CLUB SOCIAL SPRING REPORT - Mediacells
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CLUB SOCIAL SPRING REPORT
audience engineering™ The Club Social 2022 Spring Report is based on Instagram and Twitter activity, across 5 European top flight leagues, comprising 98 clubs, with a combined audience of 665m followers that attracted 2bn engagements from just 20k posts.
Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Spring Edition
Trends UK: EPL
This edition we are Few surprises at the
analysing S.S.C. top but further
Napoli’s extended down the
current season kit engagement league
launch. necessity spurs
most creativity.
Spain: La Liga France: Ligue 1
Clubs with huge A blend of statistics
followings have and superstars
Reach but how secure Ligue 1’s
richest club
engaged are they
premiere
compared to local,
engagement status
loyal fanbases?
at the end of Q1.
mediacells Club Social
Club Social
/ September
/ January
2021
- March
/ Summer
2022 of
/ Spring
Sport Edition
Spring Edition
5 6
Italy: Serie A Germany: GBL
The top Italian There is nothing like
league has the a major award to
richest texture of inspire fans to burst
conversations at with pride on social
club account level. media.
Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Trends
The new 2022-23 football kit drops,
leaks, reveals will hot up in the second
quarter.
This edition we are analysing S.C.C.
Napoli’s extended current season kit
launch.
The Neapolitan side will have launched a
staggering thirteen kit versions with
controversy centring around the choice of
a red home kit against AC Milan.
Big clubs are normalising the output of
Home, Away, Third and now Fourth kits
per season, with varying degrees of
success.
Mediacells asks, is it worth it for clubs and
how are the fans engaging with the new
sports fashion initiatives?
5
5
Trends Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Twitter is still the home for fan
fun and serious sentiment
2m
Fan Focus
Real Mallorca ‘Kiss Cam’ is projected onto the jumbo
screen at the San Moix stadium on February 14 and
Fan Cam
video views attracting 2m views on Twitter. The
tweet attracted many predictable
comments as the Piratas fan
passionately kisses each Valentine’s
friend to his left and his right.
Sentiment
220k The immediacy of Twitter enables sentiments to travel in
real time - so when Atalanta played Olimpiacos on
‘No War’ February 24, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, Ruslan
Likes by Malinovskyi, who is Ukrainian,
Atalanta fans showed the words ‘No to war
in Ukraine’ on the T-shirt under
his shirt after his winning goals
in the Europa League.
7.6k
Authenticity
When defender Jonathan Clauss
found out he was in Didier
shares of
Deschamps World Cup squad in
Lens World
Cup moment the Lens dressing room his supportive team-mates
were capturing his reaction on their iPhones.
The behind-the-scenes clip is an insight into the
supportive, positive attitude of the team towards
individual achievement.
6
Trends Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Instagram enables club creativity
and deeper interactions for fans
3m
Sculpture culture
Mount Real swaps the four US presidents for
Madridistan top scorers including the Blond Arrow
‘Mount Real’ Alfredo Di Stéfano replacing Theodore Roosevelt.
Engagements
The bespoke, creative post is the highest-ranking Real
Madrid Instagram post so
far this year but is Club
Social’s third with FC
Barcelona and Paris
Saint-Germain setting
their own precedents!
#1 Nineties culture
The #1 Instagram post so
far this year across all five
FC Barcelona European leagues is a
is top Club
portrayal of Pierre-
Social post of
Emerick ‘Auba’
98 clubs
Aubameyang as Super Saiyan, the Nineties Japanese
anime hero in the Dragon Ball series. (La Liga, page 17)
Digital Creators
EPL club Wolves collaboration with
digital creator Luis Gamez whose
getting the bizarre and unsettling work,
mini-footballer portrays Ronaldo in an aerial
treatment challenge with a Wolves ‘mini
footballer’ (see EPL page 12).
7
Trends Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
FEATURE
of
S.S.C Napoli i s e
e r
e
SPOTLIGHT ok a
d t
n ah
b l
h
t it l
k T la h
Football iFashionistas
T h b
re b la
a tu
Fe
S ome fans might think that having more team shirt
styles than players is excessive - like top flight Serie
A club S.S.C. Napoli who are about to launch their
thirteenth kit of the 21-22 season.
The trend in club kit variants has exploded this season and
the Fourth Kit, typically a celebration of an event, is now
commonplace in big club merchandising.
S.S.C. Napoli are set to The ultra-productive partnership between youth Armani
launch their 13th kit brand EA7 and Napoli frames this fresh, lucrative crossover
version of the 2021-22 between sport and fashion.
season - Mediacells
CEO Brad Rees asks Napoli now offer a range of home, away, third and fourth
the question, was it shirts for national and Europa leagues plus three special
worth it? commemorative Maradona shirts.
