Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

1. Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media
Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online
http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Chapter 8 - Social Media
Case Study Chapter 8: Decathlon Italy (IT)
A campaign encouraging current and potential customers to share their passion for sports.
Image - decathlon.it home page, reproduced with kind permission of Decathlon
Overview
Founded in 1976, Decathlon is one of the world’s largest sporting good retailers, with over 850
storesin22 countries.InkeepingwithDecathlon’smissionstatement, "To encourageparticipationin
sport and make the pleasures and benefits of sport available to the many", Decathlon’s Italian
subsidiarylaunchedacampaignof theirownto encourage currentand potential customers to share
their passion for sports.
The campaign was intended to motivate niche sports fans by putting them in touch with the
champions within their particular niche sport. Taking celebrity endorsement a step beyond its
traditional application,DecathlonIThiredanumberof niche sports practitioners as employees who
were then encouraged to share their passion within Decathlon’s community.
A Facebookfanpage was the platformforexpressionof opinionsandemotionswithinthe Decathlon
community. The fan page was unique, thanks to the “Ask a Champion” session, through which
people couldinteractwith professionals from their particular niche sport. The fan page celebrated
all of the sports usually ignored by traditional media, so as to provide niche customers with the

2. Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media
Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online
http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
motivational drivetopractice (andbuythe apparel).Moreover,mostof those customers felt for the
first time as though their sport received a worthy national reception.
The Campaign aims included:
● Acquiring new customers among niche sports practitioners
● Inspiring a sense of community around the Decathlon IT brand
● Obtainingthe support of niche sports celebrities by hiring them as employees (far beyond
the simple endorsement)
● Creatingempathybetweencustomersandstaff members,perceived as niche-sports fellow
practitioners and even idols
Implementation
The campaign was conceived, managed and delivered by Redomino, a Digital Marketing firm
established in Turin.
The very first phase involved photography. Even before taking control of the company Facebook
account and YouTube channel, many significant pictures were shot all around Italy, to depict the
remarkable varietyof specificitemsforsecondarysports sold in Decathlon shops (like curling, soft-
air shooting and even sumo). Those pictures were the essential Content Marketing material. The
imageswere associatedwithwrittensentenceslike“In Decathlon,no sportis left behind” and “More
than you can think of”.
Decathlon YouTube video campaign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlinqxS3Kew

3. Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media
Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online
http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The next step was suggesting the company hire current and former niche sports practitioners as
employees.Decathlonlikedandapprovedthe idea.Fortunately,the company was going through an
expansionperiod,sothe athleteswere hired nation-wide without firing any current staff member.
The third step was taking over management of the Decathlon Facebook account and YouTube
channel. In 2011, the Facebook account was promoted through a landing tab attracting likes, while
relevant videos were uploaded on the YouTube channel. Most of the videos were “double
interviews”, a split-screen simultaneous interview addressed to a couple of guests who would
answerthe same question(thisformathadbeenverysuccessful inItaliantelevisioninrecentyears).
Obviously, the protagonists of those double interviews were couples of the same niche
athletes/employeesfromdifferentregionsof Italy(the importance of the national unity spirit was a
side-message appreciated by many). Furthermore, YouTube videos provided viewers with
conversational advice(notproductspromotion)aboutthe equipmentchoices related to a particular
sports (such as martial arts or sailing).
The fourth phase was organising an email marketing campaign, through newsletters oriented to
Conversational Marketing. Thus, no purchase offer was presented to recipients.
Redomino worked on social media engagement and monitoring for four years, during which the
fans/customers passionately and directly engaged with the athletes/employees.
Results
The Italian marketcontributedtothe world-wide salesincrease of 10.6% in 2014. Data revealed that
secondary-sports sales in Italy dominated the main-sports sales in 2013, which increased as well.
While Decathlon was raising its sales and maintaining leadership within the Italian market, the
sports-equipment retail sector generally decreased by -0.8% in 2011.
In 2011, a significant increase in sports practice was detected in the areas of Decathlon store
openings. Around one million Facebook likes were registered at the end of 2014.
Further Information
● http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/economia/2011-11-08/decathlon-modello-ikea-sport-
064052.shtml?uuid=AaBcmeJE
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlinqxS3Kew
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z731s2N8FHg
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOqWb95ujKA&index=1&list=PL366EHidTFLwaqzkjPjdz
Mi8JM2kYqXm7
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp0aQOJy4_Y&list=PLFE061E425BBD34CB
● http://redomino.com/decathlon/

4. Source: Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., Rashid, T., & Cruz, A. (Eds.). (2017). Digital and Social Media
Marketing: A Results-Driven Approach. Routledge. Accessible online
http://mastersindigitalmarketing.org/book/ #passion4digital This work is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
● https://it-it.facebook.com/decathlon.italia?ref=ts
Discussion Questions
1. What isthe social mediamarketingpotentialof niche offerings, consumer sub-cultures and
specific passions?
2. What isthe impactof Facebookinteractioninestablishingrelationshipsbetween customers
and staff members?
3. What do you think about the implementation phase? Is there something different or
somethingmore youwouldhave done toachieve the results? For example, a change to the
content types?
Class Activities
1. Picka businesssectorandbrainstormside-messagesandvaluesthatcanbe inspiredthrough
a social media campaign.