Daley Blind was the key performer in Manchester United’s impressive win over Lecesiter City yesterday as they comfortably romped away to a 3-0 lead before their opponents pulled one back in the last quarter of the game. Blind strut about with panache, doing “the simple things very well” as the commentators put it.
Consistency and heart win plaudits at Old Trafford and the Stretford Enders have grown to like Daley Blind as a tactically astute and intelligent footballer whose efficiency mirrors that of his predecessor Michael Carrick.
Daley has slowly and steadily grown into a crowd favorite too, his boyish charm and robust performances helping his cause. Blind’s social marketing teams have also capitalized on his good fortune and are stealthily implanting his brand image via his Facebook page. Daley Blind is not just a utility player in Louis Van Gaal’s new look squad; he’s yet another poster boy from the Manchester United scheme of things.
Daley Blind’s facebook page is an epitome of balanced PR. There is no overzealous posting, no over the top reactions, no sell out status updates and no Mario Balotelli –esque wild stunts. He projects the image of a footballer keen to connect with his fans and his profile is managed as such.
The posts on his page are revolve around:
1) His love for Manchester United
There’s nothing a Man United fan would like more than see their players reveling in the fact that they represent the red half of Manchester. Daley Blind, whether injured or not makes it a point to convey his affection for his new employers.
2) Personalized Posts
Daley makes it a point to continue interacting with his ever growing fan base on a regular basis. Much unlike other football superstars, Daley Blind projects an image of humility. The Facebook page throws a positive spin on the human side of the United superstar. Seldom is this trend observed on other profiles.
Blind is seen as someone eager to learn the culture of Man United, eager to learn from Louis Van Gaal and eager to impress the fans.
3) Interactive fan posts!
Daley isn’t just a nice guy, he responds to fan mails as well!
The Public Relations team of Blind has ensured that his facet of his human nature is well advertised through social media.
And do fans love stars that patiently respond to fan mail? YOU BET!
In addition to responding to fan mail, Blind also has run 1 successful contest through his profile with an overwhelming response!
The contest saw Blind giving away a signed United jersey to anyone who could name their favorite Manchester United moment. An astonishing 8000 replies later, Blind announced the winner of the contest and narrated what he thought was his favorite United moment.
Any guesses? Have a look.
The contest was a smashing hit to say the least. Daley Blind was now a social media phenomenon.
His profile before his Man United days presents a different story though. Blind averaged a 1500 like per post ratio and all his posts were captioned in Dutch.
Even his ice bucket challenge short video generated about 1500 likes which is nominal, putting it unequivocally.
Daley Blind still adores Ajax and his profile still posts his visits to his boyhood club including his trip to watch his old boys take on the mighty Barcelona, a team where Daley beat the previous year while he was still playing for them.
The announcement of his imminent Manchester United deal saw an immediate spike through his ratings and his last post in Ajax colours thanking the club for their help saw an incredible 34,000 + likes and a almost 1000 comments.
It was Facebook’s way of introducing Daley Blind to the glamorous image one associates with a Manchester United superstar.
