Global Fútbol

Technological advances and new consumption habits mean that clubs of all sizes are working to create more digital and more global brands, while offering experiences that go beyond the 90 minutes of a match.

As one of the biggest names in Spanish football, Real Zaragoza has significant brand potential that it is currently putting to use through digital channels. Thanks to the adoption of new tools to optimise services and build the fan relationship, the LaLiga SmartBank club is finding ways to remain relevant to a modern audience.

Increasing the club’s global voice, particularly in Asia

As Carlos Arranz, the club’s commercial and marketing director, explained: “Thanks to our history, we interact on social media with many international ex-Real Zaragoza players who promote the club among their own followers. There are many such players, with World Cup winner Andreas Brehme standing out as one of them. He is very active on Instagram.”

On top of this, Real Zaragoza builds on the profile that LaLiga has around the world. “We promote ourselves through their publications from their accounts in various languages, such as Arabic or Indonesian,” Arranz continued. “They will often share videos of Real Zaragoza matches with the hashtag #LaLigaHistory, which brings visibility to us from regions that are easier to reach by working along with LaLiga.”

Recent success has come from Asia, fuelled initially by on-the-field activity. In 2019, Real Zaragoza signed Shinji Kagawa which helped to attract many Japanese followers. The club now has an account in Japanese to keep those fans up to date. “In general terms, the Asian market is especially interesting because of its size and because of the growing interest in football,” Arranz said. “We hope to relaunch some of the digital actions we had planned for Japan and Thailand, that were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

To broaden its global visibility, the club is investing both in established platforms as well as emerging ones. In April of 2019, Real Zaragoza became the first LaLiga club to open a TikTok account, doing so at a time when the platform had limited global profile.

“We received some criticism, but the passing of time has confirmed that this was a correct decision and this is now a social media site that many clubs are using,” Arranz noted.

A pioneer in competitive gaming

Real Zaragoza is also earning global recognition through the world of competitive gaming, which it has been involved in since 2016 when it became one of the first LaLiga clubs to embrace the phenomenon.

“Currently, we compete in eLaLiga Santander and other FIFA video game competitions and we have the clear objective of reaching new audiences through competitive gaming,” Arranz said. “It is a field with very different fan profiles and the effect of our presence in domestic and international eSports competitions has been extraordinary.”

The club boasts a top-level partnership with DUX Gaming and has carried out various activations with influencers, events which received a lot of attention. As Arranz continued: “All of this helps to promote the Real Zaragoza brand beyond the traditional fanbase, all while, of course, respecting the history and foundations that have been built at this club since 1932.”

Digital experiences for fans

To maintain more personalised communications with fans, Real Zaragoza has built a strong presence on WhatsApp including the creation of custom stickers. It now offers two different collections, featuring players from the 2020/21 squad and a range of images and slogans related to the club itself.

“In just a few hours we had almost 5,000 downloads of one of the collections,” Arranz revealed. “Following the feedback we have received from fans, we are going to publish new collections celebrating some of the club’s successes, including in gaming.”

Working alongside with technological partner Hiberus, the club has also created an interactive videowall at its official store, where which fans can take photographs alongside images of players which can be posted directly to social channels. The club confirmed that before the pandemic took effect, this combination of digital and physical experience had led to increased football.

Digital transformation driving commercial growth

The success of such investments is fuelling a broader digital transformation within the club, with a view to improving experiences and generating new commercial growth.

Processes such as ticketing have now been digitised, with digital passbooks now available for individual tickets and season tickets. The club also has an online members’ section to manage user information automatically.

Working with LaLiga, the club has also joined the data-driven fan engagement initiative which is leading to more targeted communications. This is linked to the club’s ecommerce efforts, with more than 150 merchandise products being made available through the Zerca! Marketplace.

“Our database now has more registered users and the data is being managed better, leading to improved offers and experiences,” Arranz concluded. “We are developing new cross-sectional digital processes in different areas and improving our relationships through digital tools, applying pre- and post- metrics to our activations with our sponsors. For us, it’s just as important if fans are offline or online.”