The Upside Newsletter
The Upside Newsletter
⚽ Upside Chat with Martin Jaglin, Digital Growth Director, LFP (French football league)
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⚽ Upside Chat with Martin Jaglin, Digital Growth Director, LFP (French football league)

Today we have the honor of interviewing Martin Jaglin, the Digital Growth Director at the LFP (Ligue de Football Professionnel). Martin is also the co-founder of MPG - MonPetitGazon, one of Europe's largest fantasy games, recently acquired by LFP,  where he’s now in charge of Digital Growth, solidifying Martin's reputation as an influential figure in the French Tech industry.

Martin is a Tech expert with over 20 years of experience. He holds degrees from Dauphine and Sorbonne Universities in Paris and his career has spanned various leadership roles in the digital industry (CEO of a Mobile App Agency, Executive Committee member of a 400-person Digital Agency (quoted), Head of Data/CRM at Publicis Paris….). Martin is also the author of the book "The Ten Commandments of Interactive Marketing". He is a co-founder of MPG.

As illustrated below, the LFP offers 5 main digital products: the official league app, MPP, MPG (MontPetitGazon), COACH LIGUE 1 (NFT Fantasy app), PLAY LIGUE 1 (collect goal video app). You can see below their respective features, targeted audiences, and launch dates.

Here are below the pictures of those respective apps:

Here is a video showcasing the LFP digital products:

Video: LFP

📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on his background, his role at the LFP, his product, the key success factors to launch a sports digital platforms and his plans for the next 12 months.

You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Martin located at the top of this blog post.

Here are some of the best quotes of our conversation with Martin:

On his background and how he come up with the idea of launching MPG:

"I have been working in the tech industry for the last 20 years. I began working for some agencies, helping brands develop apps, websites, CRM systems, and programmatic ads. With two friends who were my colleagues, we decided to develop our own app. It started in 2011 as a side project—we didn’t quit our jobs but worked hard during nights and weekends for a year. After that year, we had an MVP that we could test with users. From there, word of mouth led to rapid growth, and we ended up with 200,000 players after five years. It was incredible to see how just one player enjoying the game could spread it among their friends."

On why the LFP decided to acquire his company:

"The investment fund CVC wanted to help the French league develop quickly and become more customer-centric. They saw an opportunity in acquiring MPG because we had built the largest football fan base in France, with around 4 million users. It was a strategic move for the league to connect better with fans and offer them different ways to engage with football, and leverage our existing community and expertise."

On his role at the LFP and the digital product his is responsible for:

"Now, at the LFP, I have two main responsibilities. First, I'm focused on developing MPG, our fantasy football game, to enhance the user experience and expand its reach. Secondly, I lead the efforts to create brand new platforms that connect football fans with the league. This dual focus allows us to combine our existing fan engagement strategies with innovative digital solutions that can improve how fans interact with the sport."

On the benefits for its customers/end users to use his product, and what his customers like the most about his product:

"Our products offer several benefits. First, they ensure fans don't miss any news or videos related to the French football league. Secondly, they provide a fun way to engage with friends through our games. Many users enjoy the social aspect of playing, even if they don't watch every match. Thirdly, we cater to collectors with our NFT and fantasy games, where fans can collect cards and goals. Finally, fans love sharing their opinions, and our platforms offer social interaction through features like chat and discussion groups."

On the key success factors to create a successful sports digital product:

"To create a successful sports digital product, we focus on making our platforms lead in the market. We analyze them through three key pillars: acquisition, retention, and monetization. This means we actively work on acquiring new fans through targeted campaigns, enhancing retention by introducing new features that keep users engaged, and figuring out effective monetization strategies that allow users to invest in a better experience without alienating them."

On his plans for the next 12 months:

"In the next 12 months, our priority is to optimize the five platforms we currently have. We need to ensure they lead in their respective areas. This involves analyzing user acquisition strategies, enhancing retention through new features, and developing effective monetization loops that encourage users to spend money within our games. We have a solid monthly active user base of 2.5 million people, and we're looking to build on that success through strategic initiatives and partnerships."

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