Digital and Social Media Sports
A business-minded look at digital and social media in sports
On episode 70 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted with Julian Valentin, Assistant Director – Digital Media and Publications for the Colorado Rockies.
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
For decades to come, many Ohioans will remember exactly where they were when LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended the drought. Chances are, the Cavs’s social and digital media team will remember, too, but it likely involved a few less high-fives, shouts, and tears than the thousands of fans. They were in position, ready to capture it all for those throngs of jubilant fans all around the world.
It showed. And it paid off.
There is a routine during the regular season, most knowing their role and going through the motions, complete with guest appearances, theme nights, and the occasional exciting overtime game changing things up a bit. But championships are different.
It may be borderline blasphemous to talk about a title before the final buzzer sounds, but it’s essential for an effective social and digital media team. So when the moment arrives, team members man their battle stations and execute.
They had a team member with their mobile aimed and ready to capture the magic moment from the Cavs watch party back in Cleveland at Quicken Loans Arena, resulting in an Instagram/Facebook video that exuded emotion.
They had multiple team members on the court, each knowing for which platform they were responsible and creating the happiest Vine of all-time, while another filmed an emotion-filled King James that will give fans goosebumps even years from now.
And they were in the perfect position, with the sign-off from bosses, to create a Facebook Live video from inside the locker room that was viewed nearly 5 million times in 12 hours and has since reached nearly 7 million views. First, simply being there and taking the initiative to grab that content deserves commendation. Sure, you can point to the title for such mega metrics, but it takes a plan and action to realize that potential coup of reach and engagement. Second, someone from the Cavs was there with their hand ready, Facebook app opened, and the directive, decision, and device to make it all happen. That was no accident.
So don’t go into your next big game or season or event without a plan. Map it out, assign roles, define objectives and purpose. And when the moment arrives, man your battle stations and go to work. The fates may deal anyone a winning hand, but the those that are prepared will reap the biggest winnings. What’s your plan?
Listen to episode 70 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, with Julian Valentin, Assistant Director — Digital Media and Publications for the Colorado Rockies.
68 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
We marvel at the hundreds of thousands of fans that have flocked to Facebook (and Twitter and Instagram and Snapchat) to follow their favorite sports teams. To get content, to show pride, to engage. Outside of the major pros exists a passionate community of minor and junior leagues, too, with tens of thousands of fans, if not more, that can’t get enough of their minor and junior league teams.
What follows is a look at the Facebook Fans for the two major minor leagues for the NHL – the American Hockey League (AHL, NHL’s “AAA” division) and the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL, NHL’s “AA” division), as well as the three major junior leagues that comprise the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) – the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL), and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), in which talented teenagers compete. There are some huge pages, some extremely small ones, and some common themes that connect those succeeding.
AHL ECHL
WHL OHL
QMJHL
The disparity is certainly notable between the leagues and the clubs in each league. The ones that are winning generally come from areas with built-in cultures of hockey and, oftentimes, a history and a history of winning.
The ones that score for scale and engagement are producing content that amplifies this inherent connection and fosters those emotional ties that come from the culture and the history. When there are towns with population sizes that could barely fill a football stadium or two, and the hockey team is one of the oldest and/or most well-known and beloved institutions around, the opportunity to take these relationships digital (thereby enhancing the emotional tie and frequency of exposure) is epic.
Of course, with that fidelity comes the concept that a Facebook follow as nothing more than a badge of honor for a fan, particularly these days when organic engagement is more difficult than ever to attain. A fan that doesn’t engage and consume is nice to have, but leaves much to be desired. When data and activity and attention reigns supreme, the ROI typically involves some sort of, well, action.
There exists an opportunity to turn these digital fan bases into active consumers and fan evangelists. Find ways to garner attention and action. Seek out channels through which you can reach fans directly. Define a funnel to see a fan through from introduction to valuable activity and data collection to learn more about how that funnel should look.
I’m a bit biased toward a mobile app, An owned, personalized, controllable platform. Check out more about what I do at Hopscotch.
On episode 69 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted with Jason Matheson, Founder and Owner of SkullSparks.
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
Listen to episode 69 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, with Jason Matheson, Founder and Owner of SkullSparks, and veteran of the college athletics and digital space.
