In November 2016, Momentum Marketing and the Sport Business Journal hosted the Sport Marketing Symposium, bringing together leaders of brands and teams in sports biz.
This is a collection of the best quotes, insights, and images shared via Twitter from the event.
Month: November 2016
It’s easy to think the world revolves around sports. (I mean, it does, doesn’t it?) For much of the college world, sports do serve as a front porch and most visible part, oftentimes. That said, athletics represents an important, yet just another facet of a major institution, whose primary objective is to educate students and give them a great four years.
For the people in charge of athletics, making due with relatively limited resources and fitting in as a salient, but still cohesive part of the university, is an ongoing challenge. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Kirby Garry, Director of Athletics for Cal State Monterey Bay Athletics (listen here) and he provided great insight into his role, opportunity, and challenges overseeing a division two athletics program. Here are five key takeaways about being successful in leading the athletics program:
Over-communicate
Garry appreciates the important role he has — representing all those coaches, administrators, and hundreds of student athletes. When the university leadership comes to together, he is the primary representative for all things and people Otters (Athletics). To serve such an important responsibility effectively, Garry emphasizes the importance of communication, of doing his best to keep up with what everyone is doing and what they want and need.
“It’s about communicating openly and honestly with our head coaches and with the vice president…and our president,” said Garry. “It’s keeping open lines of communication to find out where we are. I want people to over-communicate…”
Garry doesn’t just want to communicate from athletics to university leadership, but also make sure their activities, their vision, and their branding and content and tone are aligned with the priorities and messaging of Cal State Monterey Bay. Athletics may be among the most visible part of any university, which only reinforces the importance that it represents the brand of the university as a whole.
“I need to be able to tell the story of what’s going on in our department to the senior-level administration at CSU-MB. I need to be able to do that at a national and conference level.”.
Be good at what you’re good at
Even the biggest college athletics programs in the countries can’t be good at everything (insert facetious comment about Clemson’s digital team here), but that’s not a realistic goal for anyone, anyway. This is where self-awareness can go such a long way — the key is to be known, period. Known as something distinct and for something impressive. Identifying these elements can make such a difference and is a key aspect of Garry’s leadership of Otter Athletics.
“It’s…coming up with that narrative of who we are. I think that’s so important, especially at our level,” said Garry. “You just have to build on what your resources are, and build on your strengths…It’s really – capitalize on the strengths that we have…and be here for our students every day…”
There will never be enough time in the day, enough resources to go around, enough opportunity to master everything. But it’s better to be the best at something than an also-ran in everything.
Build a foundation, have a vision
Rome wasn’t built in a day (Maybe you’ve heard that cliche once or twice?). The only way to realize a greater vision is to successfully achieve goals and stops along the way. Garry has not been Director of Athletics at CSU Monterey Bay, but he knows what he wants five years from now to look and what has happen to today and tomorrow and the next day to stay on that path and to build that brand. Because you CAN do something, one thing, every day to get closer to an ultimate goal.For Garry and CSU Monterey Bay, it’s building the school and its athletics program into an admirable institution, who’s dedication to athletics is suprassed only by dedication to, and development of, student athletes.t hat all sounds good on a pamphlet and or on a banner on the wall, but step back and think about what happened yesterday and will happen today and tomorrow that furthers the ‘master plan.’
“We can recruit hard and train good kids and develop them…and then if we’re (performing well) when those kids are juniors and seniors, we’ll (have success),” described Garry
“…But of course we have a lot of facility needs…We’re spending (resources) tearing old buildings down left over from the military base…We have these transformational projects that are happening…that are just institutional projects. So where we do fit in in that master plan for athletics?…Where does athletics fit and what do we need to look like? And I don’t think that was a conversation we had ten years ago..So being in that (university-level) conversation excites me…to move the needle…having some vision, and doing the best we can on a day-to-day basis.”
It’s not about where athletics will be in five years, it’s about where the university wants to be in five years and how athletics plays a (valuable) role in that. It’s a mutual relationship and why it’s so important for Garry and his peers to over-communicate, to understand how athletics is a part of the whole, and to further the university’s brand and vision throughout every facet of athletics.
