The club has invested heavily in its digital operation as they shift from sports organization to entertainment company.
The introduction of digital media has added a new element to the idea of sport and entertainment. Teams across all sports have invested heavily in creating unique content to engage their supporters over and above the product on the pitch. These investments have resulted in larger audiences and increased brand awareness.
Inter Milan recently announced their surpassing of 7 million fans on Facebook. The milestone is the result of an increased focus on content alignment with overall brand strategy. Inter Media House, the club’s media arm, has seen their engagement stretch from Indonesia through to Brazil. An impressive feat for an Italian club battling for market share with cross-town rivals, AC Milan.
Facebook has been the strategic outlet of choice for Inter Media House with their content being created specifically for the platform.
In a recent statement by the club’s media team, they mentioned that “Facebook offers the ideal environment for videos allowing fans to keep a close eye on the football side of things.” Inter Media House also noted that they use the platform to, “provide youth academy news, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the Suning Training Center, and additional features from the team such as their recent production of ‘Inter Bells.’”
The focus on digital media strategy and the provision of resources to produce quality content has marked a shift of the club to truly become a modern entertainment company.
“Inter is not just a football club but [also] a modern media company. Through Inter TV and our social media presence, we try to produce exclusive content that can be tailored to match the style required by a specific media channel as closely as possible. The aim of all of this is to improve the user experience of the content we produce,” explained, Giuliano Giorgetti, Director of Media Content, “At Inter Media House, we have a team dedicating all of their time to just producing content, overseeing both the creative and technical sides of the process, and sharing it with the entire Inter community.”
No longer is the product on the pitch enough for the majority of fans. As clubs look to engage supporters of all ages, the importance of digital media increases. The investments of time and money by Inter Milan to create in-house, digital content prove this to be true.
#InterIsComing
This piece has been presented to you by SMU’s Master of Science in Sport Management.
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