In the fast-paced world of football, connecting with fans means more than just cheering in the stadium. Clubs now live online, building huge communities through social media. Yet, some big names seem to be missing a trick. Benfica, a club steeped in history and known for its massive fanbase, recently faced sharp words from a presidential hopeful about its digital game.
Martim Mayer, who hopes to lead Benfica after the elections on October 25, just put out a statement. He called it, “Benfica: So Much to Do in Digital.” In this message, the businessman didn’t hold back. He thinks Benfica has fallen behind other clubs in Portugal when it comes to social media outreach. This feels like a huge missed chance for a club of Benfica’s standing.
Mayer pointed to some surprising numbers. Over the last four years, Benfica has created fewer ads on Meta platforms than any other major club in Portugal. That seems odd, given how much the digital world has grown. For example, Sporting launched 320 ads in those four years, with 26 still active right now. FC Porto put out 270 ads and has 13 active. Even Braga, another strong club, outdid Benfica with 230 ads, and 12 are currently live.
Benfica, on the other hand, only created 120 ads. Right now, only five of those are active. All five are promoting the Cosme Damião Museum and stadium tours. What’s more, in July, Benfica had no active ads at all. It makes you wonder if the club is really making the most of its online presence.
Mayer, whose grandfather Borges Coutinho was a famous Benfica president, believes the club isn’t using its digital power. He sees millions of potential fans ready to connect. On Meta alone, there are 2.2 million people in Spain interested in Benfica. Brazil has a huge 5.4 million, the United States 3.4 million, and France 1.1 million. These numbers show a massive, untapped global audience.
Consider TikTok, a platform built purely for fun and entertainment. Out of the top 200 brands there, only 17 are not sports-related. Most are football clubs, leagues, or competitions. Mayer stressed that clubs need to think about this in a very business-like way. It’s about a 360-degree global business strategy, and Benfica isn’t doing that professionally enough yet.
So, how can Benfica fix this? Mayer thinks the answer is simple: get serious about digital communication. He suggested focusing on digital business, hiring dedicated directors, professionals, and teams. These people would think and act professionally on the digital front. They’d set clear goals, always putting financial returns first.
Mayer believes that by 2025, simply having a lot of fans isn’t enough. The real value comes from what a club can create with the community it has built. He means turning the strong Benfica brand into a source of income through products and services. With some smart spending, and using the huge fan base that’s been growing since 2009, reaching potential customers online should be easy. The ability to target specific groups, combined with the power of the Benfica brand, can bring in serious money.
Digital technology has completely changed how everyone talks and connects. Mayer brought up TikTok again as a perfect example. When it arrived in Europe in 2019, TikTok wanted to gather as many people as possible on its platform to start making money. The fastest way to do this was to get football clubs and their fans on board.
Benfica, with its six million fans, could have been a perfect fit, just like Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Manchester United. But at that time, TikTok didn’t have enough money to pay every club in Europe. They could only invest in one. That pioneer club, the one that saw the opportunity first, was Bayern Munich. It makes you think about the chances Benfica might have missed, and the ones it still can’t afford to let slip by.