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TUE 01 OCT 2019 | GLOBAL GROWTH
How the return of LaLiga reached over 92 million people
  • Multi-platform activities using the #HolaLaLigaSantander hashtag received over 16.4 million interactions around the world.
  • Musicians, influencers and sports stars visited Spain, from Vigo to Mallorca, to attend matches in person and bring fans closer to the action.

As the 2019/20 LaLiga Santander season kicked off to a global TV audience, another huge demographic was discovering the competition online. Thanks to a worldwide campaign involving over 100 influencers, more than 92 million people were reached via social channels to help the league make the most memorable return possible.

This result, which also includes 16.4 million interactions, marks a 56% year-on-year rise in engagement for the #HolaLaLigaSantander campaign, an initiative from LaLiga’s digital team to build anticipation and entice new audiences to the competition on a global scale. Now in its second year, the campaign produces memorable and shareable ‘unboxing’ videos from an array of LaLiga ambassadors and global influencers, featuring the official match ball of the competition.

“We wanted to reflect the excitement that is felt around the world when a new season is about to begin,” said Alfredo Bermejo, digital strategy director at LaLiga. “This kind of content has become a huge part of football’s entertainment offering and can reach as many users as a live match broadcast.”

For 2019/20, ambassadors such as the singer Luis Fonsi, Iker Casillas and Andrés Iniesta launched the campaign with the league’s new PUMA match ball, alongside well-known influencers from the world of football. The ball was then sent to each influencer, who filmed themselves ‘unboxing’ it in a variety of creative ways.

In total, content for the campaign has reached 108 countries, including an exclusive ‘keepy-ups’ game on the TikTok platform which received over 61 million views and 355,000 publications. “The international response we have seen shows that football remains a universal language, capable of bringing people together like almost nothing else,” added Bermejo.

Combining the physical with the digital
In addition to creating online buzz, LaLiga brought the excitement of #HolaLaLigaSantander to the stadiums of clubs across Spain, helping to amplify its content further among Spanish football fans at the games and TV audiences.
Eight of the influencers involved in the campaign attended matches from the opening weekend of LaLiga Santander to interact with fans and create additional content with players and staff.

Among them, former US football star Jimmy Conrad was at Son Moix for RCD Mallorca’s first game back in LaLiga Santander against SD Eibar, singer and YouTuber Luisa Fernanda W was at the Wanda Metropolitano for the Madrid derby between Atlético and Getafe, while chef Nusret Gökçe, known online as ‘Salt Bae’, visited RC Celta’s Balaídos stadium for the clash with Real Madrid.

Elsewhere, actor Baim Wong and model Paula Verhoeven from Indonesia were at Mestalla for Valencia vs Real Sociedad, Nigerian singer and dancer Peter Okoye attended Villarreal CF’s encounter with Granada at the Estadio de la Cerámica, Chinese actress Tianai Zhang saw a battle between RCD Espanyol de Barcelona and Sevilla at the RCDE Stadium and Brazilian actor Thomaz Costa visited San Mamés for the season opener between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club. These activities, publicised across LaLiga’s global social media platforms, received 74.9 million views, equivalent to the entire population of Spain and Argentina combined.

Alongside the drama on the pitch, the combined efforts of this team of influencers, both in the stadiums and across social media, helps to make LaLiga Santander an unforgettable experience.

Bermejo concluded: “The creativity and enthusiasm that we have seen from some of the world’s top influencers shows the role that football plays in online communities. These channels are key to reaching the widest audience possible.”
nce possible.”

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