Following a 3-month hiatus due to injury, Canada’s teenage tennis sensation Bianca Andreescu has joined here teammates in a Federation Cup tie this weekend in Switzerland.
Andreescu’s absence from the tennis courts has certainly not diminished her engagement with her fans. In fact, her social media following rose by a staggering 585% in the past six months, since winning the Rogers Cup in Toronto and, subsequently, the US Open, her first Grand Slam victory. Since that win at Flushing Meadow last September, the 19-year-old phenom has become a social media heavyweight, capable of commanding more than (US) $35,000 per social media post, according to a recent study by data research firm Neilsen Sports.
“Bianca is one of the first Canadian stars that has really embraced social media”, said Nick Farnborough, co-founder of Clavis Social, a social media marketing firm in Toronto. “She comes across in a very likeable, engaging and humorous way, which has garnered a lot of mainstream and social media attention as well.”
Farnborough suggests that Andreescu’s period of inactivity has not been a detriment to her social media following. In fact, it may have contributed to her meteoric rise in the specialized category of social media value.
“Bianca doesn’t need to be playing to interact with her fans”, Farnborough explained. “She’s had big media moments (away from the court), for instance, where she was at a Raptors game that was broadcast across multiple networks. She’s picking up 10,000 Instagram followers a month still, six months after her win.”
Farnborough pointed out that Andreescu has one of the highest engagement rates ever seen amongst Canadian influencers. From over 700,000 followers on Instagram, she commands an average 79,000 likes on her posts, almost unheard of in terms of corporate or personality engagement.
“Bianca’s posting and engaging almost every day, having a real conversation with her fans, which is very organic”, said Farnborough.
As Andreescu makes her return to competitive tennis and begins challenging for titles once again, it would stand to reason that her social media value will continue to rise exponentially, opening up limitless branding and endorsement opportunities for the soon to be 20-year-old Canadian, both within and beyond the sports domain.
Photo Courtesy: toronto.ctvnews.ca
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