Digital and Social Media Sports
A business-minded look at digital and social media in sports
Listen to episode 53 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, with Blake Lawrence, founder and CEO of opendorse.
59 minute duration. Show format contains separate parts. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or listen on Stitcher
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn
What’s in a name? When it comes to sports teams, a lot. Especially in the minor league sports space, in which buzz and attention do not come as easily as they do for their well-supported and perceived major pro counterparts. One of the most recent sports team name changes, and one that captured a few a headlines, was the announcement that ECHL hockey club The Greenville Road Warriors would heretofore be known as the Greenville “Swamp Rabbits.”
In a recent interview on the Tao of Sports podcast, Swamp Rabbits Executive Vice President Chris Lewis discussed the effects of the name change, as well as the strategy underlying it. In addition to giving the team a name more native to the area, it also it has having a profound effect in the team’s business and marketing development.
Here are three lessons gleaned from the interview with Lewis that sports marketers can take from his discussion on the Swamp Rabbits name:
Be part of the conversation.They understand that, every day, they can realize thousands of “impressions” of their brand; as difficult as it is to track. It keeps their team front-of-mind with fans in a native, organic way. Teams always had a feeling that giving out t-shirts, magnets, and mugs; that inserting your way into the water cooler conversation has as much, if not more, value than a billboard or media advertisement. In a world in which there is an ever-increasing competition for consumer attention, the organic conversations and impressions are the most effective and worthy of investment. So whether it’s on Facebook, on a mobile device, on a t-shirt, in a conversation at the office, or any number of places fans give attention each day, all those impressions add up…add up into real monetary value.The Swamp Rabbits are the talk of more than just their town and as consumers pick up new paraphernalia, digital and physical, the conversations and buzz form a great synergy in marketing for the team.
Be known and perceived legitimately in the community. It’s one thing to have awareness. But brand awareness means more than just knowing the name. It means having a name that represents something known, respected, and engage-able. And, of course, knowing who the heck you are and why they should care. When a team like the Swamp Rabbits are one of the major shows in town, and the only show in the immediate area for pro hockey, gets their name AND their story out there, that’s where the real value comes. This is why PR is a practice and a practice with strategic foundation. Impressions and awareness is great, but there is a difference between effective impressions and effective awareness.
The Swamp Rabbits had marketing to back their buzz to convert that attention into measurable business objectives and frame the discussion on their valued terms. That’s the money lesson.
Be different. Interest is a commodity. And being different from the ordinary, standing out among the crowd Whether one is trying to pique the interest of a new fan or raise eyebrows of prospective corporate partners, having something different and sexy, in a sense, can be a key factor in success. Of course, the complementary step is having a strong value proposition to juxtapose with what sets your team or brand apart. It could be the fan demographics, the unique asset, or the distinct brand and story. It comes down to business objectives, in the end, and being different can be great, if there is a story detailing a path to ROI to tell, too.
The Swamp Rabbits established this new, vibrant, and exciting brand. They know who they are and know the story they want to tell fans and partners now that they have their attention.
So while several sportswriters, bloggers, business folk, and fans shared a chuckle over the novel new name of Greenville’s ECHL club, the Swamp Rabbits execs were hard at work, pulling the strings to maximize the effect of the marketing machine. This requires communication, planning, goal setting and tracking, and, of course, stellar execution. It was great to hear insight from Swamp Rabbits EVP Chris Lewis as he sees it all play out, in virtual real time. So what is in a name, indeed? Great value, if you’re ready to exploit it.
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn
We’ve arrived. The social media market has been undergoing a relatively gradual maturation process as brands have began to understand the power of investing in social media and sports. A sponsor is a business seeking advertisement, activation, and eyeballs. Social media, whether on a mobile device or desktop, is now engaging fans and capturing attention and emotion more than ever and more than other media forms. When the brand can insert itself in a non-intrusive, relevant manner with a team’s best social media content, the results can be wins all-around.
Below are just a handful of examples from this past weekend. Marketers have long paid for attentive eyeballs. These brands and teams care capitalizing on that.
Several teams across major pro sports are now inserting sponsors into their social media posts announcing a team win. Associating a sponsor with the emotional high of a win is not only an effective way to reach a buzzed fan, but to further effect positive brand affinities and associations. Several thousands of excited fans will see this Party City post from the Patriots, and that has real value.
Another relevant and organic brand insertion coming from the Patriots’s social media feed is this scoring graphic, which includes a mention of EA Sports Madden 16. These are fans excited about a score, a concentration of the exact audience EA Sports wants to reach, and the repeat positive exposure that advertising is all about.
