Top-Tier Fan Engagement Strategies from the AFL
The AFL Finals have come and gone which means it’s time to shout out some of our favourite campaigns from down under! All season long, our partners in the AFL have continued to set new standards with boundary-pushing engagements, smart data capture, and growth strategies that focus on verified fan data. As we reflect on finals season, we wanted to highlight some smashing campaigns and their key takeaways.
Sydney Swans
As 2022 Grand Finalists, the Swannies gave their fans something to rally behind on the pitch, while building a network of digital engagements to drive participation off the pitch. For the second year in a row, the Swannies “Final Frenzy” bundle is making it onto our list as a prime example of how to take advantage of big events. This year, every single day in the month up to the Grand Final was filled with an engagement for fans to enjoy.
The Campaign: Finals Frenzy
A bundle of joy. The Sydney Swans’ Final season engagement hub is a prime example of how to ride momentum.
What did they do?
- They built a bundle with 24 days of digital engagements ranging from “spin to wins” to moments for UGC.
- They incentivised daily visits by making it clear to fans “the more you enter, the more likely you are to win a grand prize valued at over $3,000.”
What did they accomplish?
Benchmarks and a better understanding of their fans. With daily entries, the Swans had the ability to collect specific information directly from their fans, padding up their understanding of all the fans entering the campaign. From things like postcode and email to understanding which athletes fans loved the most, the Swans are walking away with valuable IP.
Great Reach & Great Opt-Ins. The bundle took off with over 35,000 views. Of those that entered, 60% opted in to hear more from the club.
Featured Activation: Day 24 - Pick Your Team "My Swans 22"
Playing it smart with their last campaign before the Grand Final, the Swans closed with a campaign that would build anticipation: My Swans 22 - Pick your Team.
This campaign let fans choose which players they would want for the Grand Final, with an option to share their “dream team” with friends to start some friendly debates. As a close to the season, the campaign was not only a great way for fans to let loose on some of their ‘final game’ anxieties, but it was also a fantastic way to reel in some final player affinity data before the end of the season. In the future, the Swans now have the option to hit the fans who’ve entered with more personalised messages and promotions depending on their choices.
Collingwood F.C.
The Pies are a club with a storied legacy. Although their season may have ended earlier this year, they set a great example on how to play off a rich history. The Pies put together a simple campaign that let both generational and new fans alike test their knowledge.
Featured Activation: Magpie Quiz - Finals Edition
The Pies’ simple Trivia campaign is a case study on how to spur your “know everything” fans to action. Not only did this quiz help fans reconnect with the history of the club, but each question included a brief explanation afterwards that gave context, and education to the fans entering. The quiz only took minutes to set up and resulted in opt-ins, engagement and a bit of friendly competition just right for the occasion.
Brisbane Lions
To get ready for a deep finals run, our partners at the Brisbane Lions put together a series of fan engagement campaigns to get fans pumped! Their “How all in are you?” campaign tapped into Lions fandom while helping the club get to know its fan base on a more personal level.
Featured Activation: How All In Are You?
As a fan favourite, the Lions put together a timely personality quiz for fans to check their devotion levels. Targeted questions like “My game day kit looks like..” offered the club a way to collect zero-party data they could action on different campaigns/promotions moving forward. Tie that in with delightfully playful “fan types,” and you’re met with a perfect campaign. Who can resist sharing their result as an “absolute frother?” We couldn’t, that’s for sure.
Pro Tip:
Most of us just can’t get enough of a BuzzFeed-styled quiz, but to up the ante for fans (and your completion rates), add an additional incentive. Offer a gift card, give discount codes based on personality types, or play with other ways to bring revenue back into the pipeline.
Western Bulldogs
Every season, the Charles Sutton Medal is awarded to the “best and fairest” Western Bulldogs player. This year, the team decided to open the floor to fans with a digital campaign. Although the team will ultimately decide the winner, taking moments like these to let fan voices be heard is a great way to build trust and participation.
Featured Activation: People's Choice MVP
Fans were asked to select their top 5 contenders for the Charles Sutton Medal from the team roster. This campaign also gave the club further insight into their fans, with required fields like Postal Code and “Favourite Team” as part of the completion flow. It also was a great temperature test to see which players topped as fan favourites.
Key Takeaways
- There's always a way to take advantage of timing. Depending on your goals, use big milestones to gather fan data, prolong engagement, and encourage action from your fans.
- Bring personality to your campaigns. Sports fandom is all about the experience of calling out another team, of nicknames and slang and of community. The mantra, “if you know, you know” rings loudly around competitive pushes - so lean into it.
- Fan behaviour is teachable. By this we just mean that if your fans are used to engaging with you digitally, and have a clear understanding of where to engage with you, then you’ll have an advantage around large events & engagement opportunities. If you only come out full-force once a year, you’ll be missing out on the larger (and more engaged crowd) that you could build with more regular engagements.