Football Sites Network or how to fight at a TV to capture fans in Brazil 2014

“Passion of crowds” live their glory days with the World Cup fervor on the surface and a few days of the global football fiesta appointment of nothing more and nothing less than in Latin America, between continents and most passionate fans this sport. All that the world generates about business, marketing, advertising and content consumption this year are crossed by a phenomenon which, although it had been seen in the past world, especially Africa 2010 – this year promises to be even more explosive.

The increase in sales of smartphones, tablets and consumption of multiscreen content waiting to be stars of Brazil 2014 and the industry expects to be in tune with the challenge of the expectant audience of millions of people to follow step by step the event that more global attention generated.

Is it possible to battle from online platforms to large media corporations, signals and channels that have the exclusive broadcast rights to the games? Federico Grinberg and Nahuel Pan, creators of Football Sites Network, a network of football sites in Latin America, pointing to the strategy of differentiated content.

Both partners, with experience in online media and monetization of sites founded the platform in order to group the most important sites of football of Argentina and thus giving shape to a network which can be accessed by advertising agencies and companies with the idea of scheduling and planning efficient campaigns. The success of the platform led them to expand the business to the rest of the region (Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile) and commercially now represent 80 sites to produce content for 30 of them, representing 80% of total traffic.

Under the Digital Fest 2014 Grinberg explained the strategy of the platform for the World Cup:

How does Clarisa Herrera plan to the strategy of content for the coverage of the World Cup?

Federico Grinberg represents sites of football first of all for the fans of clubs in each country also produce sites of fans of teams from each country (Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Mexico, Colombia) and we also produce portals of football in general. By producing multiple sites we will make their own coverage in Brazil with very special envoys mainly multimedia, photos, video, specific to each of these sites. For example, in the case of local fans in each country we will find fans of River, Boca fans look, the America of Mexico that are in the World and create relevant content for the of each country. In the case of the selections we will look fans of each country to generate relevant content for different Latin American teams.

How do you compete with media giants that have broadcast rights to the games?

Our focus in terms of content is in the color of the World, in passion. For us it is impossible to compete with broadcasters or large multimedia having 15 cameras inside a stadium. Our world is the world of the fans, what happens in the stands, the fans in the stadium, in the streets, at the airport, all that the World does not travel can not see we want to transmit to the audience. We have over ten years of experience showing that side of the football.

The hearing will usually World differ from that commonly follows football is it so in your view?

It should also clarify that the fan-mostly in Argentina, not only fans but also the selection of the local teams. It is they who come every day to the pages to see what happens with its football team. That’s a floor visits we have. Then add related to the worldwide fans which are often casual, grows also very much women’s participation: have an average audience of 85% men and 15% of women, would say you that in the world that is turned. Women tend to participate more, seeking information, pictures, and videos.

That fan interest in their clubs also takes place in the rest of the region?

If this interest is mainly in Brazil, Chile and Colombia but the rates of users that enter daily and the level of engagement and bigotry that occurs with local clubs in Argentina is unique.

Expected to be “the mobile World” on how prepare for it considering that in South Africa dramatically increased mobile traffic levels?

Clearly if we have to compare it to the finals in South Africa minimally mobile visits are to triple or quadruple. In terms of audience also obviously related to how the Internet audience grew in the region and smartphones. We recently updated all sites to have their responsive version because the monetization of mobile applications in the region is still quite complex; we are still a concrete return so we focus on mobile sites. Since recently we are offering to the market much more interactive options for mobile rich media sites.

Recently we talked with experts in video that highlighted a similar situation regarding the complexity of monetizing video Latam well do you share?

Somehow this will be the World of mobile and mobile exploded: 40% of our traffic is mobile, but it is a reality to product level, it is not really a commercial level. A commercially selling mobile is very low in the region, is a sale of performance when they should be sold as branding. We are a medium that sells branding campaigns. There are very few mobile branding campaigns and advertisers are not buying mobile branding campaigns as they came to buy.

Why do you think this happens?

There are many advertisers branding do not buy mobile because they have mobile sites because maybe the media offered the latest methods of rich media for mobile and banners do not consider that generate the same impact web but there is another phenomenon: they are so bad connections Internet in the region not to allow these ads to run on mobile phones and this delays investment in these formats in Latam, which does not happen in the U.S., where investment in mobile is huge.

Is it possible to improve the situation in the medium term?

Four years ago it is said that is the year of mobile advertising, connections are getting worse, not better until it is difficult that may have impact on mobile formats such as rich media. We need to evangelize to agencies and clients in the possibilities of the medium; the geotargeting is a challenge for the media. But back to the above, if the connection fails, the effort is in vain.