With only days to go before the start of one of the most important sports events, the World Cup, NEORIS discusses how technology can help clubs turn fans into consumers.

The game of soccer is the passion that moves and unites people while also making enormous sums of money. According to the statistics portal Statista, during the last World Cup in 2018, FIFA declared revenues of more than 4.6 billion dollars, more than double what was reported in 2014 when Brazil hosted the tournament.

Much of this lucrative flow is thanks to the businesses that sponsor the competition, but this benefit is not only for global events. Selections, clubs, and even local leagues are also favored by sponsors whose brands are emblazoned on team shirts and press banners where players speak with journalists.

With only days to go before Qatar 2022 kicks off, the digital transformation company NEORIS discusses how a Data Driven model, in which strategic decisions are based on the analysis and interpretation of data, can strengthen the bond between soccer clubs and their fans and allow the teams to boost the business of their sponsors.

In this approach, Data Analytics is used to process information and use the results to make decisions including how to identify, monetize and retain fans. It allows us to generate an interesting added value for club sponsors, promote businesses that the club already has and even develop new benefits for the institution.

Today, teams have inexhaustible sources of data about their fans such as their interactions on social networks, online browsing habits, stadium attendance and even Internet searches. However, the problem business managers face is being unable to fully capitalize on the vast potential of this data.

At NEORIS we understand that the value of information is incalculable and that, in order to get the most out of it, it needs to be presented in the clearest way. For this reason, we create dashboards and strategic business insights in real-time. This allows the decision-making process to be more agile, placing within easier reach objectives such as conquering new audiences, optimizing ad sales in e-commerce, or attracting new sponsors.

Regarding applications for data analysis in Qatar 2022, we suggest several ideas. For example, if fans search Google for the name of a team, general statistics of the team can appear on the side of the screen such as games won, performance, or injured players. Similarly, it will be possible to see a particular member or the technical director. FIFA can know any location or tastes and based on that knowledge, offer to users on social networks, for example, the best plays by Messi.

NEORIS has already applied this Data Driven model for one of the top clubs in Colombia, as well as with a local Mexican tournament and even in one of the main soccer competitions in Spain, all with very good results: on average, it tripled the income of users via mobile in personalized ads, ad sales increased by 200% and monthly digital subscriptions increased by 10% and users increased by 80% in new marketing campaigns.