AFC, NFC Finalists Create 371.9M Impressions During Conference Championship Week
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On conference championship Sunday, one home team coasted to an easy victory while the other needed a field goal on the game’s penultimate play to secure a win. But despite varied paths to success, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have punched their tickets to Super Bowl LVII. And in just over a week’s time, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, will play host to the matchup of top-seeded teams for football’s most coveted prize, the Lombardi Trophy. Along their playoff journeys, each organization has shared a bevy of content on their owned social media channels chronicling highlights, updates, and ultimately celebrations. For the third installment of our NFL playoffs social series, we examined text, image, and video content for all four conference finalists – including the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers – throughout the seven days ending January 31. MVP’s analysis revealed the collective created 371.9 million total impressions, with Sunday’s victors unsurprisingly garnering the lion’s share.
During a relatively comfortable win in the Divisional Round against Jacksonville to reach their fifth consecutive AFC Championship game, Kansas City failed to generate significant interest across its social media channels – perhaps because the win was almost expected in NFL circles. But just a week after finishing in the bottom half of our post value rankings among eight teams in action, the Chiefs rose to the No. 1 spot following their thrilling triumph over Cincinnati. Their $2.5M worth of post value was a 42.3% week-over-week increase and represented 36.3% of the conference finalists’ overall total. Similarly, the Chiefs outpaced all of their counterparts in total impressions by 36.4%, amassing 135.5M during the period. They were the only team to experience weekly improvement in both metrics. Notably, Kansas City also led in average post value. The Chiefs’ $9,421 worth of value per post was at least 50.7% more than any other team received.
Not to be completely outdone, the Eagles’ victory riled emotion among their passionate fan base and resulted in 7.98 million total engagements – a metric Philadelphia led for the second consecutive week. Furthermore, their latest total was 48% higher than it was during the Divisional Round. The Eagles also increased their engagement rate by more than 20% – finishing the week with an overall rate of 4.26% – but their post value dipped by 7.5% to $2.08M. Remarkably, despite their narrow loss, the Bengals again topped all teams with an engagement rate of 8.38%.
Unquestionably, the week’s most compelling contest was played at Arrowhead Stadium. After Philadelphia dispatched a shorthanded San Francisco side, all eyes shifted to Kansas City for a rematch of last year’s AFC title game. With revenge on their mind, the Chiefs staved off a valiant effort from Joe Burrow and the Bengals to emerge victorious on the game’s final series. And partially as a result of the prime time billing and sustained suspense, the Chiefs-Bengals pairing was responsible for more engagements, impressions, and post value than the NFC duo. Most impressively, their 217.9M combined impressions pipped the Eagles and 49ers’ aggregate by 41.5%. They also earned 33.3% more post value and 8.7% more engagements.
Another trend our analysis revealed was one that has been consistent throughout the postseason. Winning teams perform better on social media than their foils. The contrast this week was stark. Not only did the Chiefs and Eagles finish 1-2 – in some order – in every social metric other than engagement rate, but their collective totals were remarkably higher than the Bengals and 49ers’ combined figures. The eventual Super Bowl combatants’ $4.58M worth of post value last week exceeded the conference runners-up’ tally by 98% and their engagements total was 78.1% higher. Included in the losing teams’ total was Cincinnati’s $1.44M worth of post value, a 40% week-over-week drop, further cementing the negative correlation between losing on the field and a poor performance online.
During the Divisional Round, post value shares across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter leveled relative to Wild Card Weekend, with each platform accounting for at least 30.4% of the total value and none receiving more than 36.8%. But after dipping from the first week to the second, Twitter flexed its muscle as content shared on the app received 41.5% of the $6.89M in overall post value this past week. Twitter’s $2.86M total was largely due to the AFC’s Chiefs and Bengals collectively earning 54% of their respective post value on the app. Conversely, the NFC pair of Philadelphia and San Francisco managed to generate only 24% of their total post value on Twitter. Another reason for Twitter’s spike was it hosting the most valuable content for Cincinnati, Kansas City, and San Francisco, with a simple text post from the Chiefs earning $245.3K worth of value to lead the way.
Nevertheless, Instagram once again dominated the engagements rankings. For the third straight week, team IG content was responsible for 75% of all engagements. On only 190 posts, posts on the app accounted for 18.2 million total engagements. Finally, Facebook finished second in each of the metrics we examined.
The Chiefs and Eagles have reached the sport’s mountaintop, but only one will be able to enjoy the view after the final whistle next Sunday. Both teams will arrive in Glendale in the coming days, bringing with them thousands of fans and countless dreams of glory. Throughout next week, as the teams make final preparations for the big game, MVP will provide daily NFL content pertaining to the organizations, Super Bowl, NFL, and how we can uniquely measure media value using our omnichannel platform. Stay connected with us here and on social media for insights you will not find anywhere else.
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