75 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
Clicks. Views. Followers. All of these more tangible metrics around content consumption and distribution matter. But there’s more to it than that. Engagement. Brand. Quality. These less tangible metrics matter, too. Perhaps even more.
Lying in the middle of the spectrum is where The Cauldron, which has thrived behind a brand that fans, athletes, and sponsors can appreciate and trust. (And, yes, they boast some impressive vanity metrics, too). So why does it matter?
Particularly in sports, there is an ample supply of content for fans to consume and with which sponsors can align. That is not to say the Barstool Sports of the world cannot thrive. They can. It’s apples to oranges, fruit, but with different flavor.
Just like teams and publications, sponsors are more cognizant of brand and brand perception than ever. An irreverent, snarky tone can win clicks and followers, but it may alienate (or attract) certain brands that want to partner.
“When you’re dealing with advertisers or sponsors or national partners and distributors like Sports Illustrated…They’re looking at what kind of brand they wanted to be associated with,” said Jamie O’Grady, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Cauldron.
The same strength of brand perception matters when working with athletes. Whether it’s a star athlete thinking twice about doing a one-on-one interview with a publication they know thrives on click-bait and manufactured drama or, as is increasingly the case these days, choosing with whom they want to work to tell their stories. It was so telling (and insightful) to hear from O’Grady a seminal moment in The Cauldron’s history that reinforced their dedication to a standard of quality and a reputable brand.
“The issue is maintaining a level of quality in the level of athlete content you produce, so you’ve got a body of work (other athletes see)…and say, that’s where I want to be,” explained O’Grady, who told about one of their most popular content pieces, penned personally by NBA star Stephen Curry. “[That] is exactly what happened with Steph Curry – he came to us. He said ‘I want to write something and I like your stuff…’”
Sponsors and stars have tons of platforms from which to choose and they and their management teams know want to protect and enhance their own brand when deciding with whom to work and provide their valuable content contributions. Finally, there’s the fans. Fans also have a plethora of options flooding their feeds and they know quality when they see it. They also know crap when they see it (especially when a sponsor is forced into the picture). The answer is in the quality and the perception with which you leave fans each time they consume your content. (Increasingly important, with some surveys showing fans are not always readily aware of the publications they’re reading).
“Especially younger people, they’re going to see right through the BS,” said O’Grady, particularly when it comes to branded content. “If you’re able to create content that really resonates with them [it can work]…you have to find the right stories [and] the right assets to use.”
Therein lies the key. The publications and sites winning the vanity metrics game are often not the ones with content that is truly resonating. And the analytics are quickly catching up to reflect that. Chasing the vanity metrics is not a useless objective, but not at the expense of brand or quality or engagement. Your online brand stays with you forever and it has more meaning than metrics can ever measure.
NOTE: Those quotes came from my recent interview with Jamie O’Grady. Listen here and check out a short recap here.
The first week of June culminated with the Sports Business Journal Intersport Brand Engagement Summit. Several leaders and corporate partners in the sports industry spoke on several areas in the world of fan engagement, discussing authenticity, content, strategy, and more. Here are 7 lessons I gleaned from this year’s summit (see the full recap here).
Particularly in sports, as KORE Software’s Russell Scibetti pointed, fans are more willing to give their data for experiences, offers, and content. Now more than ever the value of consumer data is taking higher priority in all organizations. The better the collecting and analysis of the data, the better one can know and target their audience.
Marketers are out to learn more about fans, to segment and personalize communication with them. And, increasingly so, segment and personalize the content provided to them.
“Premium content has shifted to being defined by performance and audience,” said Shannon Dan, of Intersport.
The talk at the summit was about moving away from eyeballs and moving more toward audience and engagement. This is a very much a concern for corporate partners, too, who want to know they’re spending to reach current and potential customers. All that is a long-winded way of saying, data is the new oil (to paraphrase a quote from Kevin Plank, CEO and founder of Under Armour).”
Higinio O. Maycotte, CEO of Umbel, echoed that sentiment, declaring: “There is no question that in five to ten years, data will be your most valuable asset.”
