Month: June 2015

On Tuesday, June 16, the West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor league baseball team in the Midwest League and Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, hosted their first-ever “Minions Night,” an homage to all things related to the Minions and their movie. Led by Promotions Manager Matt Hoffman and Fan Engagement and Social Media Coordinator Jason Brower, the Whitecaps went all out, doing a tremendous job integrating The Minions into the team’s game presentation, promotions that night, in-venue activities, and even the club’s social media account went “Minionese” for the night.

Brower and the Whitecaps consistently do a tremendous job to engage their fans, and the various segments of which they’re comprised, providing memorable experiences and pure fun to fans, a staple of minor league baseball. You can hear Brower talk about the Whitecaps’ strategies and promotional tactics on a recent podcast here. The Q&A below is a special feature for DSMSports, in which Brower was gracious enough to answer a few questions about Minions Night, its genesis, execution, success, and more. Read on and learn about this unique promotional night that went off fantastically and even had some Minionese running through Twitter. The goods —

Tell me about how the Minions Night idea came about. Did the idea come first or the objectives it was seeking to accomplish?

The idea came first. It was one of those off-season ideas that just come about. Also, the new Minion movie was coming out this summer so we thought it would be a great tie in.

How much did you and the marketing team know about Minions before Minions Night? How did you ‘do your homework’ to make sure you knew all about it, but also kept it relatable for fans that had never heard of Minions or were less informed?

There was a few of us that had seen both of the Despicable Me movies, so we were well informed but our Promotions Manager, Matt Hoffman, had not seen the movies so he did a bunch of research just looking at clips and asking other folks what they enjoyed most about the movies and try to integrate that into the promotions throughout the night.
Twitter was where you guys really brought in Minions culture and language. What was the thought and strategy behind speaking Minion on Twitter and how was the fan feedback about it?

The thought just came a couple weeks before the event when we were trying to nail down all of the details of the night and someone mentioned [the idea of having] Minions take over our Twitter account. Everyone thought it was a great idea, so I did some research on a Minion translator. Also, with something like this to have to go all in no matter what to get the full effect. So every tweet during the entire day I put in the translator and it spit out Minionese.

Talk about the ways Minions Night took over the game presentation and Fifth Third Ballpark for the June 16 game.

The biggest draw was the 1^st 1,000 kids received a Minion hat. We had 3 Minion characters roaming the ballpark throughout the night. Minion photo booth where fans could get a free photo in front of a green screen with minion props. We let anyone dressed with Minion outfit/shirts on the field prior to the game for a Minion group photo. There was a scavenger hunt, fans could get clues and go search for little Minion characters throughout the ballpark. All of the Whitecaps headshots were the players turned into Minion characters. Then of course a bunch of Minion clips throughout the night.

Was Minion Night a success and is it worth all the time, effort, and resources to blow out just a single game? How do you try to get more value out of it than just single game sales?

Minion Night was definitely a success when you see all of the kids wearing their Minion hats and enjoying the Minion characters. We had a great crowd but maybe more importantly with theme nights like these is that we created memories. That is the value that we gain from a night this, kids and families will have these lasting memories of their night at Minion Night and hopefully come back for the next fun night we have because they enjoyed themselves so much.

What was your favorite part of Minions Night?

Personally my favorite part of the night was Minions taking over our twitter account. It was difficult trying to tweet as a Minion but it was fun seeing the fans reaction. Received lots of positive response.

What was your biggest lesson from Minions Night?

When you do a night like this you have to go all in. Everything from the giveaway, to the on-field entertainment, to the social media activation, it all has to have the same theme and [then] fans will appreciate it and show their support.

Which movie would you want to integrate into a Whitecaps game next?

We would have loved to do a Jurassic Park night this season but just ran out of time and resources. It would have been great to get some dinosaurs out at the ballpark. We’ll have to look at next year releases and see what will be the next big night!

Thanks so much to Jason Brower for sharing some great info about the Whitecaps’ Minion Night. For more, tweet @JABrow to hit up Jason, check out the #MinionNight hash tag on Twitter, or comment on this article!

Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287   Connect on LinkedIn

I have my own podcast, of course, the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, but find incredible value in listening to other podcasts. I listen while I commute, while exercise, while I work, and sometimes between periods or halves of major sports games! Podcasts can be an endless source of entertainment, but also a really good source of insight, info, and learning. Here are 10 podcasts I listen to regularly that I recommend you give a listen if you work in social media, sports business, digital media, or marketing:

Sports Geek Podcast – This is a podcast run by “Sports Geek” and veteran in the digital sports space, Sean Callanan. He has a range of great guests that work in sports business all around the world and touches on topics like fan engagement, digital resources and implementations, big data in sports, venue activation, and more. Cannot recommend this podcast enough, typically around 40-60 minutes in length. Click here

Sports Business Radio – This is the longest running sports business podcast out there and is run Brian Berger, who also leads the annual Sports PR Summit. This one has a PR bent with a little business and marketing and has on some impressive guests in sports business and sports media to discuss the topics of the day. Give this one a listen as it is both timely and timeless. Typically around 60 minutes in length, posted monthly. Click here

The Tao of Sports – Now with over 500 episodes, this fantastic sports business podcast is run by the venerable Troy Kirby, an industry veteran himself who is a very adept interview and good at dissecting ideas and eliciting insights. He has guests from all verticals of sports business from the pro, college, minor league, and brand/retail space. His three times/week podcast has something for everyone, are highly informative, and a perfect ~ 30-35 minute duration for some quick education a few times each week. Click here

Social Media Examiner – While the creator of this podcast, Michael Stelzner, has a full-length podcast (the Social Media Marketing podcast) I’d also recommend, this one refers to the spin-off, the Social Media Examiner podcast. A daily (weekday), snack of a podcast that offers a short tip and takeaway in the realm of social media marketing. In 6-10 minutes each day, you get a quick lesson in marketing in social media, sometimes focused on a platform, sometimes a concept, sometimes best practices, and more. A great, quick way to infuse every day with a new or refreshed concept. Click here

Social Pros – One of the best podcasts for social media marketers, this weekly show is hosted by Jay Baer and his buddies. Each episode, around 50 minutes in length, involves an in-depth interview with someone that works in social media, typically leading social strategy for a major brand. The show covers a variety of industries with a social media strategic outlook and offers a ton of great ideas and insight helpful for anyone in social media and digital media marketing. Click here

SI Media – Thanks to my begging (okay, maybe not) Richard Deitsch, noted sports media analyst for Sports Illustrated, has recently revamped a podcast – the Sports Illustrated Media podcast. This ~ 60 minute weekly podcast, already rolling in the early going, features two guests that are renowned or influential in the sports media world, especially with some of the major media outlets working on the biggest events. It offers great depth and detail behind the jobs and the events, as well as some fun behind-the-scenes and anecdotes with some of the well-known, magnanimous guests. Click here

Media Masters – This podcast, while it is currently on hiatus and posts only sporadically, is a great collection of annotated biographies with deep dive interviews into the careers and career paths of some of the most successful veterans and up-and-comers in the sports and greater media world. The podcast will certainly teach you about working toward goals and how to navigate the waters on the way to facilitate your path. Hosted by the sharp, witty Peter Stringer (Director of Digital for the Boston Celtics), any time this podcast posts one of its ~ 60 minute episodes is a must-listen. Click here

The Moment – This podcast has been on hiatus the last several weeks, but it is a weekly podcast when it’s rolling and it’s greatly compelling and insightful. Hosted by renowned filmmaker Brian Koppelman, this podcast produced by ESPN/Grantland has extensive interviews with prominent guests from the world of entertainment about their journeys from youth to stardom and everything in between. It offers an uncensored, unique look into the lives of some of the most successful, interesting individuals in pop culture and the ~ 60 minute podcasts are always a great listen. Click here

The Experience – Another podcast produced by ESPN, this weekly (usually) podcast is based around Los Angeles, but offers very good education and information about some of the successful, unique community organizations in the greater sports world. From lesser known community initiatives to prominent pro athletes and their causes and organizations, this podcast not only offers interesting content about stories not often seen on front pages, but instructive lessons on how organizations are built, how sports can inspire action, and the secrets to creating and sustaining success and leadership. These 60 minute podcasts are ably hosted by LaFern Cusack. Click here

The Big Lead – Most sports fans will be familiar with The Big Lead sports blog website and its leader, Jason McIntyre, but he also recently started a weekly (every Sunday) podcast in partnership with Yahoo Sports radio. The 45-60 minute podcasts are more sports news-focused than those previously listed, but offers a bit of a different take, often going into more unique, macro angles behind some of the bigger sports stories, rather than waxing endlessly on the minutiae. Give this one a listen and I think you’ll like it, too. Click here

So next time you are about to fire up Spotify or zone out to your Pandora, fire up a podcast and learn something. You can always check out the DSMSports podcast, too!

