Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TEAM VARDY LOSING 1,000S
Followers desert Rebekah
It can take just a few seconds to destroy a reputation DAVID MCGEE WEB MARKETING EXPERT
FOOTIE wife Rebekah Vardy has suffered an own goal after her WAG war with Coleen Rooney – a dramatic fall in Instagram followers.
Rebekah, wed to Leicester City striker Jamie, has lost nearly 800 followers a month since her spat with Wayne Rooney’s wife went public.
And marketing experts say, because social media is such big business, the stand-off could hit her in the pocket.
A study found Rebekah, 39, now has 427,350 followers – 11,122 fewer than she had at her peak in April last year.
That’s the equivalent of losing an average of 794 fans a month.
Meanwhile Coleen, 35, has 889, 313 followers – up 8, 317 over the same period. That adds up to an average gain of 594 new fans a month.
Last month alone, Coleen gained 510 followers, while Rebekah lost 960, according to the study for BuzzBingo.com.
But web gurus warn it might not just be fans she loses.
David McGee, a lecturer in marketing and reputation at Birmingham City University, said: “It can take years to build a following and reputation – but seconds to destroy it.
“Once a downward pattern has begun it can be almost impossible to reverse, with subsequent financial loss over the long term.”
The footie wives are locked in a High Court battle dubbed Wagatha Christie.
It kicked off after Coleen said she planted fake stories online which she claims exposed Rebekah as a leak.
Rebekah strenuously denies the claims and is suing Coleen for libel. She has already spent
half a million defending the action. Costs could hit £1m if it goes to trial. Coleen has spent £180,000 so far and has budgeted for an extra £400,000.
The WAGS held Zoom mediation sessions during lockdown but failed to patch things up.
A trial has been pencilled in for September.