The Halloween kit was worn in top flight matches, with a
limited edition of 1,926 shirts available, a reference to the
year the Neapolitan club was founded.
8
Trends Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Fashion and Football have an enduring, emotional history,
from the Admiral days of the 1970s when the addressable
audience was mostly football-crazy men and boys.
Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain have deepened
their collaboration with Nike Jordan, unveiling a new
Chicago Bulls-inspired fourth kit which will be worn by
the Men’s first team for the latter half of the 2021-22 season.
Brand collaboration is one thing but positive fan
endorsement is of course key to grassroots adoption.
The native Napoli Instagram posts which pro-
moted the 12 shirts attracted an
impressive 1.5 million fan engagements.
There is more
than a hint of The sentiments contained in the reactions were
variable, depending on the kit iteration.
Zoolander to
the Flames Over 1 million reactions related to Kit #10
Flames which had to wait in line behind the
proposition Halloween vibe and the three, soon to be four,
Maradona tribute shirts.
The high profile Flames launch in January had more
than a hint of comedy fashionista movies Zoolander or
Bruno about the communications. Flames, apparently, is
“dedicated to the love felt for the great Napoli team; a love and
passion that fuels and feeds the competitive fire of the club’s
warriors out on the field of play.”
Fan sentiment is generally good-hearted and the mega kit
range is deployed on social media as banter against rival
Serie A teams. Upon the announcement of the Flames kit,
the fan conversation took on a spirit of its own.
A self-confessed ‘Ultra’ (hardcore fan) proclaimed, “Let’s
make another one to equal the points of (bottom of the league)
Salernitana.”*
*Translated from the Italian, “facciamone un’ altra così eguagliamo il numero di punti della Salernitana”
9
Trends Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
The 13th kit will be a red iteration of the current Mara-
dona range and debuts at home against AC Milan. Fans
reacted incredulously that they would not play in their
signature blue home colours, like this Instagram comment:
“Only we could play AC Milan at home in a red shirt!”*
The controversial ranges may feel like sell-outs to hardcore
fans but the Maradona kit sold out within hours.
The Napoli kit conversation is the third hottest
Instagram topic in the first quarter of 2022, trailing
Let’s make compelling matchday posts and club celebrations only.
another one to
equal the points Football shirts are the ultimate merchandise which
fans will never resist. If the hyper shirt roll-out is a
of Salernitana success it is in spite of the fans’ better judgment, but as
Nick Hornby puts it in Fever Pitch,
“I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with wom-
en: Suddenly. Inexplicably. Uncritically. Giving no thought to the
pain or disruption it would bring with it.”
0.1m 0.2m
0.3m
0.3m
0.4m
SSC Napoli
Instagram 1.5m
3.4m post topics &
engagement
3.1m
Matchday Celebrations Kit Information Welcome Greeting Factual Consicience
*Translated from the Italian, “Solo noi siamo capaci di giocare in CASA contro il MILAN con una maglietta rossa”
10Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Insights
EPL
Instagram continues to be the creative,
expressive medium for clubs to showcase
achievements more visually than on
Twitter.
Muscle memory posts are when digital and
social teams revert to generic best practice
in the schedule.
Focus on birthday celebrations, rejoicing
over new signings, match updates, factoids
and sponsor plugs do not always engage
Instagram audiences and instead have the
feeling of a pre-recorded radio show.
To avoid the Dead Air effect, some clubs,
like Wolves and Burnley, have collaborated
with agencies or individual digital creators
to produce innovative, memorable social
media content which is borne out in Club
Social premium metrics.
11EPL Engagement Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
of
i s e
e r
t h it le
d
n ah t
k a l
T o h b
i k bla
T h
e la
Instagram Fan Engagement
r b
League: EPL
a
Pos
tu Team Followers Engagements per post Rating
Fe
1 Manchester United 57m 375k
2 Chelsea 33m 237k
3 Liverpool 37m 204k
4 Arsenal 21m 114k
5 Manchester City 30m 81k
6 Tottenham Hotspur 12m 67k
7 Aston Villa 1.9m 29k
8 Newcastle United 1.2m 28k
9 West Ham United 1.9m 24k
10 Everton 2.7m 21k
11 Leeds United 989k 17k
12 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2.1m 15k
13 Leicester City 6.3m 10k
14 Southampton 1.2m 8.6k
15 Brighton & Hove Albion 501k 5.6k
16 Brentford 261k 5.4k
17 Crystal Palace 1.4m 5.0k
18 Norwich City 455k 4.6k
19 Watford 1.2m 2.9k
20 Burnley 471k 2.5k
Engagements: 500k+ >500k >250k >50k >10k
mediacells.com 12Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
EPL Engagement
1
Cristiano Ronaldo’s #1 birthday post was 1m engagements ahead of Chelsea at #2
but nearly 1m engagements behind PSG’s Neymar birthday congratulations.