“What I think I need to do every day is really keep my eye on the future, so I can position our department to grow with the university, and be part of the fabric of the university,” said Garry “…So we can provide the service and support to our students…as students, and not just athletes, on our campus..”
Social and digital represent an opportunity to stand out
I could show my mom two graphics, two website recaps, two social media posts, two GIFs, etc. etc. and ask her to identify which one is from a big school with tons of resources and which is from a school where their budget is not eight figures, and I could not guarantee you she’d know which was which. There are schools all over looking “big-time” on social and digital because the digital playground is a truly level playing field. CSU Monterey Bay may not have the facilities of an Oregon, but darn if they can’t look just as good, if not better, and, just as important, unique and distinct, on digital and social media.
“We tried to create an identity in the digital and social space. Because it [sic] is a level-playing field…I hope we’re looked at as early adopters in some of the social things we did as a division two institution, that everyone has caught up to now. But we looked at it as a differentiating factor,” Garry explained, with energy and conviction in his tone. …
“We sat down and (discussed) how do we make this look big time?…Student athletes are on social (media), they are on their phones. They’re feeling good about what we’re providing them in terms of support…I think early on, really strategizing and planning our work on social…Made an impact.”
What kind of impact? Well, beyond looking good for student athletes, their families/friends, and potential recruits, the Otters garnered such attention on social media that CBS Sports Network decided to come and televise one of their women’s volleyball matches. That’s some pretty powerful social media ROI and it all happened because the Otters stood out from the crowd.
Develop assets that add value, and everyone will get value
We’re always focused no ROI these days. When you can measure, well, everything, you start to question the return on your time and resources. That’s part of it, but, as many know, it’s not always so clear-cut, nor can you have the chicken before you have the eggs. Garry knows there’s value in a strong social media presence, but before you can think about adding value through direct dollars and cents, you have to make sure you’re adding value for the followers, the fans, the student athletes, with quality content.
“Really, it’s about awareness,” Garry said of CSU MB Athletics’ investment into digital and social media. “To us, it’s not about making money. Maybe breaking even would be great…”
“But if you don’t build it, if you don’t have the assets to promote, then you’re never going to monetize it…You’ve got to get your production up to a level, where you feel good about it…We’ve dabbled with monetizing some of our digital inventory last year…We earned a little more money this year than we did last year…”
Social and digital media is not really a question these days. Having a presence is a prerequisite. Then, it’s up to the school and guys like Kirby Garry to determine the brand and strength and value of that presence. It needs to get to a point where fans actually want it, then you can maybe earn a few sponsorship bucks (and then some). One can never take for granted the attention of fans. It must be earned.
The best mindset one can have is NOT to lament the lack of time, lack of staff, lack of budget, lack of resources. Better to be thankful for what you DO have, to develop what you do have to such an extent that you truly stand out.
It’s easy to get caught in the day-to-day, year-to-year routine. But complacency is a killer. Have a vision and embrace it. Live that vision and progress toward it every day. There’s nothing more important than the effect a day’s effort. If you truly care, then every day, wherever you are, is the big-time.
The Dallas Cowboys are an enormous brand. “America’s Team,” as they’re still known to many. Their brand is so widespread and their nation so strong, even a passing social media presence would garner considerable reach and interactions.
But the Cowboys feed their social platforms with attention, unique content, and earn greater reach and engagement, as a result. There is a good mix of access,pre-made content, sponsor integration, endearing content, and some real-time engagement. I caught them on a good day, indeed, a dominant win over the Cleveland Browns, 35-10, but it appears the Cowboys make sure to serve their fans with content on each platform.
The Cowboys did an excellent job with well-curated photography and an intentional look and feel with their Instagram page. While not every NFL team utilizes Instagram stories, the Cowboys had a set of unique graphics and video clearly designed for Instagram stories. This part of the platform is young enough that a well-done Instagram story really stands out. The focus was on pregame, only, but it was well-done. Their pregame content also included the requisite shots of players arriving to the stadium.
The Cowboy really had some eye-catching visuals once the game began — including some aesthetic player shots and a cartoon of punter Chris Jones that definitely stands out in the feed. The in-game content also included score update graphics used on the Cowboys’ other platforms, as well.