Every Sunday, even for the sorriest of NFL teams, delivers highlight reel plays. And teams post the best highlights for fans to enjoy and share on social media. A lot of teams are capitalizing on this opportunity to bring in a sponsor while giving fans the content they want and here the Giants do so with the “nrg difference making play.” A higher end brand like this wants to foster brand awareness and positive association between their business and the team. And, of course, reach the eyeballs of any high-level decision-makers celebrating ODB’s latest highlight-reel catch; one embedded in a social media post that will seen by several thousands.
The Detroit Lions have been forward-thinking in selling sponsors on the value of social media reach and activation potential for a while. They delivered (no pun intended) this past weekend, with in-game scoring graphics featuring Hungry Howie’s Pizza. You can see pizza sponsors across pro sports activating special offers via social media the day after team wins, but the Lions are also effectively driving additional value during games. As the fans following high-five over a touchdown, they see Hungry Howie’s and may have their answer for an easy dinner to accompany the Sunday night game. Whenever fans are high-fiving with a sponsor in the peripheral vision on a post sure to travel well, that is a win worth dollars and cents.
I have a soft spot for anytime a sponsor is organically integrated into social media; that is, inserted in a way that stays in line with the native experience for the user. ESPN’s properties on TV and digital, social, and mobile seek to inform fans and infuse their conversations and experiences with fodder for chatter. Fostering provocative discussion among a community of fans is a time-honored tradition of effective social media and sports and ESPN College Football combines that with a sponsor with fantastic flair. Understanding Cooper Tire’s brand messaging about being “dependable,” they found an authentic, native way to include the brand in their fans’ social media experiences. That is a textbook example of good sponsorship presentation with social media content.
Emotional sports fans, highly engaged attentive with their content, in the moment, are highly valued audiences. A lot of their attention is to social and mobile and digital, among the still traditional outlets like TV, and sponsors and teams are catching up. The samples above are just snapshot of the value exchanges happening more and more in this ever-evolving sports ecosystem and fan community. It’s incredible to think where we were ten years ago in this space and where we are now. The fans and attention and emotion have always been there. We’re just now realizing the value in that.
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn
I’ve had the privilege of speaking with dozens of incredible guests on the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast. To give new listeners a taste, and longtime loyal listeners a refresh, I present another edition of the Best Of. This features episodes 30-35,i including Mac Slavin of the Detroit Tigers, Grace Hoy of Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics, Nate Bain of the St. Louis Rams, Jacob Rosen of Sports Analytics Blog, and Mark J. Burns of CSE and Forbes Sports.
Enjoy a sampling from each guest. Learn a little with a quick listen from each fantastic guest! You can access all of the podcasts here
BEST OF THE DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA SPORTS PODCAST: Episodes 30-35
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46 minutes in duration. Excerpts from podcast episodes 30-35. Access the full episodes from each of the guests at:
Mac Slavin
Grace Hoy
Nate Bain
Jacob Rosen
Mark J. Burns
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn
I recently had the privilege of interviewing sports PR vet Brian Berger about how the industry and tools have evolved and the increasing modern demand to quantify and measure the success of all efforts. (listen to the podcast) One of the insights that came out in my chat with Brian that stuck with me was the way he articulated the ROI, so to speak, of effective public relations in sports.
Essentially, the ultimate intent of sports PR is to spread a message and spread a message that leaves all those it reaches with a positive view of the team or athlete. Positive perception, good vibe, strong Q-rating – it’s hard to convey these relatively intangible, but valuable elements of sports PR and social and digital/mobile media. Here are just three:
Capturing positive feedback and social proof. Visuals and pictures tell more than words. And every industry values authentic testimonials. Social proof, positive feedback and conversation is currency. So capture a tweet, a comment, an email, or a column or news report. When you can show how amplified that content becomes, there reveals a powerful value that perhaps money could buy, with endless resources, but that good sports PR delivers. It’s great to say how many retweets or likes something gets, and can even tickle the suits in the C-suite, but actually showing, preserving, and truly valuing that feedback and conversation is showing some money. Of course, we all love quantifiable metrics. Data. Which leads to the next point…
Fan Affinity Metrics. This isn’t about the number of hash tag or Twitter mentions. And it’s certainly not about some mystical sentiment analysis. There is data that can help tell a more cohesive story of positive fan engagement from PR. Social media, mobile app, and website analytics can reveal the uptick of the metrics behind fan affinity and organizational growth. Thousands of tweets related to one’s team or brand can be very good, very bad, or often somewhere in between. It’s often difficult to assess, beyond gut instinct. The metrics to track, in this case, may include: session duration/time spent, content fully consumed, new users, repeat users, pages per visit, and quality organic traffic. It can be helpful to track the peaks and valleys of such metrics, noting the story or content or event that caused the noticeable change. That’s how you visualize and tell a quantifiable story.