Link to @manchesterunited Hero Post Engagements Likes Comments Rating
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZl6M3avkYF/ 2,348,205 2,327,009 21,196
SUMMER OF
SPORT
PHOTO: MEDIACELLS
Engagements: 1m+ >1m >500k >100k >50k
mediacells.com 13Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Insights
La Liga
In the Spanish top flight it is the big clubs
Real Madrid and FC Barcelona who lead
both in engagement and creativity.
Mount Real swaps the four US presidents
for Madridistan top scorers, including the
Blond Arrow Alfredo Di Stéfano replacing
Theodore Roosevelt.
The #1 Instagram post so far this year
across all five European leagues is a
portrayal of Pierre-Emerick ‘Auba’
Aubameyang as Super Saiyan, the Nineties
Japanese anime hero in the Dragon Ball
series.
Both posts indicate an appetite to connect
with Instagram audiences on the medium’s
terms and feel more like an interaction than
a loudhailer-style broadcast.
14La Liga Engagement Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
of
i s e
e r
t h it le
d
n ah t
k a l
T o h b
i k bla
T h
e la
Instagram Fan Engagement
r b
League: La Liga
a
Pos
tu Team Followers Engagements per post Rating
Fe
1 FC Barcelona 107m 922k
2 Real Madrid 113m 808k
3 Atlético Madrid 14m 40k
4 Real Betis 1.2m 16k
5 Sevilla 1.6m 11k
6 Valencia CF 1.1m 8.7k
7 Athletic Bilbao 566k 7.6k
8 Villareal CF 1.2m 7.0k
9 Real Sociedad 457k 5.6k
10 Celta Vigo 342k 4.1k
11 Mallorca 181k 3.8k
12 Espanyol 314k 3.6k
13 Elche 155k 2.5k
14 Granada 265k 2.2k
15 Osasuna 142k 2.0k
16 Cádiz 202k 1.8k
17 Levante 228k 1.8k
18 Rayo Vallecano 160k 1.4k
19 Getafe 199k 1.3k
20 Alavés 102k 1.1k
Engagements: 500k+ >500k >250k >50k >10k
mediacells.com 15Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
La Liga Engagement
1
Auba is Super Saiyan, a manga toon reference to members of the Saiyan race who
have transformative powers, like breaking the Clasico Real Madrid 5-victory curse.
Link to @fcbarcelona Hero Post Engagements Likes Comments Rating
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbXeXlVqOo5/ 3,281,306 3,270,701 10,605
SUMMER OF
SPORT
PHOTO: MEDIACELLS
Engagements: 1m+ >1m >500k >100k >50k
mediacells.com 16Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Insights
Ligue 1
The value of video content and the
power to share expensive footage for
free is a constant motif in Paris Saint-
Germain’s Instagram posting strategy.
To celebrate Neymar’s 30th birthday in
February the top Ligue 1 club displayed its
largesse by offering an exclusive post with
no less than TEN memorable goals the
Brazilian has scored while at PSG.
Elsewhere in the league Racing Club de
Lens lives up to its club values of
Authenticity, Fervour and Pride in its
portrayal of defender Jonathan Clauss’s
journey to the FIFA World Cup with Equip
France.
Meanwhile, on Twitter Chaotic iPhone
footage in the Lens dressing room shows
his team-mates’ positive and proud
attitude towards individual achievement.
17Ligue 1 Engagement Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
of
i s e
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t h it le
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k a l
T o h b
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Instagram Fan Engagement
r b
League: Ligue 1
a
Pos
tu Team Followers Engagements per post Rating
Fe
1 Paris Saint-Germain 58m 648k
2 Olympique Marseille 2.3m 37k
3 Olympique Lyon 2.2m 22k
4 Brest 433k 12k
5 Saint-Étienne 365k 9.0k
6 Rennes 337k 6.6k
7 Nice 461k 6.5k
8 Lens 160k 5.2k
9 Lille 601k 5.1k
10 Nantes 415k 5.1k
11 Bordeaux 235k 4.8k
12 Angers 96k 4.4k
13 Monaco 1.8m 3.5k
14 Clermont 59k 3.5k
15 Strasbourg 134k 3.0k
16 Lorient 80k 1.9k
17 Metz 149k 1.8k
18 Montpellier 237k 1.8k
19 Troyes 77k 1.3k
20 Reims 79k 1.2k
Engagements: 500k+ >500k >250k >50k >10k
mediacells.com 18Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Ligue 1 Engagement
1
Neymar’s 30th birthday was celebrated in style by PSG who offered ten compelling
goal clips in one Instagram post showcasing the Brazilian star’s Paris journey.
