Determining Brand Strength Through Digital Due Diligence: Discover how on-pitch success and star player transfers elevate a football club's digital brand strength. Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Paris Saint-Germain have seen significant online popularity boosts due to recent victories and high-profile transfers.
Lóránt Erős
Digital Strategist
This article is part of our Football Club DDD blog series, where we showcase key insights from our comprehensive Digital Due Diligence focusing on the top 15 European football clubs. Read on to discover the practical benefits that such an analysis can provide for top-tier football clubs.
KEY POINTS:
Winning competitions and having superstar players boost a football club's digital brand strength.
Arsenal and Barcelona have managed to keep fans’ interest at above-average levels for 18 years.
Big-name transfers, like Ronaldo's move back to Manchester United or Messi joining Paris Saint-Germain directly impact digital popularity
How On-Pitch Performance and Star Players Elevate Digital Brand Strength
Goals and glory on the pitch directly impact the popularity of a football club's brand. Success in competitions like league championships and prestigious tournaments such as the Champions League can lead to increased interest and engagement from fans and the general public. When a club performs well on the field, it can attract more attention, media coverage, and positive sentiment, ultimately strengthening its digital brand.
Relative digital popularity of football club brands from 2004 to 2022
Beyond on-field success, the presence of famous football players in the team can significantly impact a football club's digital popularity. Player transfers, or even rumours of them, can generate huge excitement, regardless of a team's success.
Real Madrid's impressive 65% growth in digital brand strength during the 2021–2022 season can be largely attributed to their victories in the Spanish championship and the Champions League. Here’s an interesting tidbit: Real Madrid had also topped the charts for football shirt sales on Amazon for that season.
Chelsea also saw a significant boost, with their digital brand strength growing by 47% after their Champions League victory in 2021. Similarly, Bayern München's experienced a 43.50% increase in online searches following their Champions League triumph in 2020.
Relative popularity of football club brands from 2019 to 2022
Liverpool and Manchester City’s success on the field has not gone unnoticed. The track record of recent years and their new player acquisitions may explain their digital popularity growth in recent years (2021–2022).
Moreover, the impact of famous players, like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, cannot be overstated. The return of Ronaldo to Manchester United in 2021 generated immense interest for the club, while Messi's move to Paris Saint-Germain the same year significantly boosted the French club's online popularity.
Year-over-year growth rate of the relative popularity of the football clubs' brands
Juventus experienced a significant surge in popularity between 2018 and 2020, largely attributed to Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at the club in 2018. The club's digital presence remained strong as long as Ronaldo played there.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur's popularity also saw a notable increase in 2019 when they reached the Champions League final for the first time in their history.
Brand Influence League: Top Football Clubs in 2022
Average monthly search volume on the football club brands
In 2022, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain dominated the football landscape. These clubs were the most searched for online, capturing the attention of fans worldwide. Here’s a bit of a breakdown:
Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool are the three most searched-for football brands, followed by Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
Manchester United experienced a surge in interest when Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the club in 2021.
Paris Saint-Germain's online popularity soared after signing Lionel Messi in August 2022.
Arsenal and Barcelona are the only teams that have consistently maintained above-average interest levels for the past 18 years, including throughout 2022.
Liverpool and Manchester City's success on the field has contributed to their digital popularity growth in 2021 and 2022.
These clubs continue to be major players in the football world, influencing fans, media coverage, and digital engagement through their performances, player acquisitions, and brand presence. By understanding the factors driving these clubs' success, organisations can leverage Digital Due Diligence to identify opportunities and challenges in their own digital strategies.
The present analysis utilises data collected in July 2022. While there are other historically significant European clubs, such as AC Milan, AFC Ajax, and SL Benfica, the analysis focuses on the top 15 football clubs based on Brand Finance's Football 50 (2021) report.
This blog series showcases the core pillars of our DDD methodology, but it is important to note that it represents a snapshot based on data collected in July 2022. Our complete analysis, customised for your organisation, includes an in-depth examination of business-specific data and offers a detailed perspective of your industry landscape.
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