Real Madrid and FC Barcelona head-to-head in battle of social media

WaveMetrix show that while Barcelona beat Real Madrid in terms of numbers of Facebook fans and attracting positive buzz, Real Madrid have more Twitter fans and engage consumers to use their “Team news app”.

Spanish football clubs are using social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, to engage fans by providing content on their club in various languages. Barcelona currently have more Facebook fans than Real Madrid (6 million vs. 5 million), but Real Madrid have many more Twitter followers (750,000 vs. 75,000). Both clubs use a variety of social media content such as news and team updates, player interviews, game reports, competitions and mobile applications to engage consumers and build their fan base.

WaveMetrix social media monitoring shows that Barcelona and Real Madrid are level pegging in terms of social media success. Buzz levels are very high and discussion is very positive in sentiment for both teams. The favourite topic for fans of both teams is the players, followed by the latest games. Barcelona have a slight edge in positive buzz due to the “extraordinary” Lionel Messi driving positive player discussion. Real Madrid manages to attract a small amount of product discussion while Barcelona prompts more buzz about the Barcelona brand.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid discussion is very positive in sentiment:

Buzz is very positive in sentiment for both teams: Positive buzz for both teams is driven by their “great players” and the teams that are “the best in the world”. However, Lionel Messi is more successful than Cristiano Ronaldo at driving positive buzz for his team. Both Guardiola and Mourinho are equally well respected by their fans

There is a small amount of negative buzz for both teams: Negative Barcelona buzz is driven by the “disappointing result” against FC Copenhagen. Real Madrid negative buzz is from a few fans who “dislike” Ronaldo and Higuain or say the Hercules league game was “ugly”

The players are the favourite topic of consumers, followed by the latest games:

The favourite discussion topic for fans of both clubs is the players: Buzz about Barcelona players is extremely positive. Fans “love” Messi and his “extraordinary record of 62 goals in 62 games” and also mention Villa, Iniesta and Puyol as their “favourites”. Some Real Madrid fans say Di Maria and Higuain are “great players” and Cristiano Ronaldo “the greatest”. However, a few fans dislike Ronaldo who “doesn’t like playing for Madrid” and say Higuain is an “ugly player”

Fans comment on the latest Champions League games: Real Madrid fans are “supporting Real Madrid” against Milan and say the “whole of Europe” will “see Real Madrid win”. However, a few “didn’t like the Hercules league game”. Barcelona fans before the FC Copenhagen game said Barcelona “will win the game, and then the competition”. However, after the game fans are “sad” about the draw and say it is “the worst Barcelona have played in a long time”

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona fans say their club is the “best in the world”: However, Real Madrid buzz levels are relatively lower

Mourinho and Guardiola are equally well respected: Both sets of fans say their coach is “the best in the world”
Real Madrid provokes some buzz about its products: Fans want to use the new “Team news application”, but some complain “it isn’t available for Google Chrome”.

Source: wave.wavemetrics.com