Spartiates de Marseille

Spartiates de Marseille: CRM marketing as a growth driver

How the club structured its marketing strategy, strengthened its connection with its fans and boosted its ticket sales.

Use case Spartiates (5)

In 2024, the Spartiates de Marseille, an ice hockey club competing in France’s top division since 2023—took a strategic step forward by investing in Arenametrix’s marketing CRM solution.

The objective ? To structure and leverage their B2C and B2B data more effectively in order to better understand their fanbase, strengthen engagement, build loyalty, attract new supporters, and ultimately increase club revenue.

Following a full season of use, from June 2024 to March 2025, it's time to reflect: what tangible benefits has this digital transformation delivered?   

Effective data structuring for a 360° audience view

From the outset, the priority was to centralize all data sources into a single unified database.
Integrating various data streams was a key initial step:

  • Ticketing (SeeTickets)
  • Online store (WooCommerce)
  • Website forms

A thorough segmentation process then followed, enabling the club to identify distinct audience profiles and tailor communications accordingly—season ticket holders, occasional buyers, first-time attendees, repeat customers, and more.

This structured approach has equipped the club with a 360° view of its audience, allowing for unprecedented marketing precision.

Fan acquisition & engagement: targeted, innovative campaigns

A well-built database holds value only when it is continuously enriched and actively leveraged. That’s why the Spartiates de Marseille implemented a range of initiatives to drive fan acquisition and engagement:

→ Expanding the database:
- Creation of engaging newsletters and proactive registration prompts via website and social media forms.
- Contests and sweepstakes to attract new contacts.
- Gamified matchday experiences: giant screen QR codes leading to a contest, with a chance to win an ice karting experience during halftime.

→ Personalized communication through marketing automation:
- Pre-match communication routines combining automated messages and targeted campaigns to maintain consistent engagement and promote home games.
- Automated birthday messages with personalized offers.
- Thank-you emails following a fan’s first game attendance to foster long-term loyalty.

Graph showing the distribution of engagement segments from the Spartiates de Marseille database compared to the average for sports clubs
Spartiates de Marseille detailed breakdown of audience engagement segments

A profitable investment and strategic growth lever

The CRM implementation has not only optimized data management and improved fan knowledge, but has also had a direct impact on the club’s revenue. The rise in season ticket holders and the successful conversion of first-time attendees into loyal fans highlight the power of a data-driven strategy.

Looking ahead, the club aims to build on this solid foundation by further refining its sales and communication tactics. The goal: to maximize fan engagement and sustain its growth momentum.

We’re extremely pleased with this season’s ticketing results. Thanks to the dedicated work of our team over the past few years, we reached a historic milestone: 119,000 spectators in one season—a first in France.

Our ambition was to take another step forward, and the Arenametrix platform truly made a difference. Their support and expert guidance were instrumental in helping us reach our objectives.

We’re already looking forward to next season and aiming even higher.

Thomas Giraud, Ticketing & Merchandising Manager - Spartiates de Marseille
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