Sports teams, and their frequent and passion-infused engagement with fans, delivers data in droves. But it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality and useability.
2) Winning with audience, small data
“Analytics is driving better decisions. The days of going a mile wide and an inch deep are past.” – David Wright, MiLB
No one brags about who has the most terabytes store in the data warehouse (at least, I don’t think so) and sports business leaders tended to agree that successful decisions campaigns from efficient use of data were more exciting than a sea of info with no insights. Analytics isn’t just data, it’s data that can be analyzed to become actionable.
I loved the fair warning from Scibetti, who works with several sports clients for KORE Software: “Big data can get you in trouble – you don’t need to use all your data just because you have it.”
Small data, small segments, and small solutions can add up to big, more predictable, more efficient results. We talk all the time about using data to identify problems and to find answers. This was a sentiment echoed at the summit, but in the most pragmatic of terms.
“If data is telling you one thing, but your gut is telling you another, that’s an insight.” said Matthew McCarthy, of Unilever.
This is how big business leaders are embracing analytics to make they are steering the ship in the right direction. It operates even better when each cog of the organization utilizes small data that scale to bigger success.
3) Audience-focused strategies
Marketers in sports are always looking to reach those few hundred or thousand fans to fill up the arena or stadium, often at the expense of those fans already dedicated. There was a stunning stat shared from Starwood Resorts:2% of their guests generate 30% of their profit.
Wow.
By focusing strategy on driving deep loyalty, on growing the number of super-fans like those that comprise that 2%, they’re putting time and resources into augmenting a winning formula.
That doesn’t mean you forget about the fringe fans. It just means you take more care to not treat all fans the same — in communication, in marketing, and with content. The concept of finding various “ports in the storm” was a nice analogy to underscore the value of finding a micro-strategy that works with a given audience or platform segment. The content strategy should be cohesive, but the presentation more granular.
NASCAR has driven (yep, I went there) some good success, growth, and engagement with such a multi-faceted approach. Their Senior Director of Social Media and Communication Scott Warfield described NASCAR’s social media analytics as two-fold: Engagement with their true and existing fans and Reach with potential fans. Watering the garden while planting seeds.
4) Maximize events and access
Those in the sports industry know that we are always planning to maximize every game. Looking at getting the most out of the next event. This principle is magnified for corporate partners looking to engage in this space. Sure, they’re spending money for the long-term brand association, but in a day when content is currency and engagement the objective, brands can’t afford to go down like Casey at the bat when the big moment arrives
The CMO of industrial brand Constellation EG talked about how their team “coalesces around big events and puts brackets around them for investment.” It doesn’t mean you half-ass the day-to-day, but when it comes to prioritizing, hitting a home run for the big events can matter more.
This event strategy can also apply to opportunities for access and content. Teams may get access to players and content readily every day, but brands must milk all they can from their piece of the pie.
“We go into a (video) shoot looking to get as much as content as possible,” said Ed Gold of State Farm on their strategic planning in advance of shoots with their sports partners. It’s more than just a s30-second spot, it’s a chance to get as much content currency in the time you have to use across platforms and in stories.
BMO Harris Bank takes a similar calculated approach, as one of their executives described how they go into shoots with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks with a digital focus, planning and assuring they get extras and outtakes specifically for social media platforms.
5) Appeal to passion: Goosebumps and stories
One of the most popular presentations came from Kenny Mitchell, Senior Director of Consumer Engagement for Gatorade. He succinctly stated the three underlying keys to the marketing and engagement strategy for the world’s biggest sports drink: 1) Product, 2) Customization, and 3) Innovation in storytelling.
They focus on the education aspect of their product to satisfy that audience, they acknowledge and cater to customized segments of their consumers, and they understand the power of stories around their customers and athletes drive the brand loyalty they need in today’s crowded marketplace.
Seeking to tap into the emotion of sports fans, Mitchell said that the standard for Gatorade marketing is “goosebumps.” The ability to inspire chills was a sentiment echoed by leaders from TD Ameritrade and Chase Financial in discussing why they wanted to latch onto sports.