Instagram was not a place where sponsors were called out or integrated. Overall, good selection and a talented team photograopher (or Getty / AP photographer) that the Cowboys utilize well for their Instagram feed. They also capped off the night with Instagram video of their own #manneqinchallenge, which on last check had around a quarter million views.
Increasingly becoming the platform where deeper engagement and relationship-building can take place, the Cowboys utilize Snapchat for the most raw and pathos-appealing content. In the pregame window, the Cowboys didn’t go too heavy on the ride / welcome to the stadium content, but shared a portion of warm-ups where the perspective is more fly-on-the-wall than invited guest. This plays perfectly for intimate moments between receiver Cole Beasley and a young fan, and some authentic interactions between Beasley and some fans in the stands in the road environment in Cleveland. Love that.
The Cowboys continue to let you be an inside observer of the team’s pregame experience with an opportunity to be there for a pregame prayer and huddle, and on the field for post game exchanges and celebrations. (Noting that winning helps) While many teams (not all, though) provide such access for pregame Snapchat and other social coverage, it does not happen without trust and cooperation, so kudos to the Cowboys for delivering this to their fans. The Cowboys do have a Snapchat filter at their home stadium and chose not to use any local geofilters for this road trip outside of the NFL scoreboard. No sponsor integration was clear/clearly intentional for Snapchat.
The place where personality most shines through and interaction is most possible is Twitter and, especially when they’re dominating, the Cowboys post with a confidence knowing that they’re good. (But, it’s not cocky) The pregame coverage had a volume of photos from the trip to the stadium, along with some good raw photos of players, direct fan interaction, pre-made videos, and some sponsored content, as well. Even with timelines going a mile a minute, notice, too, how they caught and replied to legendary Cowboys running back Emmit Smith.
Throughout the game and the pre-game, much of the more newsy content from the Cowboys came via retweets of the team’s website writers. The Cowboys had some of their best pregame “access” content on their Twitter feed, with a few videos that garnered major engagement leading up to the opening kickoff.
The Cowboys continued to bring it with god photos and graphics and GIFs during the game, including a sponsored post, and delivered content with just that little hint of Cowboys pomp. They had a good graphic ready to go for a Dak Prescott achievement early during the game.
The Cowboys had frequent use of emoji, strong score graphics, and continued retweets of writers, especially for statistics, and GIFs throughout the game. The social team is monitoring their Mentions app, too, catching a shoutout from NBA player Quincy Acy to retweet. I definitely like that their score graphics also display some of their strong photography. Also notable, these score update graphics did not contain any sponsor logos. There was only one sponsored element during the game on the Cowboys’ Twitter feed.
After the game, the Cowboys had a handful of postgame informative tweets, a retweet of Omar Epps, and a nice Player of the Game short video. There were also more game photos; the Cowboys utilize all those great photos, better than most teams.There was no live content, or live content promoted, in the post game window, outside promotion of a live radio show. There was one piece of sponsored postgame content (Bigelow Team, also seen on Facebook).
The Cowboys are a global brand and that huge reach is reflected on their Facebook page. The pregame (and post game) consisted of a good amount of sponsor-integrated content and preview content (typical for NFL teams, in any case), all did include visuals, but most were shared links that required clicking through to get to the content. There were a couple of pregame videos that gave fans a raw feel of being embedded with the team, and the view counts were significant; clearly, the fans love it! The content understandably slowed down during the game, but they did drop their nice prepared Dak graphic, when he passed Troy Aikman for most touchdowns by a rookie quarterback in club history.
The same score update graphics used elsewhere were re-purposed on the Cowboys’ Faceboo during the game and garnered good interaction, no doubt helped by the team dominating the game. Also notable was the Cowboys had a specific, labeled cover photo for the game (typical for most teams), which included a hash tag. Their Page’s CTA is to ‘Learn More’ as opposed to other teams that will have Shop or Get App, among others. The Cowboys ramped up the coverage post game, but, like on Twitter, it came in one big content dump, perhaps posted after the team landed on a flight back from Cleveland.
