The SuperSport digital team and agency.

Frank says while the win took the SuperSport team by surprise, they’ve worked incredibly hard on their strategy and content over the years to build the SuperSport brand, so it’s really humbling to know others have noticed the work they’ve put into the product; a wonderful tribute to a consistent team effort.

Here’s a little more on what went into their digital win…

1. Tell us a little about your entry and the effort put into it.

Frank: We created a video explaining in detail how we do our digital and social content, showing the full 360-degree approach taken by the brand to deliver meaningful, real-time content to our audience. We focused on key social and digital media success metrics such as growth, engagement and sentiment – metrics our digital team has been measuring consistently throughout the course of the year. This award highlights the impact social media has on the SuperSport business as a whole and the growing relevance and importance of digital marketing for us as a brand as markets and technology continuously evolve.

2. What does it take to manage such a well-known local brand? Share some tips on getting this right.

Frank: Firstly, you’ve got to love and understand sport! Without that passion, your content will fall way short of the level of coverage sports fans expect from the SuperSport brand. Most of the primary sport matches we cover take place in the evening on weekdays and throughout the weekend, so you’ve got to really fully embrace it to achieve the best results. The nature of sport means we can only schedule a certain amount of content, so what really defines us is the real-time reactive content. What catches the audiences’ attention are fresh ideas and unique content, so we're always looking to push the boundaries and deliver engaging content at the right time for our audience.

3. Talk us through the state of digital work in SA.

Frank: Digital in SA is healthy, growing consistently and especially for big corporate brands, the resistance to change or the apprehension towards digital/social has decreased considerably. There are lots of brands delivering awesome, engaging content and we are happy to be playing in such an exciting space. SuperSport also has a big presence in Africa, with countries such as Nigeria and Kenya playing a key growth role, and we’re excited to explore more opportunities across the continent.

4. What’s next for the SuperSport brand that we can look forward to?

Frank: A big focus for us is the real-time distribution of video content across the relevant digital platforms. The sports rights environment is quite a turbulent one, so being able to differentiate our content and use the resources available is crucial to our 2016 strategy. Fans want to see those special moments and controversial decisions from matches, so we want to be the first place they look to find it, while also driving them to our live broadcast, website and Catch Up services to complete the circle. At the end of the day we are a broadcaster, so we will always ensure our content complements the live sport we show on our channels by extending the coverage online. Also, keep an eye on our Snapchat account (SuperSportTV) – we feel this platform is perfectly suited to explore the true meaning of sports ‘behind-the-scenes’.

That it is. You can also follow SuperSport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for further proof of how the brand is keeping up with all things digital.