Global Fútbol

In Spain’s Balearic Islands, tourism accounts for over a third of regional GDP. Following enforced restrictions on travel, work is now underway to help the industry recover as quickly as possible. 

In a bid to help Mallorca attract visitors, which will ultimately help the island’s economic recovery, RCD Mallorca has ceded the naming rights of its stadium to the cause, in collaboration with local tourist groups. As such, the Son Moix Estadi will be known as the Visit Mallorca Estadi until June 30th, 2021, promoting tourism to the region.

Sending a global message
The first match in the newly-named stadium was RCD Mallorca’s home game against FC Barcelona on June 13th, two days after LaLiga returned to action. 

“It’s the best way to tell the world that we’re here,” noted Alfonso Díaz, the CEO of Commercial Operations at RCD Mallorca. “We want the press, fans and general public to talk about Visit Mallorca Estadi. We want to contribute to the difficult situation we’re going through.”

This is the first time a football club has donated the stadium’s name for the benefit of the region and the local community, leading local businesses and the island’s federation for hoteliers to express their gratitude. 

As Catalina Cladera, the President of the local government, said: “This initiative helps us join forces to jumpstart the economy through tourism and the Mallorca brand. It gives us international exposure and it’s a very important initiative. I hope things go well for RCD Mallorca too, because this would mean that things go well for all of us.”

José Hila, the mayor of Palma, added: “We need tourists to come back and, to do this, we have to promote the island and city. The club has acted generously with the city, island and its fanbase.” 

RCD Mallorca’s growing social media brand
This initiative is the latest in a series of innovations that is helping the LaLiga Santander club to increase its presence. Its success is underlined by a new series of studies that suggest its social media communications are bringing increased return on investment for partners.

In the last year, the potential value of the club's social media output has grown more than threefold from half a million to €1.5 million. The last valuation, carried out in April, shows a 177% increase compared to the same period of the previous year (January to April 2019).

During the lockdown, the club has used social networks to reinforce the link between clubs and fans and this has also given new opportunities to partners. According to figures collected by the Blinkfire Analytics tool, the cub’s main sponsors saw economic returns of between €25,000 and €50,000 by appearing in social media content.

This content took on creative new forms, such as classic matches from the club’s history to all-time XI’s supported by different brands. According to the club, this specific initiative generated an economic return of around €20,000 for partners.

The impact of these initiatives is also being seen within the club itself. During May, RCD Mallorca claims it was ranked fifth among LaLiga clubs for engagement across all social channels and fourth in terms of YouTube views. 

One common thread unites all of these efforts: the steady growth in profile of RCD Mallorca. From the stadium to its social networks, the LaLiga Santander side is succeeding in attracting a growing number of viewers and extending the benefits to partners. As well as commercial success, this can help to stimulate economic recovery too.