Link to @psg Hero Post Engagements Likes Comments Rating
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbTM8tnsuXj/ 3,119,947 3,109,978 9.969
SUMMER OF
SPORT
PHOTO: MEDIACELLS
Engagements: 1m+ >1m >500k >100k >50k
mediacells.com 19Euro 2020 Club Social
Club Social / January
/ September - March
2021 2022 of
/ Summer / Spring
Sport Edition
5 Insights
Serie A
The top Italian league has the richest
texture of conversations at club account
level.
Interspersed with the standard
celebration and information-centred
content are emotional posts with
conscience.
Italy’s biggest club Juventus attracted a
quarter of a million engagements when it
assisted in the ‘humanitarian emergency’
and arrived at the Ukrainian-Hungarian
border with food and transport for fleeing
refugees.
Fashion and Italy have always been
synonymous and this season many Serie
A clubs are creating new fan experiences
around kits, not least of all Napoli and
Venezia.
20Serie A Engagement Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
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Instagram Fan Engagement
r b
League: Serie A
a
Pos
tu Team Followers Engagements per post Rating
Fe
1 Juventus 53m 160k
2 AC Milan 12m 92k
3 Internazionale 8.0m 92k
4 Roma AS 4.3m 48k
5 SSC Napoli 3.0m 39k
6 Lazio 956k 16k
7 Atalanta 614k 8.2k
8 Fiorentina 1.0m 7.8k
9 Cagliari 350k 4.7k
10 Torino 374k 4.5k
11 Venezia 175k 4.3k
12 Genoa 286k 3.9k
13 Salernitana 111k 3.6k
14 Bologna 200k 3.5k
15 Hellas Verona 217k 3.4k
16 Sampdoria 308k 3.2k
17 Sassuolo 243k 2.4k
18 Spezia 87k 1.9k
19 Empoli 187k 574
20 Udinese 241k 405
Engagements: 500k+ >500k >250k >50k >10k
mediacells.com 21Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Serie A Engagement
1
Juventus celebrate newly-signed Dusan Vlahovic with a photo outside the club
medical centre after being given the all-clear in his £63m move from Fiorentina.
Link to @Inter Hero Post Engagements Likes Comments Rating
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZRKrD3orWh/ 843,299 828,649 14,650
SUMMER OF
SPORT
PHOTO: MEDIACELLS
Engagements: 1m+ >1m >500k >250k >100k
mediacells.com 22Euro 2020 Club Social
Club Social / January
/ September - March
2021 2022 of
/ Summer / Spring
Sport Edition
6 Insights
Bundesliga
There is nothing like a major award to
inspire fans to burst with pride on social
media.
Bundesliga’s biggest club fully capitalise on
Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert
Lewandowski’s 2021 Best FIFA Men’s Player
of the Year accolade.
The photo of a beaming ‘Lewangoalski’*
clutching the FIFA trophy with the simple
hashtag #TheBest is enough to elevate the
post to a Club Social Five-Star rating.
FC Köln choose a more heart-warming,
human-interest angle in their top Q1 video
post which is a Day in the Life of an under-
ten girl fan with the caption, ‘Here’s
someone applying to be captain for the
2045/46 season.’
*nickname by his Bayern team-mates
23Bundesliga
Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Engagement
of
i s e
e r
t h it le
d
n ah t
k a l
T o h b
i k bla
T h
e la
Instagram Fan Engagement
r b
League: Bundesliga
a
Pos
tu Team Followers Engagements per post Rating
Fe
1 FC Bayern Munich 32m 177k
2 Borussia Dortmund 16m 89k
3 VfB Stuttgart 358k 12k
4 FC Köln 435k 12k
5 Borussia Mönchengladbach 739k 12k
6 Eintracht Frankfurt 621k 10k
7 Bayer Leverkusen 1.9m 10k
8 Leipzig 1.3m 8.9k
9 SC Freiburg 188k 8.6k
10 Hertha BSC 227k 5.8k
11 VFL Wolfsburg 627k 4.4k
12 Union Berlin 161k 3.9k
13 Mainz 05 178k 3.8k
14 VfL Bochum 104k 3.5k
15 FC Augsburg 194k 2.6k
16 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 375k 2.6k
17 Arminia Bielefeld 125k 2.4k
18 Greuther Fürth 35k 1.4k
Engagements: 500k+ >500k >250k >50k >10k
mediacells.com 24Club Social / January - March 2022 / Spring Edition
Bundesliga
Engagement
1
Bundesliga’s biggest club fully capitalise on Bayern Munich and Poland striker
Robert Lewandowski’s 2021 Best Fifa Men’s Player of the Year accolade.
Link to @fcbayern Hero Post Engagements Likes Comments Rating
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY19_62MFhj/ 1,167,761 1,161,301 6,460
SUMMER OF
SPORT
PHOTO: MEDIACELLS
Engagements: 1m+ >1m >500k >250k >100k
mediacells.com 25audience engineering™ Email info@mediacells.com and find out how Mediacells can help you engineer your audience for the new digital experience.
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