Value of Social Media Brand Messaging in Sports

On one of the largest stages in professional sports, in front of more than 25.4 million viewers, Major League Baseball leveraged a simple, creative, and somewhat risky social marketing campaign:

 NYMag.com

The #WORLDSERIES hashtag.  The message is striking in its simplicity, including only the hashtag, the League logo, and the FOX logo. 

NBA Teams Adapting Facebook Marketing Strategies During Lockout

"These things have the capacity to take on a life of their own," said NBA Commissioner David Stern of the current NBA lockout.

From a marketing perspective, the lockout has put teams in a very difficult situation.  On one hand, teams understand that they may or may not have a product for consumers, yet they still want to remain relevant and engaged with their fans. Finding a balance in the marketing strategy is especially difficult in the social media space.

Interested in how teams were adapting to the lockout, I looked at how all NBA teams used Facebook during this past month (September 4, 2011 - September 24, 2011).  This is what I found:

Second-Screen Experiences and the Future of Sports on TV

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One of the more exciting emerging trends in the digital media space is the 'second-screen experience.'  With the prevalence of laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, viewers are no longer confined to viewing one screen.  They can now interact with multiple screens simultaneously, fundamentally altering the way viewers consume media.

Social TV is a prominent component of the 'second screen' revolution, primarily because mobile technology introduces social media into the TV viewing experience.  Hulu CEO Jason Kilar calls social media a “game-changer” for TV, and Futuresacpe says social media "has radical implications for the future of television viewing and the business of TV.” (Source)

Relationship Between Attendance and Facebook Following

Much has been said about the importance of Facebook 'Likes."  It is, for all intensive purposes, the easiest way to evaluate social media 'relevance.'  It's a public number that is very easy to track and compare.

However, social media marketing analysis should not be that cut and dry.  As touched on earlier in this blog, Facebook following is only one element of a brand's social media presence and only reveals so much.  The following graph, which charts the number of Facebook fans and average attendance for each NFL team, reiterates this ambiguity:

3 Creative Ways Teams are Using Geolocation

A recent press release from comScore reports that nearly 1 in 5 smartphone users access check-in services using their mobile devices.  Geolocation technology is gaining traction as a valuable digital marketing resource.

Geolocation tools are particularly useful in the sports industry, where teams are looking to identify and engage their fan base.  Here are 3 creative ways that teams are using geolocation technology:

 

Facebook Post Frequency: Why Less is More

Jeremy McPeek, VP of Digital Media for the Phoenix Suns, was recently interviewed by http://www.ragan.com/ about his team’s use of social media.  The interview addresses social media marketing strategy, trends, and effective practices.  Here is the full interview:

One thing in particular that Jeremy talks about is the number of Facebook posts the team issues per day.  This begs the question: how often should teams be posting content through their newsfeed?

Value of Cross-Platform Social Media Marketing

It is estimated that social media accounts for 22 percent of time spent online (Source).  With so many people in the social space, it is imperative that teams and brands develop a marketing strategy that utilizes all social media platforms effectively.

The most successful social media marketing campaigns are cohesive, cross-platform initiatives.  These campaigns develop a unified message across several sites, leveraging the strengths of each available platform.  Cross-platform marketing campaigns that use Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and YouTube to promote a common message are most effective in developing a lasting marketing message.

Team Success and Facebook Popularity

Social media is changing the way fans interact with their favorite sports teams.  It is easier than ever for fans to pledge their allegiance to a team by ‘Liking’ that team’s official page.  This type of fan engagement is also valuable to teams because it becomes much easier for teams to track their popularity in the digital space.

To better understand what drives this fan interaction, it is interesting to look at which teams are drawing the largest fan bases.  The following graph looks at the number of Facebook ‘Likes’ for each team in the NBA:

Using QR Codes to Enhance In-Game Experience for Fans

QR codes offer a unique and interactive way to enhance the in-game experience for sports fans.  Given that 28% of US mobile owners have smartphones, and that the smartphone market grew by 75% in 2010 (Source), it makes sense that teams utilize the functionality of these devices through QR codes. 

For those unfamiliar with QR codes, they are high-density, two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned by camera-enabled smartphones.  Once scanned, they direct the viewer various digital content, such as web pages, or open specific phone functions, such as text messaging.  There is a lot of potential to utilize these codes in creative ways.

