Posts Tagged 'Sports Marketing'

Can Brands Be “Friends” on Facebook?

Published October 27, 2009 Branding , Facebook , Marketing , NHL , Social Media Leave a Comment
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fbookMy two cents – in a word, “No”.

Here’s why…

Let’s say you have a Pro Sports Team Facebook Fan Page – and a brand – one that is not currently a sponsor of yours – shows up and engages your brand on Facebook. The viral nature of Facebook makes this action visible to many, possibly thousands of other people. Is this kind of brand interaction “fair” to your other (paying) sponsors who are not actively engaging your brand on Facebook?

Perhaps fair is the wrong word, but you get the idea. Social media is a platform – and yes – it is a free one, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that brand interaction in this space does not have a price. In fact, I would counter that it does.

As teams and leagues begin to negotiate the social media space (check out the NHL’s new Fan Page that launched recently) these kinds of questions need to be asked and addressed. These are the kinds of answers and strategies that I build. More on just how to do that in a later post…

What do you think? Can brands be Friends?

Upcoming Social Media and Sports Webinar: Aug. 6th

Published August 4, 2009 Branding , Social Media , Sports Marketing 3 Comments
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zu

Check out the link for the webinar by clicking here. Hurry – it’s this Thursday, August 6th!

This great presentation comes from a contact of mine - Trevor Turnbull at zu. These are the folks who built StampsConnect which I posted about a few weeks ago. I received some great feedback on this site – this should be an informative webinar and I encourage you to join in and check it out.

I first met Trevor via Twitter during the Pens/Caps series of the NHL playoffs – since then we have traded lots of good ideas. Zu is working on some exciting stuff, so be sure to attend.

A Tale of Two Calgary’s

Published July 21, 2009 Facebook , NHL , Social Media , Sponsorship , Sports Marketing , Twitter 2 Comments
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calgarydomeThe other week, I posted about StampsConnect – a true social media aggregator site developed for the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. Recently, Calgary’s other pro sports team – The Flames – came out with their social media package titled “The C of Red” via KickApps (now adopted by the NHL league wide).

So let’s compare and contrast what Calgary has on the go.

StampsConnect vs. C of Redcalgarystadium

First off – “The C of Red” hits a little too close to the “Red” brand/tag used by the Washington Capitals. (POST SCRIPT: Please review the comment by Rowan regarding other NHL teams use of “Red” as a tag or brand. My apologies to the Flames, I was wrong.)

KickApps is more of a “push” strategy, as opposed to a “pull” strategy employed by StampsConnect. In order to be a member of the C of Red, fans must sign up via the NHL in order to participate. With StampsConnect – users can simply view and leverage the social media content already out there on the Internet now. These same social media sites – namely Facebook and Twitter – are available to the C of Red as well, but exist completely outside of it.

StampsConnect succeeds because it is so simple – by leveraging the web tools and content that is already there, fans do not have to sign up for anything new, or “float” between platforms/logins to be part of the community.

Ultimately – these networks build loyalty and fan investment and will drive revenue indirectly as such. There is limited opportunity for sponsorship via KickApps itself as this would result in traditional web advertising possibilities. However, via true social media networks – sponsorship is much more dynamic and open to possibilities – not to mention the viral component of user visibility that provides a greater marketing footprint.

Summary

It remains to be seen how NHL teams will be using the KickApps platform – and what kind of engagement their fans provide vs. existing social media networks. I believe the goal is not to build isolated networks that borrow concepts of sharing and connection – but work with sites that are already doing this like Facebook and Twitter. Smart teams will be making the most of these opportunities and layering on sponsorship activation to provide a ROI in addition to fan loyalty and engagement.

The Offseason: 6 Ways to Stay Plugged In

Published June 17, 2009 Social Media , Sponsorship , Sports Marketing 3 Comments
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plugThe 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.

WolframAlpha and The Sports Industry

Published May 19, 2009 Google , Sports Marketing , WolframAlpha Leave a Comment
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WolframAlphaThere is a new and dynamic search engine on the web now called WolframAlpha. It may sound like a Tom Clancy novel, but WolframAlpha is changing how the internet works.

Here is What You Need to Know About It…

Have a look for yourself by clicking right here; the link is to a search on Sports.

You’ll notice how WolframAlpha presents information. Not links to websites like Google does, but information and context about your query. WolframAlpha can do things that Google can’t – and that means that the rest of the world can access information about you and your brand in ways they haven’t before.

Now, these are the very early days for WolframAlpha – it’s pretty good with some things, like the NFL or MLB teams – but it doesn’t know what to do with “Chicago Bulls” (it displays the distance bewteen Chicago, IL and Bulls -  a location in New Zealand), but it will be getting smarter in the days ahead.

