Meet Guillermo Frutos, Head of Social Media at Cheil and ESBS lecturer.
This year we have had the pleasure of having Guillermo Frutos as a teacher of the ‘Community Management’ class at the Madrid campus. Guillermo has an impressive track record in social media and is now the Head of the department at Cheil, a top digital consulting and solutions agency owned by Samsung.
Within the multi-functional tool that social networks are for any company, club, or organisation – and even more so in the sports sector – Guillermo specialises students in the work of creating and nurturing online communities.
As Guillermo tells us, the sports sector is different from the rest because its followers are characterised by their passion and loyalty – and relationships with fans and supporters have to be cultivated, both physically and digitally.
Here’s the complete interview:
ESBS: Hello, Guillermo! Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
Guillermo: I’m Guillermo Frutos, currently Head of Social Media at Cheil Spain. I have been working for more than 7 years in social environments for brands from different fields, including sports sponsors.
ESBS: How would you describe the role and importance of a community manager, in particular for a sports organisation?
Guillermo: The role of the Community Manager is key for any organisation. In a sports organisation it is, if possible, even more important as it is one of the main channels of contact with fans as well as other stakeholders such as the media or sponsors.
ESBS: In your experience, what aspect of community management is incredibly important, but often neglected or overlooked?
Guillermo: There is a lot of work in responding one-to-one to users that is generally undervalued and easily neglected. In my opinion, this is the key to any CM, without users there is no community… and therefore little to manage.
ESBS: Fan engagement in the sports industry, and its evolution with new technologies, is a hot topic that is giving a lot to talk about. From your perspective and experience, what do you think will be the most significant opportunities and challenges for community managers regarding fan engagement and AI?
Guillermo: Fan engagement is so powerful that it is even affecting the very conception of sports; an example of this is the Kings League and the following among Generation Z, who find it difficult to follow traditional football. Regarding AI, it is clearly an ally, it can serve as a basis for finding themes or inspiration. Although, in my view, originality and creativity are things that, at the moment, AI does not achieve.
ESBS: You have been teaching Community Management classes to our students since September, what professional advice would you give to students who want to work as a community or social media manager in a sports organisation?
Guillermo: First of all, having a passion for social media, working in Social Media “forces” you to be aware of everything that is happening. Secondly, be creative and agile. The pace of the networks is frenetic, you have to try to give the most original response at the ideal moment. The ideal CM knows a little bit of everything: metrics analysis, creativity, basic photo/video editing… of course, the Community Manager is not a designer, but at a given moment (and even more so in real time moments like a match) it can be a great help.
