accessible broadcasts or connected content, whether through language conversion to the native language or more original content that could eventually be produced.
However, when we look more deeply into this data sample, we notice that non-European countries are the most receptive to this kind of action: among them, Mexico (3rd) and Brazil (4th) with 34.8% and 33.9%, respectively. They are only behind the Philippines and India.
Aware of this connective context — and ambitiously — Samba Digital coordinated three simultaneous Watch Parties with the Kansas City Chiefs in three different Mexican cities for the match against one of their main rivals: the Las Vegas Raiders. The chosen cities were not random! Besides Mexico City, our digital tools indicated that Guadalajara and Monterrey were the second and third largest cities in terms of followers and direct user engagement, making them a logical choice as our digital mapping pointed out this geographic preference.
The effect was so significant that the Chiefs’ account achieved incredible results, such as:
– A 108% increase in reach compared to the previous week, with a growth of 1500 users and over 2055 thousand video views produced.
– Nearly tripled our Instagram followers, increased the account’s reach by 40% and Kansas City Chiefs also became the largest NFL profile in Spanish.
Insight: The Effectiveness of Fan Zones for Mexicans and Brazilians
In the quest for direct connection with the fan or the frequent follower of a particular competition, Fan Zones have been effective ways of direct connection. According to GWI Insights, about 14% of Mexican fans claim they visit fan zones of brands or sports events, while 35% claim to frequently watch fan content, and 20% express interest in experimental spaces in this segment, allowing them to experience something sensory-related to the event.
In Brazil, this proportion is slightly smaller but still relevant when considering a strategic plan for sports connection. About 10% visit fan zones, 25% watch fan content, and 15% visit experimental spaces.
“Bringing official events to faraway fan bases helps to bridge the distance between the team and the people while everyone has a great time and makes new friends, forging unforgettable memories. It is crucial to connect both online and offline strategies for synergy. Each time we have had a local fan event, we have seen our followers and engagement increase. In this Chiefs’ activation, thanks to the collaborative content with Fox Sports NFL Mexico Mundo NFL and other important media accounts interested in our stories. We ensure quality content is in place, generating interest in more fans wanting to attend future events and not miss out”, related Federico Parrondo, Samba Digital’s Account Manager for Kansas City Chiefs.
The evidence of this preference for physical events was the reach that the Kansas City Chiefs’ action achieved in Mexico. On Sunday, November 26, 2023, the Watch Party produced by Samba Digital for the Chiefs’ match against the Los Angeles Raiders even served as a reference for Fox Sports, a sports broadcaster present in Mexico. Journalists attended and broadcasted live during the event.
Digitally, on the Chiefs’ Spanish profile, materials like these were produced and widely worked on social media.
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