The post game included a few sponsor-integrated posts, mostly recap articles, but with unique twists. Highlights were posted, sponsored by Bigelow Tea, and this was a link back to their website to watch (as on Twitter). They made a huge bang, however, with their #mannequinchallenge video filmed on the plane after the big win. They were among a few teams that played off the viral video theme of the moment, and the fans certainly enjoyed it. While the video was also posted on Twitter and Instagram, Facebook predictably had the furthest reach, with, now a couple of days later, has over 9 MILLION VIEWS. Wow. Sometimes, the hardest part is just getting everyone board, and doing it. With nothing more than a phone.
The Dallas Cowboys do right by their brand and by their fans on social media. They take care to plan, to provide good access, to read the room and the moments, to actively look for major engagement opportunities, and to carry just enough swag for America’s Team. Like most NFL clubs, their primary goal is often to drive traffic to their owned real estate, on their website, but the strong visuals (and hard not to like that mannequinchallenge video) make them a welcome presence in any feed, with an opportunity for the more avid fan to read up on the more football-y part of being a Cowboys fan. They don’t go overboard with promoting individual players, but don’t ignore individual achievements, nor do they excessively feed the Cowboys unique brand, but they still command a captive, sleek presence, with the access to fit. Sure, it’s easy being the Cowboys and it’s easy being 7-1. But it shouldn’t be an excuse to take a social audience for granted, and the Cowboys take this to the heart.
On episode 79 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Neil chatted with Kirby Garry, Director of Athletics for Cal State Monterey Bay.
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
The New Orleans Saints have a unique bond between their team, players, fans, and city. It goes beyond just cheering on wins, the fans feel a part of the team and love the players like family. The Saints embrace this, a much of their social media content is focused on highlighting players and fans, as much as posting other content and updates on their recent game day at home, in a close win against the Seattle Seahawks.
Perhaps their most impressive platform is Instagram. The Saints shared some thoughtful, close access photos and videos in the pregame window, including a pregame speech in a huddle from Drew Brees (shared elsewhere, too) and use of filters, for affect. The Saints did use Instagram stories, but not much, and just shared a little pregame content on that part of the platform.
Particularly awesome was a video on Instagram comprised of some great fan pics, prepared for game day. This framed promotion, sponsored by Coca-Cola, was a great collection that included some oh-so-adorable baby/kid pics. Instagram content during the game was primarily score update graphics and a snapshot from a halftime ceremony (similar to photos shared on other platforms). There was also a couple pics of players heading in for halftime.
The Saints had some great stuff after the game, too, which was an exciting win. Photos of excited players, powerful visuals, and some awesome video of fans and even an emotional player making eye contact and talking to fans. A lot of strong work after the thrilling victory, and Instagram showcased fans and players well, for the Saints.
The Saints had an active Facebook page over the weekend with mostly links and some sponsored content. The content integrated with sponsors was primarily shared on Saturday, tied into content linking back to the Saints website, and ‘tagged’ in the Saints’ posts.
A closer look at their Facebook Page and one can see their primary CTA at the top of the page is to ‘Message’ the page. The Saints are not only responsive, but very active in the pregame window, sharing a lot of links with preview content and even updated their cover photo that day. A pregame photo of the team in the tunnel was particularly popular; there was no native video on their page (at all, during the day).
During the game, the Saints updated their Facebook with score graphics, some photos from the halftime ceremony, and a lot of links to content (recaps, pressers) following their win over Seattle. The visuals were good and it would be interesting to know the traffic/click being driven from these posts / this activity.
Of course, the Saints were by far the most active on Twitter and their content and activity on here mirrored their focus on featuring players and fans over all else. In the pregame time period, there was retweets of players and of fans, excited for the Saints Gameday. (Notable, too, that the Saints have separate game day account, solely for customer service at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, it appears).
Also during pregame, the Saints retweeted other great content being posted to Twitter from other media outlets. Love this, as simple as it seems. If there is great content fans will enjoy, your curation is a service for them and only keeps them wanting more and more enthusiastic. The Saints had a steady volume throughout the pregame, with videos, photos, and retweets building buzz and giving a taste of the home game atmosphere.
The Saints’s in-game coverage is comprised of text updates for big plays, lots of player portrait photos (definitely helps build that visual connection with players and fans), and pre-prepared scoring graphics, including those styled for the team’s 50th anniversary. They reinforced their season-long theme with repeated usage of their hashflag, #Saints50. Scoring plays had a prepared graphic or two, followed by a visual/graphic drive summary tweet. None of these visuals contained any sponsors, as a note.
