Wimbledon’s investment in social media is bearing fruit, according to a study by Repucom. The sports marketing research group found that Wimbledon is leading all Grand Slam tournaments when it comes to engaging and maintaining its social media fan base. Wimbledon has more Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers than the Australian Open, French Open and U.S. Open, with a combined fan base of more than 4.1 million. Roland Garros is in second place with a social media fan base of 3.7 million. “Wimbledon really plays to its strength, whether that’s the lack of branding or its heritage,” said Max Barnett, Repucom’s head of digital in the U.K. & Ireland. “The behind-the-scenes content is particularly engaging. They have a very rich content calendar, which clearly the fans find responsive.” The study showed that 34% of Wimbledon’s Twitter posts include either a video or picture, compared to the French Open (25%), U.S. Open (15%) and Australian Open (14%). Wimbledon’s fan base is also engaging more with official content across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
STAYING AUTHENTIC: Repucom claims that this engagement can be translated into potential media value for partners. “They [Wimbledon] clearly have a brand that the likes of Rolex and Jaguar are interested in,” Barnett said. “They have a big, engaged social media fan base and I think it’s a matter of when, not if, they want to start monetizing those fans.” Leading up to this year’s tournament, Wimbledon officials talked about hoping to move away from its “stuffy image” and appeal to a new audience. Looking at the data it is clear that Wimbledon invests a huge amount of time and money in growing and engaging a very loyal fan base, Barnett said. Though unable to provide details on how much money tournament organizers invest in social media, he told SBD Global there are two indicators that show they are “investing heavily” in this area. "[One] is the volume of posts -- it's almost 24/7 -- and also the rich media, which is far more engaging and far more entertaining than a simple tweet saying, 'Andy Murray is coming on court.'" With the tournament expected to continue to grow and engage its social media following, Repucom acknowledges that it also has to maintain its strong brand values, which are vital in attracting corporate partners considering the traditionally limited sponsorship exposure on court.
More on Wimbledon's social media strategy in SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL.
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| Source: REPUCOM |
