The NHL Draft and Twitter vs. ROI
June 22, 2009 at 5:18 pm | Posted in Social Media, Sports Marketing, Twitter | 2 CommentsTags: NHL, ROI, Social Media, Tweetup, Twitter
While NHL Tweetups are nothing new, the LA Kings are making a bit of a splash as they will have front office personnel tweeting from the floor of the draft.
More on that at the Sportsin140 blog .
And you can follow the LA Kings on Twitter here.
Another Twitter first for an NHL club – it will be interesting to see how this plays out from a fan engagement perspective. Here again – some significant attention is being paid to the Kings Twitter feed and there is no apparent sponsorship. Some people will criticize me for my attempts to monetize social media – and some people will hire me for it. I believe it’s naive to think that ROI just doesn’t need to apply – “adding value” doesn’t add up at the end of the day (as this article attempts to counter).
My point here – and a big part of the reason I am interested in sports marketing and social media – is that sponsorship is 100% plain as day, in your face, front and centre ROI. I recall some radio broadcasts of games in Toronto with the “Home Hardware out-of-town scoreboard” (Blue 
Jays, I think). There weren’t too many people complaining that sponsorship was ruining the free medium of radio. Social Media is still just media.
Tweeting from the draft floor is an innovative move on the part of the Kings – but now it’s time to take that innovation a step further into revenue.
The Offseason: 6 Ways to Stay Plugged In
June 17, 2009 at 6:28 pm | Posted in Social Media, Sponsorship, Sports Marketing | 3 CommentsTags: MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Social Media, Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
The NBA and NHL championships have come and gone.
It’s a bit too early to start talking about the NFL, and MLB is not the most social media focused league in town.
So one might think that there is very little to discuss regarding social media and sports right now – but that would be a mistake. Now is a very important time for teams and leagues to keep fans engaged.
Why? Because, if you follow my path to social media then you know that sponsorship is not far behind. Through social media, there are still opportunities to keep fans active, and to keep sponsors activated.
Consider the following… How can you leverage:
- Ticket Sales – Do you have a social media angle for marketing tickets?
- Contests/Give Aways – Are you giving your market a reason to keep plugged in?
- Off Season Drafts/Trades/Personnel Changes – Can you provide perspectives and insight from the source?
- Discussion – Can you generate discussion and debate?
- Access – Can you provide visibility on team insiders?
- Announcements – Can you release info via social networks prior to a press release?
If you give your market good reasons to stay plugged in – then they will. Staying plugged in is what your sponsors want and need to see.
Bang On: @umassdilo and #Pens vs. #Caps #Game 7
May 13, 2009 at 12:05 am | Posted in Sports Marketing, Twitter | 1 CommentTags: Capitals, NHL, Penguins, Sports Marketing, Twitter
Some readers may find the title of this post confusing, and some may have an idea what it is about…
Yes, it’s about Twitter.
There are some exciting things happening if you are into sports marketing and social media. @umassdilo is the Twitter name for Michael DiLorenzo, Director of Corporate Communications with the NHL. Michael also has a blog - From the Blue Seats.
In case you didn’t know, the “#” (hashtag) is used on Twitter to denote a topic or grouping (more about hashtags here) – it’s a simple way of saying “I’m talking about this”. It’s community driven, so there isn’t really a great deal of etiquette on the use of hashtags yet. Anyone can use or create one, like #directcontact or #baconandeggs.
What’s been happening as of late is a pretty fantastic hockey playoff series between the Penguins and Capitals, and Michael DiLorenzo has been assigned to cover the games on Twitter. During the game, you will find @umassdilo Tweeting away, and there are several other individuals doing the same. I spent some time on Twitter while watching the games, and have found the experience to be interesting. The teams’ own Twitter feeds, @umassdilo’s and several other people contribute to a shared experience.
I asked Michael today if he would be Tweeting during #Game 7 – I didn’t get a direct answer but he did make (harmless) fun of me for what seems to be a Canadian term, “bang on” (as in: correct, perfect, bang on):
umassdilo@carsonmckee Yer bang-on right it is.
Branding the Purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes: PART 2
May 7, 2009 at 11:17 pm | Posted in Branding, Marketing, Sports Marketing | 2 CommentsTags: Keep it Six, Makeitseven, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes
It didn’t take long.
In response to the MakeItSeven website – or what I’ve called the branding of this purchase attempt, there is a t-shirt that positions against the brand called “Keep it Six”.
I think the interesting point here is that the PR battle hinges on the number of NHL franchises in Canada – but the issue is clearly elsewhere. The Coyotes are bankrupt – plain and simple. The MakeItSeven.ca brand has taken the issue to a different level, one that I still find to be an interesting strategy…
Branding the Purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes
May 6, 2009 at 2:57 pm | Posted in Branding, Social Media, Sports Marketing | 5 CommentsTags: Branding, Jim Balsillie, NHL, Phoenix Coyotes, Sports Marketing
As the sports news and blogs light up with Jim Balsillie’s offer to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes on condition of the ability to move the team to “southern Ontario”, I want to focus on the accompanying website, www.makeitseven.ca.
The idea behind makeitseven.ca is rooted far more in PR than social media, but one can only wonder if the Make It Seven Facebook Page is far behind – or if @makeitseven is already snapped up on Twitter (at the time of writing, neither was).
What makeitseven.ca is essentially doing, is building a brand around the purchase attempt. This is being positioned as something “for” Canada, for hockey fans, for the good of us all. I have “signed up” and am looking forward to seing exactly what will come my way via email from the Balsillie camp.
While I am certain there are countless opinions on whether or not this deal makes sense, or the conditions of the agreement are valid (let alone legal), what I am looking for here is the branding element of this story.