It’s not about forcing your product into the conversation with sports fans, but about delivering goosebumps-inducing moments they want to consume and are thankful to the brand for providing. Denise Darkos, CMO of TD Ameritrade, spoke of how their firm uses sports to “lend a halo of personality” to their financial services brand. Similarly, an exec from Chase Financial described examples of partnering with teams in order to enhance the fan experience, not interrupting a game or content to talk about their latest fiscal solutions.
6) Content strategy is key
Content is king, distribution is emperor, etc. etc. We’ve all heard the common refrain in marketing, by now, but, at last, the king is being invited into chambers where the real strategy is built. Partnerships and campaigns are built through content, instead of the other way around.
An executive from Dr. Pepper noted that the bar is higher than ever for brands to create content that fans actually welcome. The charge is to be relevant, and to be relevant requires planning. “No one wants to hear from a brand needlessly,” was overheard on one of the panels.
Such relevance and value is NOT embodied by Oreo’s endlessly referenced “Dunk in the Dark” Super Bowl blackout campaign, but finding places where the brand’s content and inclusion makes sense. That typically doesn’t happen on the fly. And brands are increasingly not going into partnerships blindly; though some still are.
“Social is not a post, it’s a conversation,” said an executive from sports and social influence firm MVPIndex. “Too many brands ask for 8-10 posts and don’t create a campaign.”
I have seen this play out all too often and it neither helps the team or organization with creating content that will deliver ROI for the partner nor the partner in keeping cohesion and consistency with what they’re doing overall. A little thought into the content that will embody a campaign is so key and I welcome that acknowledgement in the marketplace.
One more compelling content conundrum came from a stellar keynote from Chicago Blackhawks CMO John McDonough. The marketing chief of the reigning Stanley Cup champs (for a few more days) blew away the room, overall, but one key insight stuck with me and represents the elephant in the room in which the battle is being waged between the couch and the live event in sports.
“Right now, the least informed consumer of your product is in the arena,” said McDonough of all the video, insights, stats, and facts at the disposal of the fan watching the broadcast at home with their connected device in hand. “We have to change that.”
Your diehard fans are the ones coming to the home games and the ones most emotionally invested into the team and the sport. They’re the ones whose thirst for content is unquenchable. And yet, they miss out on so much being at the game. While the emotion and buzz of the atmosphere of being there live provides tons of value itself, the fact that a note about an injured player, an insight on a tactical adjustment, or a funny meme making the rounds, is unavailable to the fan cheering their brains out in the arena is something of concern to the suits in the luxury suite upstairs.
It’s FOMO – you want to inspire fear-of-missing-out for the fans sitting at home while combating fear-of-missing-out for the fans that paid to attend.
7) The power of partnerships
Lastly, a quick, but excellent note on how to think about brand relationships., As we get further from the paradigm of the shotgun approach, going a mile wide and an inch deep, the case is the same for partnerships.Where consumer segments intersect, and brands and services complement, is the sweet spot for partnerships.
Intersport’s Shannon Dan identified the partnership between Red Bull and GoPro as hitting the bullseye on this concept. If it seems like such a perfect, organic marriage of brands, that’s because it is.The idea, Dan stated, is the opportunity to tap into the others’ audiences. To enhance their experiences and play up their passions. Not every partnership is such a perfect marriage, but this aspiration should be the goal.
Relevance, authenticity, small and scalable successes, planning, goosebumps. This was a Fan Engagement Summit at which genuine, deep engagement really was the key concern. The more brands embrace this, plan for it, and create content to achieve it, the better the result for all parties involved. We all know an inauthentic campaign when we see it, or create it, and it’s past time to stop begrudgingly accepting and doing something about it. Fans are more skeptical than ever of brand intrusion and they’re eager and willing to call the bluff. Start asking the hard questions and seeking the answers.
On May 31 – June 2, Sports Business Journal hosted the Intersport Brand Engagement Summit, bringing together leaders from organizations and brands throughout the sports industry.
What follows is a collection of the best quotes, stats, observations, and insights shared via Twitter at the event. Thanks to everyone whose tweets helped fuel this recap and to Intersport and Sports Business Journal for a great event!
Posted by Neil Horowitz Follow me on Twitter @njh287 Connect on LinkedIn
On episode 68 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted with Jamie O’Grady, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Cauldron.
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