WolframAlpha is a “computational knowledge engine” and represents the shift in focus of the current Internet (web2.0) to the semantic web (web3.0). Exactly how WolframAlpha will impact the business of sports remains to be seen. But now teams and fans alike have a new tool to drill down on information. It can provide statistical info, comparisons, analysis – a new set of tools to open doors.

future-splat-iconWhatever WolframAlpha doesn’t know now is just a matter of time until it does. When it does encounter something new, it displays the icon on the right and informs the user “Development of this topic is under investigation…”

Start by searching on your brand or your team now. And keep looking back…

Direct Contact Now Provides Custom Facebook Apps

Published May 18, 2009 Facebook , Social Media , Sponsorship , Sports Marketing 2 Comments
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IBT GamesI am pleased to announce a new partnership with IBT Games.

The skinny: Through Direct Contact, I provide social media consulting services. Working with IBT now gives me the opportunity to work with sports teams to build customized applications for Facebook. This is an exciting development as now teams can:

  • Take the fan experience even deeper by redefining the online experience through the custom development of their own applications
  • Differentiate their brand from other teams on Facebook and outpace competitive interests
  • Include unique sponsorship activation through product placement or advertising
  • Improve and enhance their current Facebook presence and social media focus

This helps elevate social media engagement strategies to a direct ROI level with bottom line impact. IBT’s games yield engagement levels 4x greater than that of average top applications on social media – that means more eyeballs spending more time on your team, your brand and your sponsors.

This is a total solution approach. Many teams have adopted social media strategies, but they are unable to differentiate themselves online within their league let alone their own local markets. Direct Contact nad IBT Games now allows them to do just that.

I should be clear that anyone can use IBT’s games on Facebook right now – my partnership with IBT allows sports teams to build similar games or high level engagement apps focused on their own league, team and brand. Teams may have ideas but lack the technical resources to develop such apps, but through my partnership with IBT, we can provide the full solution.

For more information on IBT Games – please visit their website, or contact me with any questions you may have.

MakeItSeven.ca Turns to Social Media

Published May 15, 2009 Branding , Facebook , Marketing , Social Media , Sports Marketing , Twitter 1 Comment
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MakeItSeven LogoAs I thought, it didn’t take long for the MakeInSeven.ca campaign to ratchet up social media engagement.

For those who read my original post and follow up post may recall my analysis was that this was essentially a branding attempt. Some people challenged me on that idea – but the most recent development re-enforces my assessment.

Here’s a breakdown:

What I am most suprised about is that MakeItSeven has corporate sponsors – I think it is a bold move for these brands to align themselves with this undertaking.

If anyone doubted this was a brand in development, it is very clear now that this was the intent from the start. How this will play out in the media, let alone bankruptcy court remains to be seen.

Click here to see what MakeItSeven.ca looks like now…

Bang On: @umassdilo and #Pens vs. #Caps #Game 7

Published May 13, 2009 Sports Marketing , Twitter Leave a Comment
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CapsPensSome 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):

Michael DiLorenzoumassdilo@carsonmckee Yer bang-on right it is.about 7 hours ago from web in reply to carsonmckee

So here’s hoping we find @umassdilo online again for Game 7 – Michael has informed me that he will not be in DC for game 7, but I do expect him to be monitoring the Twitter stream. If you are on Twitter, please join us.



Twitter Sponsorship Strategies

Published May 9, 2009 Branding , Social Media , Sponsorship , Sports Marketing , Twitter Leave a Comment
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TwitterIn a previous post, I talked about sponsorship activation via Twitter and provided a list of brands that Tweet. The idea being that these brands did not need to be educated on Twitter and would be more open to a conversation about sponsorship.

As of yet, I am not aware of any existing sponsorships through Twitter. In this post, I’d like to take a look at other ways to leverage Twitter for sponsorship:

  • The first and most obvious is to display sponsors on a teams’ Twitter background. Teams have branded their Twitter backgrounds, and the next step is to use parts of that space for sponsorship.
  • Teams can provide sponsor’s links in Tweets
  • Teams can drive fans to back to their website via tweet links where their sponsors are advertised
  • Use hash tags (#) to create sponsor titled contests or events (Ex. #sponsorGameday, #sponsorUpdate, #sponsorContest)
  • Crossover – Teams can participate in a sponsor’s own Twitter feed and encourage fans to follow the sponsors

Like any sponsorship – it is truly a partnership. Some brands will be more aligned with teams in terms of compatibility or Twitter crossover. Considerations surrounding frequency of messages, tracking, timing  and visibility will all come into play. Again, these are the very early days – smart sales teams will be moving on these opportunities and laying the path forward one step at a time.

For a complete list of players, teams and leagues on Twitter, click here.

Your feedback…

  • Any ideas for more activation?
  • Know of any sponsors working like this now?
  • Feedback/comments/questions on these ideas?

Branding the Purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes

Published May 6, 2009 Branding , Social Media , Sports Marketing 4 Comments
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makeitseven.caAs 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?

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Direct Contact is:

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Carson McKee
Owner, Direct Contact
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