Here are some ways that QR codes have been used as part of marketing initiatives at sporting events to enhance the in-game experience for fans.

‘Social Media Super Bowl’: Merging Social Media with Super Bowl Ads

Nearly 106 million Americans watched the Super Bowl last year.  This is an astonishing number, but it is even more astonishing to consider 51% of Super Bowl viewers were most interested in the advertisements, and almost all viewers are paying attention to the ads (source).  This type of large, captive audience is an advertiser’s dream, and it is the reason companies have traditionally spent millions of dollars for Super Bowl TV spots (the going rate this year is said to be $3 million for a 30 second spot).

TV, however, is no longer enough.  Many companies are recognizing the power of social media in leveraging their Super Bowl marketing message.  It is estimated that 50-60% of advertisements this year will incorporate social media in some way.

Many companies are embracing social media, but not all companies are doing so in the same way.  Social media advertising, especially on this scale, is still relatively new and brands are still working to discover the most effective techniques.  Below are the ways in which companies are utilizing Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to leverage their Super Bowl advertisements.

Industry Trends: Lockout Implications

New Year’s has come and gone; with it came toasted champagne, renewed gym memberships, and predictions for 2011.

Many articles have speculated as to what 2011 holds for sports and social media.  ESPN’s Ryan Corazza, for example, cites a rise in social gaming and geolocation apps.  Another article by Jim DeLorenzo in Marshable, points to innovative startups.  These articles rightly predict an exciting year for sports and social media.

That being said, one theme is being overlooked.  It’s not something most fans want to talk about, but it is something that should be considered.  There is a high likelihood of at least one sports lockout in 2011, and this would redefine social media use in the sports industry.

Industry Trends: Leveraging the "Like"

A recent article in All Facebook states that “almost 65 million Facebook users “Like” things daily.”  The “Like” is not only a way for fans to show their allegiances online, but it is also a great way for various pages to directly and easily track their popularity.

This is particularly true in the sports world, where fans can proudly display their various team allegiances, but teams can also track their following.  Teams can also stream certain information directly to their followers, further incentivizing the “Like.”

Teams, recognizing the value of the “Like,” have launched creative campaigns aimed at increasing their following.  Below are a few of the most creative “Like” campaigns:

Industry Trends: College Coaches Banning Social Media

A recent article from the Journal Inquirer describes the new challenges many college basketball coaches are having to face.  The article highlights an instance where UConn forward Jamaal Coombs-McDaniel tweeted ‘I should have taken more time making my college choice.’  Coming after a difficult loss, Coombs-McDaniel was simply venting some frustration, but it put his coach and teammates in a difficult situation.  It brings to light a very serious and emerging challenge for college coaches.

College athletes, more so than most other athletes, have grown up with social media and use it as a way to express what they’re thinking, often without realizing the widespread ramifications of a single tweet .  They are closer to their fans through social media, but with this comes more responsibility.  Particularly for coaches, with transparency comes a challenge.

More and more coaches are simply banning Twitter altogether.  High-profile schools such as UNC and Villanova have apparently implemented such bans.  Fans are clearly upset when this happens, but it is a trend that will likely continue.  In a digital era where every post or tweet can be accessed by anyone, the risk of a misstep by these athletes is simply too high.  Expect more college coaches to ban Twitter in the near future.

Industry Trends: Fantapper

61% of Americans between the ages 18-44 feel more connected to their favorite athletes and celebrities becuase of social media (Source).  This is an eye-opening statistic which reveals the extent to which people use social media to connect to athletes and celebrities.

Recognizing this overwhelming desire by fans to connect with athletes, Brand Affinity Technologies launched Fantapper, a free download that brings fans and athletes together.  Fantapper offers a one stop shop for fans looking to follow their favorite athletes through social media.  "Fantapper takes 'faneraction' one step further by bringing celebrity information and engagement opportunities to people wherever they are, with no searching required," said Ryan Steelberg, President and CEO of Brand Affinity Technologies (Source).

Which League has the Largest Social Media Presence?

Every major sports league is jumping on the social media train, but not every league is doing so at the same speed.  In particular, there is a huge discrepency in the rate at which the four major sports leagues are establishing their presence on Facebook and Twitter.

The following graph tracks the number of Facebook 'Likes' and Twitter followers of the NFL, the NBA, MLB, and the NHL.  These numbers do not include the individual teams, only the home pages for the respective leagues.