Engagement and Follower Growth: Social Media Strategies of Swiss Athletes at the Paris Olympics

Abstract

Introduction Social media platforms enable athletes to market themselves and engage with the public, bypassing traditional media gatekeepers. Understanding the factors driving engagement and follower growth on social media during high-visibility events is critical for athletes to leverage their athletic performance for brand growth and endorsement opportunities (Bredikhina et al., 2023; Su et al., 2020). This study investigates how athletic performance and social media behavior influence engagement and follower growth on Instagram among Swiss athletes during the Summer Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

Methods The Instagram activity of the 128-member Swiss Olympic delegation to Paris 2024 was analyzed, focusing on posts made during the 2024 Olympics. Instagram was selected due to its large user base in Switzerland (Kemp, 2024) and as all but one of the delegation members held an Instagram account. Follower growth was calculated and the top-performing athletes, including medalists and the top ten in follower growth metrics, were selected for a detailed analysis. In total, 183 posts of 21 athletes were coded for post type, likes, comments, engagement rate, visual elements, caption themes and collaborations. Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between engagement metrics, follower growth, post type and frequency, as well as Olympic results.

Results Athletic performance positively correlated with engagement rate (r = .288, p < .01). Comments showed a moderate positive correlation with follower growth (r = .508, p < .05) and post frequency (r = .603, p < .05). However, post frequency negatively correlated with the percentage of follower growth (r = −.442, p < .05). Notably, post type and athletic performance were negatively correlated (r = −.214, p < .05). No significant correlations were found between athletic results and overall follower growth. However, it must be noted that these analyses are based on a subset of the delegation and may not reflect the entire delegation, but rather only the top performers.

Discussion/Conclusion These results suggest that athletes should prioritize engagement-driving posts over frequency and that photos can be just as valuable as reels if they capture the right moments highlighting celebratory moments and personal growth. Additionally, athletic performance does not guarantee follower growth, increasing post-performance engagement is crucial. This research extends understanding of the factors contributing to follower growth. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of leveraging such events on the athletes’ brands and the potential economic growth this leverage brings.

References

Bredikhina, N., Gupta, K., & Kunkel, T. (2023). Superboosting the athlete social media brand: Events as an opportunity for follower growth. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(6), 1819–1842. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2022.2074497

Kemp, S. (2024). Digital 2024: Switzerland. Kepios. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-switzerland

Su, Y., Baker, B. J., Doyle, J. P., & Kunkel, T. (2020). The rise of an athlete brand: Factors influencing the social media following of athletes. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 29(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.32731/smq.291.302020.03