How a new tool helps DFL analyse social media impact and create added value for Bundesliga clubs and licences

14 May 2018 – Always looking to use technological innovation for advancement, the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga has developed a new analytics tool to improve performance off the pitch. The IPP (International Product Portfolio) Digital Services Analytics App has been designed with the objective to track Bundesliga content on social media platforms of national and international licensees, commercial partners and the clubs, and to derive implications based on quantifiable key performance indicators (KPIs) for operational product management and strategic product development.

As a matter of fact, the current situation requires the integration of more than 3,000 social media accounts across four platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube). This number already includes the social media presence of licensees, commercial partners, clubs, and players. They all need to be managed through the in-house business intelligence tool. A clear and specific marker for content publications provides the basis for the automated capture of relevant Bundesliga content (e.g. as a #hashtag).

A connection with a leading B2B portal as the main content distribution platform enables holistic analysis along the usage funnel, from downloading to publishing the content to analysing the generated engagement.

Performance-based evaluation ensues via the automated creation of customisable reports that may specifically be broken down for stakeholders (including licensees and clubs), products (such as campaigns), social media platforms (e.g., Facebook), and comprehensive sports league comparisons.

The added value gained by the application-oriented insights is multi-faceted and can be broken down into the following major areas:

  • Optimisation of existing digital products for international licensees
  • Discovery of untapped markets or areas of need for the development of new digital products
  • Global benchmarking regarding engagement in comparison with other sports leagues
  • Advising licensees and clubs on possibilities for an optimised international content publication