It’s an uncertain time for the football world. Clubs, sponsors, and fans have an overload of unanswered questions about the coming season and the measures they will need to take. KAA Gent is no exception. However, the club has decided to be a beacon of positivity during these rather somber times, proving that maintaining fan engagement throughout the age of social distancing is entirely possible. With initiatives such as esports competitions, charity work, and collaboration with digital parties the football club is keeping their fans entertained and the KAA Gent brand top of mind.
In our fan engagement breakdown series we take a look at the top football clubs in the world and how they are tackling fan engagement during the COVID outbreak. In this blog post we review how Real Madrid is navigating through this pandemic. Their intelligent digital distribution makes the Spanish club the most popular in the world. Through a variety of online fan activations such as organizing and participating in esports tournaments, and creating snappy, interactive content the club has one of the highest digital engagement rates in the industry.
AB InBev, the biggest brewery in the world and also an avid sponsor of live sports events, is shifting focus to better serve its customers during the Corona outbreak. We had the opportunity to interview the AB InBev Europe innovation lead Michael Codd about handling communication, digital brand activation and esports.
In our fan engagement breakdown series we take a look at the top football clubs in the world and how they are tackling fan engagement during lockdown. In this blog post we review how Manchester United is handling the COVID crisis. The English Premier League’s most popular team is dedicated to boosting digital engagement and has been focused on growing their online fanbase. With its focus on content the club has one of the highest commercial revenues from sponsorship deals and merchandising.
With the Corona pandemic around we don’t really know what to expect in the world of sports. Luckily esports is here, and it’s here to stay. Increase in online consumption and the lack of content from live sports has only contributed to its popularity. The industry has matured to one with great sponsor brands and a large, hyper-engaged community. Esports will not take the place of traditional sports but there is still much traditional sports can learn from some crazy fan activations we have seen over the years.