Mailman has officially launched the Red Card 2020: China Digital Football Awards report.
In its 9th year of publication, the annual Red Card report reveals the most influential European football clubs, leagues, and players online in China. The headline awards were assessed by Mailman’s traditional metrics, and the 10 digital awards were judged by a specifically selected panel of 10 industry experts in China across agencies, broadcasters, media, and consultancies. This year also saw the introduction of the Weibo Award and Douyin Award, which were selected by the platforms themselves.
REPORT WINNERS:
Number One Club Online: FC Barcelona
Number One League Online: Premier League
Number One Player Online: Cristiano Ronaldo
DIGITAL AWARD WINNERS:
Best Fan Event: FC Bayern Munich
Best China Tour: Tottenham Hotspur
Best Original Video: Chelsea FC
Best Sponsorship: iQIYI
Best CSR Project: AIA
Best Grassroots Project: La Liga
Best Use of Influencers: Manchester United
Best Use of Technology: Paris Saint-Germain
Best Use of Design: FIFA
Best Use of Fan Clubs: Borussia Dortmund
PLATFORM AWARD WINNERS:
Weibo Award: Chelsea FC
Most Viewed Video on Douyin Award: Paris Saint-Germain
THE REPORT RANKED THE PERFORMANCE OF OVER 80 EUROPEAN TEAMS. THE TOP FIVE WERE AS FOLLOWS:
1st. FC Barcelona
2nd. Real Madrid
3rd. Chelsea FC
4th. Manchester City
5th. Manchester United & Juventus
English Premier League’s Winning Year:
Most followed football league on Weibo
Most engaged football league on Weibo - 2x higher than second place
Surpassed 1 million followers on Douyin - the first football league to do so
Highest average reads on WeChat - 70% higher than second place
Most followed league on Toutiao
Richard Masters, Premier League Chief Executive: “To receive this Red Card award for the second year running is a great honour and testament to the Premier League and our clubs’ loyal fanbase in China. We witnessed their passionate support during last year’s successful Premier League Asia Trophy in Nanjing and Shanghai, something that has been reflected by the growing popularity of our digital coverage in the country.
Through our dedicated content team we have delivered innovative and compelling content across key platforms such as Douyin and Weibo, while the tournament itself also provided a valuable opportunity to offer promotional support for PP Sports, as we officially launched our broadcast partnership with them. We are committed to developing our digital presence in China and bringing the Premier League closer to millions of fans in the country.”
Barcelona’s Winning Year
Highest engagement rate on Weibo
Highest total impressions on Weibo
Most engaged football club on Douyin
Launched Barca Academy China Cup
Renewed OPPO partnership with exclusive smartphone
Dídac Lee, FC Barcelona Board Member: “We’re delighted to accept the award for Number 1 Club online in China as part of the Red Card awards for 2020. It’s a testament to the effort, teamwork and innovation of all of those involved with FC Barcelona in China. All Barça fans around the world have something in common – a love and passion for the Club, shared values and the way we play football.
Our challenge is to create content for China that is bespoke to the ever-evolving digital landscape, culture and habits of this market and we’re proud to be recognised for outstanding fan growth and engagement.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Winning Year
Most engaged player on Weibo 2.7 million total engagement, 2.5x higher than Messi (2nd)
Most followed player on Weibo with 6.6 million followers
Most followed foreign player on Toutiao
Partnership deals with Seven Brand and Anmuxi
Cristiano Ronaldo: “I am very pleased with this award. I know that I have a huge part of fans in China and it means a lot to be on top of the table for the second year in a row. Thank you very much for this, it’s a pleasure to be with you all.”
Andrew Collins, Mailman Group CEO: “We saw 100% year-on-year growth in followers on Weibo and a 45% increase in engagement across the world’s biggest teams this past year as football fast becomes more socially relevant and digitally friendly on China’s major platforms. There were 16.3 million new followers on Weibo across the top clubs, with more than 20 teams now engaging their fans on Douyin as digital continued to explode in China over the past 12 months.”
Methodology: The online performances were assessed according to eight different metrics. The data analysed was collected between January 1st 2019 - December 31st 2019. The platforms selected for analysis were determined according to relevance in connecting with Chinese football fans and their popularity in China’s current digital landscape.
Download the full report for free here
ABOUT MAILMAN
Headquartered in Shanghai, China, Mailman is a global sports digital consultancy and agency. We help the world’s leading sports organisations serve their audiences and build their businesses. With over 200 experts across the globe, we specialise in digital strategy, transformation, social media, content production, and eCommerce.
For further information, please contact:
Denis Green
denis@mailmangroup.com +86 16602182243
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