Related Marketing and Engagement. Don’t light up a cigar, put your feet up, and bask in your metrics – take action and capitalize on the positive buzz. When there is increased, quality attention around the team, athlete, or brand, give the engaged users something with which to engage. It may be a simple related contest or offer, a live event, a chance to join a cause or community, a sponsor activation that enhances engagement, or any number of ideas that can come to fruition when all departments are on the same page. The key is enabling such thought and activities by inviting all of the minds and organization’s media into the same room and operating as a connected club. Every department can and should win when the consumers are at peak engagement and attention levels.
At a time when there is a rising demand, and ability, to show and measure the bottom line effects of any activity, the number of fan touch points and engagement channels renders this an increasingly difficult task. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t merit trying, tracking what is possible, and understanding what indeed does move the important oh-so-important ‘needle.’ The front porch of sports PR, social, mobile, and digital media can blaze the trail, and it’s time to show the value of the paths cleared along the way.
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn
On episode 52 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted with Brian Berger, founder/CEO of Sports PR Summit and host/creator of Sports Business Radio.
What follows are some snippets from the episode. Click Here to listen to the full episode or check it out and subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher.
Posted by Neil Horowitz
A lot of professional athletes love that social media gives them their own channel to talk to fans. Another chance to reach fans and drive their brand and awareness. But the ones that really connect with fans really get it; and get the most ROI. Those athletes are the ones creating lifelong emotional connections that come back in the form of investment in all forms between the fan and the star athlete.
When former Mr. Olympia and pro bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler realized he got more out of social media, and engaged fans more effectively, by sharing a more genuine side of himself and interacting with fans, his paradigm shifted. No longer was it all about perpetuating and replicating the Jay Cutler seen in the magazine ads and hardcore lifting videos. It was Jay Cutler, a real person, just like his fans. A megastar pro athlete that all of a sudden became relate-able to fans. Cutler detailed his epiphany recently on a podcast and an excerpt of his interview helps spell out his revelation:
What I noticed about social is…I [was able] to let people into [my] real life…you were home with my wife and my dogs. They got to see a lot more personality than just a guy going in the gym and banging weights.
I really realized that that was why my fan base grew so much…because they saw the real Jay Cutler…They think that these athletes they read about…are on a whole different spectrum of living style, but they come to realize they’re just as basic as everyone else.
Yes, fans look up to pro athletes for inspiration and for aspiration. But it’s hard to connect when it seems like the stars don’t put their pants on one leg at a time. The ability to share the things fans don’t often see, but to which they can more readily relate, strengthens connections to an exponential degree. Just a peek into life behind the curtain can mean so much. And, as Cutler said, the two-way relationship enhances his experience with his fans, too:
I think me allowing people to come into my household and see…what really makes Jay Cutler, not only the bodybuilder, but the person, really gave people the opportunity to [relate to me]…People want to be able to relate to who their heroes are, who their role models are, who their inspirations are. And I’m able to do that…I’m going to keep letting people into my life. It helps me be better too…Fans give me the biggest drive [to compete at my best]…In the end, the influence you have on people around the world…you can’t put a number on that.
So while social media has become an integral, powerful channel to reach fans, it cannot and should not be treated like other communication channels. Fans are there to truly connect with their heroes, on a more human level not obscured by goggles of fame and professional studios and agencies. We trust, and engage most genuinely with, those with whom we can see a bit of ourselves. Or at least an aspirational version of ourselves, in the case of former athletes. Superman may be a timeless hero of many, but it’s Batman with the most ardent fans. Why? It’s about being more human and more relate-able. Let fans aspire to be like their heroes, not merely worship them as untouchable demigods. Jay Cutler may be a bodybuilding legend, but he inspires thousands of gym rats daily, who all of a sudden see they’re not so different from their mega-muscled hero.
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn
Listen to episode 52 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, with Brian Berger, founder/CEO of Sports PR Summit, partner/founder of Everything is on the Record, and host/creator of Sports Business Radio
74 minute duration. Show format contains separate parts. Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or listen on Stitcher
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn