Challenge
One year after launching their Facebook page and amassing 292,525 likes, Atlético Mineiro was not satisfied with their reach or fan engagement. They risked falling behind other clubs without a strong boost to their fan growth and social interaction. Complicating the situation, the campaign period coincided with Brazil’s Carnaval, a time when many people are on vacation or traveling, adding a challenge to gaining traction.
Solution
Atlético Mineiro used Wishpond’s easy-to-use Social Sweepstakes platform to run a short, focused campaign giving away a pre-release jersey. The club used minimal additional advertising, relying on the highly viral nature of Wishpond’s Social Sweepstakes to organically spread the campaign through Facebook. The simple contest question, “Who wants to be the first one wearing our new jersey?” created buzz and excitement, engaging their fans effectively despite their inexperience in running Facebook contests and the timing during Carnaval.
Results
Within just 11 days, the campaign reached almost 40% of Atlético Mineiro’s existing Facebook fans and generated 15,000 new fans. Fan engagement soared, reviving excitement around the club’s social media presence. The success proved that even with limited experience, being an underdog, and challenging seasonal timing, impactful social marketing campaigns could achieve rapid growth and engagement.
Why Wishpond?
Atlético Mineiro chose Wishpond because of its simple, user-friendly Social Sweepstakes tool that allowed the club to easily create, launch, and manage a highly effective campaign despite their lack of contest experience. Wishpond’s platform enabled the club to leverage the viral power of social promotions with minimal advertising investment. The success during a difficult period like Carnaval demonstrated Wishpond's reliability and effectiveness in rapidly boosting fan counts and engagement for sports brands.
