The success case of Rafa Márquez

When the opportunity to work in the marketing and communications strategies for Mexican Football/soccer player Rafa Marquez came up, there was a second of silence in the office. The silence was because Rafa, former Barcelona FC star and Mexican national team captain had suffered a serious injury in previous weeks and he would not be able to play in the Olympics or with his team, the New York Red Bulls for at least two months. But we were not about to let this opportunity slip, and the gamble paid off in no time. Today, the newly created Rafa Marquez Fan Page has 450 thousand fans and over 25 thousand weekly interactions. How do you create such a buzz when what a brand sells is not available? These are some tips from InPulse Digital. Anything else you know how to do? Since the Olympic Games were such a great opportunity, we suggested for Rafa to comment on the national soccer team’s matches and other competitions with Mexican athletes. These posts with Rafa as “Official Commentator of the Olympic Game” had great receptions and generated a lot of interaction and debate among fans. Don’t go out of sight. Rafa was going to be out of the field for a while, but it was essential that he would not go away in the minds of his fans. Different campaigns and posts were implemented to show the athlete in his daily life, going to his doctor’s appointments, and cheering for his New York Red Bulls teammates. This kept Rafa visible for his fans and amounted to an average 35 thousand monthly visits since the campaign began. If you can’t beat them, make them join your page. Facebook Pages claiming to be Rafa Marquez were identified and an official petition to migrate these fans was placed through Facebook. This process gave the Official Page hundreds of thousand new fans. Look for new facets.  Fans really appreciate when someone they follow, shows them a new side they didn’t know. In Rafa’s case, we put the spotlight on his charity work for both, his Rafa Marquez Children Center, as well as his collaboration with other organizations. Pamper them once in a while. Fans may declare their unconditional love towards a star, but it’s always good to show a little appreciation. For Rafa Marquez, several sweepstakes and actions were implemented where autographed jerseys were given away, fans pics were included in the player’s albums and a special banner commemorating 400 thousand fans was created. Now we´re working on a new marketing action, which is already a hit: “What can you do with a ball?”. Through a call to action in his official Faceook page, Rafa’s fans sent their videos showcasing their skills with a ball. The videos can be viewed in the player’s official YouTube channel and fans are already voting for their favorite participant, who will win a ball and jersey autographed by Rafa.