What are your favorite podcasts? Any good ones for sports business or social media pros that missed this top ten list? Comment and let me know or tweet me @njh287!

Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287   Connect on LinkedIn

If you consider yourself a sports fan and have been on Twitter in the last month or so, chances you are have, at least once, noticed a curious hash tag being used: #bucciovertimechallenge. It has been tweeted nearly 120,000 times in May and will likely continue in June as the Stanley Cup Final begins tonight, June 3.

It’s not new, having first been tweeted over four years ago. What began as a fun exchange between ESPN’s NHL2night anchor (and now Sportscenter anchor) John Buccigross and his fellow hockey analysts (Yes, ESPN once had a hockey show) has become a staple of Twitter every hockey season, magnifying to even bigger levels during the annual run to the Cup. Fans simply tweet to @Buccigross using the hash tag #bucciovertimechallenge with their predictions for who will score the sudden death overtime winner (one selection for each team) and some number of correct predictors win.

At first, the “prize” was just the chance to earn a retweet from Buccigross (now up to ~ 275K followers, himself), but, soon, the unofficial hockey guy among Sportscenter’s main anchors turned #bucciovertimechallenge into a way to help the sport and related charities. A line of #bucciovertimechallenge shirts blossomed as prizes for winners and were also sold to fans, with all proceeds benefiting charities. From t-shirts, the catalog expanded to beanies, caps, koozies, and more. #Bucciovertimechallenge had become far more than just a social media meme. And brands began taking notice.

Admirably, Buccigross didn’t give the #bucciovertimechallenge business interests to his ESPN overlords, nor did he necessarily work with those brands looking to shell out the big bucks, instead partnering with brands that his fans would care about and that tied in with his mission. Look at #bucciovertimechallenge today and brands like Hockey Soda (energy drink), Bauer (hockey manufacturer), and TiqIQ (sports ticket dealer website) are integrated with prize offerings and more. A true social media/sports metamorphosis, organically, into sports business.

So what can sports and social media pros learn from the story of #bucciovertimechallenge (now joined by his #cawlidgehawkey term, too)? The key insight is that monetizing social media, particularly a given feature or hash tag, can’t come first. Community and engagement comes first. This is how Buccigross did it and any major team, brand, or business can, too —

1) Develop a genuine + engaged community around shared passion. In this case, it was, simply, people with a passion for hockey.

2) Measure, track, focus, optimize, report. While Buccigross, himself, likely doesn’t dive into Twitter analytics much, himself, it’s clear he has some support (from ESPN or otherwise) helping him track and measure these hash tags. And he takes care to make sure fans use it, know the popularity, and know what it all means and stands for.

3) Identify top posts and interactions – reach and engagement, consistent + predictable. It soon became clear #bucciovertimechallenge wasn’t just a one-time meme or something that only exploded for nationally televised Rangers-Kings games, but a true, valued part of the social media and sports community, that delivered reach and engagement time and time again.

4) Identify partners that tie in to your community’s passion. This was thoughtfully done, as described above, as it was only brands that also championed hockey and its community who were invited to participate with #bucciovertimechallenge.

5) Fit activations to those the community appreciates + helps partners. When a #bucciovertimechallenge includes a Bauer hockey stick, Hockey Soda energy drink, or TiqIQ tickets to a NHL game, it’s a perfect fit for the brand and the hockey fans they’re trying to reach through this strategic partnership with Buccigross.

6) #SMSports becomes #Sportsbiz. Voila!

So what do your team’s / brand’s fans and community care about? What posts do you do on social media that predictably, and consistently, garner great reach and interaction? What brands will be those your fans will care about and feel have a genuine tie to their community and passion?

Buccigross never started #bucciovertimechallenge with the intention of it becoming a way to make money (for charity), but that became a positive possibility after the organic growth of the “movement” took off. Therein lies the best lesson of all.