CASE STUDY
The officialRONALDINHO APP
Our launch icon was the one and only Ronaldinho - a truly global star to kick off our mission to be one of the world’s most respected digital publishers while building focused, engaged communities.
Our launch icon was the one and only Ronaldinho - a truly global star to kick off our mission to be one of the world’s most respected digital publishers while building focused, engaged communities.
The Brazilian superstar and World Cup winner spreads happiness wherever he goes and he has been a joy to work with, from our launch shoot in Italy to memorable events as far afield as Tel Aviv and Atlanta.
The official Ronaldinho app acts as a central destination for all things Ronaldinho, with augmented reality features, exclusive, aggregated and AI-generated content, competitions, digital trading cards, live match centres and more.
Here's how we brought Ronaldinho closer to his fans...
The first step was to understand Ronaldinho's vision for the app and what he wanted to achieve with it.
We took plenty of time to sit down with him and really understand his goals for the project, which included creating a platform for him to connect with his fans and share exclusive content. We also discussed the benefits that having his own app would bring to him and his brand.
Once we had a clear understanding of Ronaldinho's vision, we got to work on the design and development of the app and moved on to the research phase of the project.
This included looking at the current market and identifying key audiences, as well as understanding user needs and preferences.
We conducted user testing to validate our assumptions about the app's design and features. We wanted to make sure that the app was not only visually stunning but also user-friendly and easy to navigate.
We worked closely with Ronaldinho to ensure that the app reflected his personal style and taste, while also incorporating all of the features he wanted.
The end result was a beautifully designed, feature-rich mobile app that allows Ronaldinho to connect with his fans in a whole new way.
He can now share exclusive content, such as videos, photos and updates, directly with his fans through the app.
He also has the ability to engage with his fans through interactive polls, live Q&A sessions and much more.
We are thrilled with the success of the app and the positive feedback we've received from both Ronaldinho and his fans.
But the benefits of creating his own app go beyond just connecting with his fans.
It also allows him to have direct control over his personal brand and the content shared, as well as open up new revenue streams through in-app purchases and sponsored content.
We partnered with augmented-reality platform ImagineAR to develop and launch a series of interactive AR filters featuring Ronaldinho.
Using content filmed at a green-screen shoot in Tel Aviv, we populated the official Ronaldinho app with video filters that enabled his fans to film themselves taking part in a variety of activities with their hero, from dancing and taking a selfie to lifting the World Cup and recording a message for a friend.
New filters were launched to capitalise on notable dates on the calendar, including Valentine's Day, and Ronaldinho's fans were able to share their AR videos via an integrated social media feed inside the app.
The launch of the R10 Lens was marked by an appearance on ESPN Brasil's Sportscenter by 'Ronaldinho' himself, when an AR version of the legend appeared on stage with ESPN hosts.
Ronaldinho is renowned for spreading joy wherever he goes. Thanks to the R10 Lens, he can now be with anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Ronaldinho rarely gives long interviews but he was more than happy to sit down and field questions from his devoted fans during a shoot in Dubai. One of the major benefits for celebrities who have their own app is the ability to communicate directly with their fans in a safe online space, and Roni was able to respond to all manner of questions - from the serious to the silly - that fans posted on his official app. His No 1 party guest? The origins of his no-look pass? His love for the NBA? His best goals and assists? It’s all here - plus a lot more.
One of the challenges of reaching Ronaldinho’s global fanbase is the need to deliver content in multiple languages. Brazilian-Portuguese is an obvious priority but we also developed the app in English and Spanish to make it accessible to more fans across the world. This strategy extended to our marquee content, including our podcasts. We celebrated Ronaldinho and Brazil’s 2002 World Cup triumph with separate recordings in Brazilian-Portuguese and English.
This allowed us to cover issues that chimed specifically with Brazilian listeners, and other themes that considered Roni from a broader perspective. Exclusive interviews with the man himself, plus his friend and fellow legend Roberto Carlos, were supplemented by expert analysis from some of the brightest minds in Brazilian football - Leonardo Bertozzi, Caio Carrieri and Rupert Fryer. Outstanding hosts in Marcus Speller and Raisa Simplicio, and a fine producer in Joel Grove, helped us to deliver a top-class product to a wide audience.
Ronaldinho spreads happiness wherever he goes, and in turn he’s greeted by crowds of adoring fans whenever he steps out in public. This reaches fever pitch at legends games, where Roni pulls on his kit to roll back the years alongside former teammates and other star names. We’ve delivered multi-camera shoots with Roni at matches in Tel Aviv and Atlanta, creating viral clips of him in action at stadiums and arenas - scoring goals, demonstrating outrageous skills and, of course, bringing joy to fans everywhere.
It’s every fan’s dream to meet Ronaldinho and, even better, to have a kickabout with him. So we launched a competition asking fans to respond to a video of Roni showing his skills with skills of their own. The response was overwhelming, and from a huge number of entries emerged a super-talented teenager from Tel Aviv. Ben Schneider wowed us - and Roni - with his ability, and Ben got to meet his hero at a shoot, where he was presented with a signed shirt while hanging out with Roni and demonstrating his ability in front of the legend himself. Ben has since moved to Italy, where he is on the books of Serie A giants AS Roma. Keep an eye out for him!