What do you think about the idea of branding this potential sale as it is?
Twitter and Sports Marketing: Vancouver Canucks
March 27, 2009 at 8:25 am | Posted in Branding, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Sponsorship, Sports Marketing, Twitter | 5 CommentsTags: Canucks, Facebook, NHL, Sports Marketing, Twitter
I’ve been doing some consulting with the NHL’s Canucks on their strategies for their Facebook Page and Twitter.
The Canucks have made a focused effort on growing their Twitter followers (1800+ today). Here’s a look at some of the efforts being implemented that are getting them results:
- A custom Twitter page (Twitter has some scaling issues)
- Twitter based contests and give-aways
- Use of tools like Tweetdeck to help use and organize their efforts
- Cross platform promotion via Facebook
Beyond loyalty and fan engagement, the Canucks address the ROI effort by looking at possible sponsorship activation opportunities once their numbers are strong (at least 5K+).
With a healthy number of Facebook fans (27K+ today), the Canucks are looking to promote Twitter through that platform. These fans are already active on social media and fans of the team, so they are most likely to follow the team on Twitter. The Canucks can also feature Twitter contest winners on their Facebook page – this makes for a great duality of social media platform crossover.
One of the great things about using Facebook for sports marketing is the visibility chain reaction of Friend engagement. When someone joins a group or makes a comment, their entire Friend network is alerted about it – so a residual marketing message is carried through Friend networks adding an exponential touch to the Facebook marketing strategy – much like WOM (word of mouth), Facebook style.
NHL Teams Turning to Social Media
March 18, 2009 at 1:08 pm | Posted in Branding, CRM, Facebook, Getting Started, Marketing, Social Media, Sponsorship, Sports Marketing, Twitter | 14 CommentsTags: Facebook, NHL, Sponsorship, Sports Marketing, Twitter
NHL Offices Elevator
I recently met with a contact of mine, Mark Schultz, Manager of Club Consulting and Services at the NHL here in Toronto.
We talked about a recent post from my blog, and how NHL teams are increasingly interested in social media. Some teams are already active, while others have yet to incorporate social media into their marketing mix.
Mark and I discussed some interesting ideas – like how teams can use Twitter to release game day ticket availability from unclaimed reserve seating, and the importance of a CRM (Jon Spoelstra 101). We talked about the exponential marketing visibility provided by Facebook engagement – and as the Friend and Follower numbers grow, how to incorporate sponsorship activation.
When teams begin a social media campaign – there are a couple of key points they need to keep top of mind:
- ROI as traditional marketing measurement is now based on ROT (Time) – Most social media tools are free to use, but organizations need to account for the time their internal resources spend on these projects.
- Tools behind the Platforms - While its easy for anyone to start using social media for marketing, there are a number of tools and applications available to maximize use.
- Now is the Time – A tough economy brings another business case to leverage social media, but teams are recognizing that their markets are already there in social networks. Sponsorship opportunities are close to follow, so build these online communities now.
Regarding the economy – while its been a promising week on the markets, things will continue to remain unstable for the foreseeable future. The Maple Leafs are using in-game ad time to initiate a season ticket renewal campaign and offering incentives (like a meet/greet with the GM) – this is new for the Leafs, the most financially stable and strong of the 30 team NHL. If there is such activity in Toronto, a very strong market with an iron clad brand; it points at the deepening trouble in other markets.
So now is the time for teams to turn to social media:
- The short term win is stronger fan engagement
- The strategic win is increased opportunities for sponsorship activation
Over to you – if you are a fan, are you connected with your favorite team through social media? Are you a sports marketer? How does your organization currently work with online communities?
Facebook, Twitter and Sports Marketing
March 11, 2009 at 9:23 pm | Posted in Branding, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Sports Marketing, Twitter | 14 CommentsTags: Chicago Blackhawks, Facebook, NHL, Social Media, Sports Marketing, Twitter
A great example of a major sports brand leveraging Facebook is the Chicago Blackhawks.
After years of frustrating marketing efforts, the Blackhawks are currently enjoying a renaissance both on and off the ice. One way that the Blackhawks are effectively engaging their market is through social media, notably Facebook.
Click here to view the Official Facebook Page of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Just like any business working with social media, the Blackhawks are now participating in the conversation about their brand, product and industry by engaging their market on Facebook. Social media is a great fit for sports leagues and teams. I have reviewed how the NHL member clubs are using Facebook as part of their marketing strategy and the Blackhawks have the strongest presence in my opinion.
Here are the key points of what makes the Blackhawk’s Facebook Page successful:
- There is a lot of great “official” content and videos for fans to view
- Strong fan engagement and content in dialogue and photo submissions
- Posting of a download-able monthly schedule and screen saver
- A link to their mobile marketing campaign
- A listing of events and player signings
- A tab for the Blackhawks Twitter feed
- A link for Facebook fans to get special pricing on tickets*
* This offer is now disabled, but was at one time the landing page.
Click here to view the Blackhawks on Twitter
The Blackhawks have one of the sharpest customized Twitter pages that I have seen to date. In addition to team news, they also post game play updates and they have been growing followers quickly since I have been checking in on them.
The Blackhawks Twitter feed is following several other profession sports teams on Twitter – take a minute to review them to see how other teams (NBA, MLB, etc…) are using Twitter.
In Summary…
The Blackhawks are industry leaders in fan engagement via social media. They do an excellent job of carrying and facilitating the conversation surrounding their brand and making the most of places like Facebook and Twitter – where their fans already are active.
The path forward will inevitable tie in sponsorship opportunities – as fan and follower bases grow in numbers, teams need to be careful how they attempt to integrate sponsorship activation. This is an exciting time for sports marketing and social media.
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Carson McKee,
Digital wing man and social media consultant. -
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