The Saints whipped out a good portion of variety during the game, with some unique visuals, fun GIFS (Saints/prepared and others) and had fun with QB Drew Brees as the GOAT (using GIFS and emoji). The Saints also did share one Snappy TV clip that the NFL had posted. The same themes of endearing players to fans permeated content throughout.
After the exciting win, the Saints shared in the emotion with fans, and then went into post game mode. This was links to their website to watch live web pressers, but also some tweeted out quotes, as well. In addition, there was active retweeting of multiple players and some great inclusion of tweets from happy, celebrating fans. (Victory gumbo FTW)
Finally, we take a look at Snapchat, on which the Saints had some solid, consistent content. The pregame content helped set the stage and build the emotion, while providing enough of the kind of access fans have come to expect on the platform. There was good selection in what to feature and even a special cameo from a current Saints fan celeb.
The Saints had the most activity on Snapchat in the pregame window, and their access was beyond just the average, including a raw experience in a pregame huddle with Drew Brees. A great way to make fans feel close and to feel the emotion of the players and the atmosphere. There didn’t appear to be a Saints-specific geofilter in use, and the filters used were the NFL game day filter and a couple general New Orleans filters.
During the game, the only Snapchat content came at halftime, with players running in and some shots of a halftime ceremony. Then, more magic happened after the game. It was great and speaks to what the Saints want to do on social — form deeper, personal connections between fans and players. Eye contact and direct messages shared via Snapchat after a big win is just fantastic and great buy-in from Saints players with the team’s social. Of course, fans were also featured.
I enjoyed reviewing the Saints’ social media. It is well done in a lot of ways and does a good job of conveying atmosphere and emotion, and featuring fans and players within all their content. There is perhaps no better result of social than deepening ties between fans and team, and the Saints, on this point, are hitting pay dirt.
There appears to be an epidemic upon us. No sport is being spared. There are sales calls and emails bombarding sports biz pros at times that simply make no sense.
It’s happening every day and everyone should know better. Sports, and sports business, are extremely cyclical, by nature. There are seasons and offseasons, planning and executing, evaluating and activating — and the schedule is right there for all to see. (There are even handy pocket schedules and refrigerator magnets).
So why is it so many business solutions for sports teams think the best time pitch their product is right in the middle of the season? As I see examples of this being shared by folks in the sports biz, it appears to be off-putting and annoying, let alone ineffective. And the inattention to detail, like forgetting to change a name in a template is the proverbial cherry on top.
![james-2[eric].PNG](https://i0.wp.com/dsmsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/james-2eric.png?resize=300%2C93&ssl=1)
It seems like doing the homework should be common sense. But we often take it for granted, in a world of automation and scale. At mobile app developer for sport/venues/colleges Hopscotch, where I work, we talk in terms of sales cycles, budget timelines, and have timelines for teams, leagues, colleges, etc. There is a lot more detail at the individual level in CRM, of course, but at the macro level, just knowing when is the right time to ind a prospect ready to talk elicits enhanced efficiency. And that’s the point here.
The same ideals can and should be embraced by teams themselves. Thinking in terms of planning, budgets, and cycles when it comes to both businesses they approach for corporate partnerships and in many facets of ticket sales (even as last-minute and secondary ticket buyers continue to trend). They have budget cycles, they have busy seasons and less-busy times, and there is a right time to approach them for group tickets, for premium and multi-game plans, for sponsorships.
It should be a lesson to all — to those businesses currently planning to blast the inboxes of unsuspecting sports biz pros while they are preparing for a game and to teams going after business with the goal of the right time (and the right messaging). The only way scale and automation becomes a good thing is if it’s smart and informed. If you or your team can’t fill in these blanks, the best marketing tools still cannot, either.
We haven’t heard the last of this epidemic, but at least we know the antidote.
Listen to episode 79 of the Digital and Social Media Sports podcast, with Kirby Garry, Director of Athletics for California State University Monterey Bay, a member of NCAA DII and the CCAA (conference).
60 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