Paid social media advertising is an increasingly important piece of the social media puzzle, but not all International Olympic Sports Federations (IFs) use it. Are they missing a trick?
FIBA began to integrate paid social media advertising in 2012. REDTORCH sat down with José Pages, Digital Content Senior Coordinator (Europe), to discuss FIBA’s strategies and success.
Defining our audiences
We usually target our audiences in countries and cities important to FIBA and/or relevant to its current competitions. However, over the past 2–3 years we’ve also experimented with trial and error to discover which audiences react to specific content and campaigns.
Choosing a platform
Facebook is still our main platform: it has a wider audience than most, and provides more options for targeting and delivering campaign objectives. We divert some budget to Instagram, but as a platform for paid advertising it’s not as flexible or cost-effective for us.
Deciding our budget
We have an annual baseline budget for big promotions and a variable one for new developments. Approximately 50% of budget is used for Facebook, 25% for Instagram, and 25% for experimenting on other platforms, e.g. YouTube and Twitter.
The key to success
Clear targeting. We know exactly who and what to target, and we define a clear set of campaign objectives.
Measuring success
This depends on the campaign and its objectives. We’re currently pushing video content, so the total number of views is important.
Our most successful campaign
The high-quality highlights video of Slovenian prodigy Luka Dončić’s first NBA season – costing just US $50 – went viral and was reposted by various websites such as Bleacher Report. Thanks to Luka’s exploding popularity due to him joining the NBA, the campaign reported a very low cost-per-engagement.
Our biggest challenges
1. The rising cost of paid advertising as its popularity grows on social media.
2. Knowing what platform your audiences will use next: you might invest in one platform only to find that your audiences are moving to others.
Advice for IFs
First, study and understand your audiences. Second, launch a short, high-quality, high-impact campaign… learn and adapt from this to find the sweet spot.
#SPORTONSOCIAL SURVEY
Social media enables IFs to tell inspiring stories and build valuable relationships with global audiences.
Enter REDTORCH’s 2019 #SportOnSocial Survey Report – results and analysis from the world’s most comprehensive survey benchmarking IF social media practice.
DID YOU KNOW?
60% of International Olympic Sports Federations do not use paid social media advertising
Of the IFs that use social media advertising, average monthly spend is US $1,575
CLICK HERE for more insights

Carolyn Johnson
Redtorch Comeback Queen. Not allowed to take part in family games at Christmas because ‘I take them too seriously…’
My most memorable sporting moment is…
When the Queen skydived into the London 2012 Opening Ceremony with 007.
I’m happiest when…
Skiing fast down a red on a bluebird day, preferably towards a log cabin that sells mulled wine.
The sports person that best represents me is…
Eddie the Eagle Edwards. I love to try new sports (tag rugby, softball, beach volleyball) but don’t necessarily have the ability to match. Probably won’t make it to an Olympics Games though.
The three things at the top of my bucket list are…
1. Complete the Three Peaks Challenge with my sister
2. Renovate a camper van and explore the UK’s hidden gems
3. Visit Japan (happy to accompany anyone to Tokyo 2020 if there’s a spare ticket going…)
A quote I try to live my life by is…
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu