There is no denying that social media has had a profound
impact on how we interact with one another. Today we are able to feel closer
than ever to our favorite athletes and teams through outlets like Twitter,
Instagram, and Facebook. With almost one fifth of Internet users logging into
twitter this year, according to Statistista.com, and a projected increase to a
quarter of users by 2018 it is clear that social media is a viable outlet for
teams and athletes to interact with fans.
“As Twitter continues to evolve,
many business organizations are adopting Twitter accounts within their
marketing strategies to interact with their fans.… The Carolina Panthers
specifically have a section of their website titled "Fanzone," where
one can find the link to follow the team on Twitter (Carolina Panthers, 2012).
Major League Baseball teams utilize a section called "Connect with the
(Team name)," where fans can choose to follow the team via Twitter. NASCAR
also provides fans with the capability of following the league through Twitter.”
(Witkemper)
Most athletes and organizations today have at least one if
not more social media pages. The different outlets allow fans to get an inside
look at what goes on within an organization that was never before available.
Selfies from the sideline, post game locker room pictures, or videos made by
players simply arriving to the stadium are just a few of the many examples of
inside looks given to the fans by players and organizations.
The platforms give not only an enhanced experience to the
fans but it allows teams and players at all levels to brand themselves.
Athletes and organizations can now better develop their brands to grow their
fan bases and market to current fans through using sites like Twitter and
Instagram. “According to Navigate Research, sports fans are 67 percent more
likely to use Twitter to enhance their viewing experience compared to
non-sports fans.” (DiMoro)
A big reason for the overwhelming use of social media by
sports fans is because the teams themselves have adopted positive ways of using
social that do not involve directly trying to market to users and fans. Teams
now use the pages as if their own entity and use their social media as a voice
for the team that was never previously available. It has injected a life force
into teams that was never previously there and as a result we are seeing more
and more sports fans being drawn into using social media themselves.
Some examples of this are teams talking to fans that post at
them or even better, trash talking. Countless times we have seen teams throwing
playful insults back and forth at one another. Before a basketball game between
the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers, the Clippers posted a
video on twitter of their team slam-dunking a ball against the rival Warriors.
Cleverly the Warriors fired back with a video of their own showing super star
Steph Curry of the Warriors dribbling through several Clippers players and
knocking down a 3-point shot.
Teams also compete with one another in terms of generating
likes and feedback from fans. Though this has a lot to do with who is
performing better in contest, it also can be very highly influenced by the tactics
that are used. “The exciting game this season between the Denver Broncos
and New England Patriots provided a great example of the power of social media
to create buzz in real time. The last few minutes of the game were filled with
big plays, with the Broncos ultimately taking down the Patriots with a
touchdown in overtime. The Broncos marketing team capitalized on the excitement
in real time, amplifying the buzz through hashtags like #BeatThePatriots and
#BroncosCountry and generating more than 30 percent more Tweets and retweets
than the Patriots.” (Guest)
Another fun way fans are able to interact with sports
organizations is through the application Snapchat. Many teams now create
geo-tags that allow fans to post their photos with a filter that includes
pictures of the teams and up to the minute scores. These posts can even be
shown to all Snapchat users if the game happens to be on the featured content
bar on the platform. This provides a fun way for fans to be part of the event
and in addition to showing people where they are they can then save the photos
and will have them as a nice memory from the event.
Sports are an excellent part of our culture that has now
only been amplified by the dawn of social media. It is truly an exciting time
to be a sports fan of any kind.
Works Cited
Witkemper, Chad, Choong Hoon Lim, and Adia Waldburger.
"Social Media and Sports Marketing: Examining the Motivations and
Constraints of Twitter Users." Sport Marketing Quarterly 21.3
(2012): 170-83. ProQuest. Web. 9 Apr. 2016.
DiMoro, Anthony. "The Growing Impact of Social Media On
Today's Sports Culture." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 2 July 2015. Web.
Guest. "6 Winning Social Media Tips for Sports
Marketing Success." SocialTimes. N.p., 7 Jan. 2016. Web.
Ally D’Alia
ReplyDeleteLike almost everything else we’ve discussed this semester, social media has taken over in terms of the way individuals interact, share news, and communicate. Whether it be celebrity news, live tweeting a show, politics, or sports, we can almost always count on social media to generate the buzz. As Ryan talked about, social media has created a platform for sports fans to interact, teammates to tweet at fans, as well as even teams tweeting at each other pre rival. This creates a huge opportunity for teams to market themselves and generate a larger following, more stimulation before games, and a chance to expand and brand themselves as a team better. “Over the last 10 years, the media market has undergone a drastic transformation, which has positively affected sports on TV.” (Nielsen) Nowadays people thrive off of social media interaction and the fact that some teams and players take time to tweet back at fans, retweet, or like something is going the whole nine yards (pun intended).
What I find very interesting is, stated in the AFP article, that Twitter will be streaming the 10 Thursday Night Football games this coming Fall. “This fall Thursday Night Football will be streamed live @twitter so fans will see more of this," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in his first tweet since September 2014.” (AFP) Never before were we able to stream live content from Twitter so this is a huge transformation that will even better accommodate sports fans and even bring in people who weren’t fans before. Even someone like me, who is a very passive sports fan and I really only keep up on the major events such as the Superbowl and other big championship games, would consider tuning into live stream if it was made available through Twitter. This shows how much social media is taking advantage of their followers and fan base in order to expand and grow their market.
Another point Ryan touched upon which I really wanted to elaborate on is how fans are able to interact with sporting events and organizations through Snapchat. Because Snapchat has now offered their “live feed” space, they have completely taken advantage of that with college and professional sporting events. I might not even be watching or interested in a certain game airing but I will definitely tap through the live feed that’s capturing everything going on at the Sunday night football game. From tailgates, to large crowds making their way into the stadium, to major highlights of the game, Snapchat live feed is able to capture it all. This to me is genius and so entertaining because it gives fans and users a chance to engage and be in the moment with the game even if they are watching from home, or not watching at all. For example, during the Frozen Four game Quinnipiac played against Boston College, Snapchat set up a Frozen Four live feed and because our school was playing we were able to post snapchats to the feed, hoping one of them would be worthy enough to make it. Well, mine did! I posted a quick snap of tons of students going crazy once the game was over and we won. Snapchat manually made my location to Hamden and stuck it into the live feed. My post had over 500 thousand views in 24 hours. How cool is that? Just another way social media has taken off with sports marketing to their fans.
Master, Stephen. "A Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
"Twitter Wins Rights to Stream Thursday Night NFL Games." Yahoo Finance. N.p., 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
I’m glad that Ryan wrote about how social media has had an impact on marketing in sports. Social media has become a way for athletes to market themselves and their sport through fan interaction. Teams and athletes tweet at each other and at fans, generating interest from fans and non-fans on social media.
ReplyDeleteJust like with musicians and actors, athletes become celebrities on social media who are giving fans a glimpse of what it is like to play their sport. People who are not even fans of specific teams become intrigued by what is posted on social media because it is a backstage pass to the game. According to Forbes, the most popular sports teams on social media are Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal (Badenhausen). I’m not really a fan of soccer, but I know all about Neymar, Messi, and Ronaldo simply from how powerful the social media presence of their teams are. Social media is allowing non-fans to learn more about specific teams. The way fans feel closer to their favorite teams just increases the interest in sports.
The trash talking is definitely a humorous tactic for teams to market themselves. Social media is essentially a way for athletes and teams to show personality to the world. Social media humanizes athletes to make them seem like just normal people. I remember when it was announced that DeAndre Jordan was reconsidering his verbal agreement as a free agent to leave the Clippers for the Mavericks. Both Clippers and Mavericks players were tweeting emojis and photos to play along with the situation. They were turning the whole situation into a humorous one, and the players were able to show off their personalities to the Twitter-verse. It was just a way to show that voice that Ryan mentioned for the team and the players. The interaction between sports teams and athletes is a reason why sports fans are more drawn to their favorite players.
Social media is vital during big moments of games because it generates a lot of buzz. I know I have personally seen several big games trending on Twitter. When I click the trends, I will often videos of big plays already on the social media site. I also will see games as live stories on Snapchat, which gets me to watch the game. Social media is clearly having a powerful impact on sports in the way it does reach new audiences. According to Yahoo, “Twitter has scored a deal to live-stream Thursday night National Football League Games, the NFL announced – a move that helps the social media group connect with new audiences” (Urbain). The fact that the NFL is choosing a social media site to stream games to reach new audiences just proves the point further that social media is changing the way sports are presented and marketed.
I know I learn a lot about sports through social media, and I even find more respect for certain players when I see their humor on Twitter. The way athletes and teams market themselves on social media is truly changing the way fans and non-fans of sports are seeing the game completely.
Works Cited
Badenhausen, Kurt. “Barcelona and Real Madrid Head the Most Popular Sports Teams on Social Media.” Forbes. 15 July 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Urbain, Thomas. "Twitter Wins Rights to Stream Thursday Night NFL Games." Yahoo Finance. 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Ryan makes an awesome point when he says that social media has allowed sports teams and players to further brand themselves in ways unlike they ever have before. Sports teams have become similar to individual celebrities. The popularity of the team, and especially individual athletes, has expanded so much because of social media’s impact on sports marketing. People can feel like they know the athletes personally through social media just like we talked about last week with celebrities.
ReplyDeletePeople follow what these athletes do religiously, almost TOO religiously. When LeBron James recently unfollowed the Cavaliers on Twitter people went crazy. People assumed all kinds of things even news sources reported on it. A New York Daily News article took the time and word count to even explore what could possibly be up with LeBron saying, “So what does this all mean? Well, it may mean James was just filtering out his Twitter feed. Or maybe this is his way of expressing his unhappiness in Cleveland” (Healy). That is just crazy that people take what athletes do on social media so seriously but again, it’s the progression in sports marketing and media that Ryan talked about. This is practically expected now as a reaction.
This applies to sports teams all over the world. A Forbes article talked about the world’s most valuable sports teams and said, “Real Madrid ranks first for the third straight year at $3.26 billion, edging out a couple of iconic American sports franchises in the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, which tie for second at $3.2 billion” (Badenhausen). Real banked a profit of $171 million on the backs of top talent like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale (Badenhausen). That's A LOT of money. Top athletes are helping these teams brand themselves; they’re basically part of the branding Ryan talked about. They bring in large amounts of revenue and popularity for the teams.
The popularity of the individual athletes has helped increase the popularity and marketing abilities of the teams. Someone like Ronaldo is well-known and people interested in Ronaldo will follow his social media to his team and they gain more popularity. The growth in possibilities of the sports marketing industry has changed the sports world entirely. People are more invested in sports now and even when the game isn’t happening, people are dedicated. They have a major way to stay connected and the marketers are taking advantage of it. People are being marketed too without knowing it. They’re just consuming media that they’re interested in. Sports marketing is taking advantage of us, and we like it.
Badenhausen, Kurt. "The World's Most Valuable Sports Teams," Forbes. July 15 2016. Web.
Healy, John. “LeBron James unfollows Cavaliers on Twitter, dodges question about it after game,” NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. March 22 2016. Web.
Ryan’s statement about social media and sports marketing is accurate, it connects fans to their favorite teams in a way that has never before been possible. Fans feel especially connected with their favorite athletes and teams when they are tweeted back by them. A fan who feels recognized is more vulnerable to be loyal to their teams. The connection between fan and athlete is important in creating effective marketing.
ReplyDeleteTeams and athletes use every social media outlet available as a marketing source. They are able to connect to a larger fan base this way as well as attract new fans. The larger the fan base the more successful athletic endorsement ads will be, this will increase the value of the team with marketing exposure and a growing fan base.
Athletic celebrities are catching onto the perks of social media branding. Between selfies, status updates, and post-game team pics, athletes are able to effectively promote their brand to their fans. Barcelona and Real Madrid are two of the most popular teams in the world whose players are taking advantage of the social media marketing.
James Rodriguez, one of the most valuable team members of Real Madrid post photos daily of himself and team members getting ready for the game. This enables him to connect with his fans while promoting himself and his team. As it is, soccer teams have the most followings on social media. It is said to be the worlds favorite sport. According to Forbes Magazine, “Soccer teams dominate the social media ranks, fueled by global icons like Ronaldo and Messi, who have their own massive followings. The eight most popular professional sports teams on social media all play soccer.”
Basketball, baseball, and football all are popular sports but nothing compared to soccer. Soccer is considered the international sport with millions of fans in almost every country. Soccer teams Barcelona and Real Madrid have the largest fan base among sports fans, with Barcelona having 100.9 million followers between Facebook and Twitter and Real madrid having 99.8 million followers (Forbes, 2015).
Fans expect athletes to have a presence on social media. Fans want to see their favorite teams and players active on social media, interacting with other teams and players. By using social media, players create a loyal fan base. Fans are caught off guard once a celebrity makes a drastic status change. LeBron James unfollowed the Cleveland Cavaliers Twitter account, this action unsettled his followers and caused a controversy (Healy, 2016). Every little move a celebrity athlete makes captures the attention of their fans.
Social media works out for athletes and teams as a means of promoting their brand image. By posting photos and status updates of the teams where-a-bouts, fans are drawn in creating a loyal fan base. Social media can also be a disadvantage for the team and/ or players since fans analyze their every move. They can be easily criticized creating a bad rap for the teams. Social media use should be used carefully keeping in mind ways to use it effectively as a means to promote a positive image.
Works Cited
Badenhausen, Kurt. "Barcelona and Real Madrid Head The Most Popular Sports Teams On Social Media." Forbes. N.p., 15 July 2015. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
Healy, Jhon. "LeBron James Unfollows Cavaliers on Twitter, Dodges Question about It after Game." NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 22 Mar. 2016: n. pag. Print.
Social media is an excellent way for athletes to connect with their fans. Not only do their followers get a more personal experience, but also they are able to see a side of their favorite athlete that they may not have known was there to begin with. I think that a perfect example of this “new world” is how Steph Curry incorporates his family life into his social media accounts. He shows that he is more than just the game, and that he is a great family man as well. TV shows us only what they want us to see, but social media allows people to connect with their favorite athletes in real time. That being said, Roger Goodell stated, "Twitter is where live events unfold and is the right partner for the NFL as we take the latest step in serving fans around the world live NFL football” (Urbain). This allows users to connect with their favorite players almost immediately. As they are watching live on Twitter they can tweet out to a larger and more concentrated audience.
ReplyDeleteOnline streaming and social media have become two peas in a pod in the sense that they are both vying for the same opportunities with the sports world. Having the ability to broadcast a live event is a powerful thing, and I’m certain that there has been a great deal of theoretical bloodshed. According to a Nielsen study, “The growing influence of Netflix, Amazon Prime, on demand/time shifting, streaming, and social media are all having a dramatic impact on the way people are consuming content and changing the landscape of linear TV” (Year In Sports Media Report). People are looking for new and more convenient ways to watch their favorite sports games. Whether this means they are trying to sneak in their favorite game at work on their desktops or cell phones – the Internet has them covered.
Sports are the type of thing that need to be watched live. There is not such thing as a “spoiler alert” when it comes to crazed fans running through the streets chanting the name of the team that just won. If you are a die-hard sports fan, you will not settle for watching clips on YouTube after the fact. Nielsen touched on this topic by saying, “According to TV data from Q4 2015, 95% of total sports program viewing happened live. In comparison, only 66% of “General Drama” viewers watched live, likely as a result of the increased number of outlets that are now available to catch up on a missed episode” (Year In Sports Media Report). People are somewhat polite when it comes to a scripted show, because they know that people have other priorities. However, something about sports throws any sort of media etiquette out the window. Therefore, I think that transitioning from linear TV to social media will help all parties involved. Just don’t be alarmed if Paul in accounting randomly shrieks like a 12 year old girl – he’s probably just watching the game.
Works Cited:
"2015 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 28 March 2016. Web.
Urbain, Thomas, and Rob Lever. "Twitter Wins Rights to Stream Thursday Night NFL Games." Yahoo Finance. N.p., 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
ReplyDeleteSports are a phenomenon that has been around for centuries. They have some of the most dedicated fans in the world. According to a Nielson report, in 2015 93% of the top live TV programs were sports programs. This is a large jump from ten years ago in 2005 when it was only 14%. Athletes are some of the highest paid celebrities in the world, and they have huge following of their own. Sports teams and players have established themselves on social media; so, it’s only a matter of time before they start adapting to the changing society. Social media is becoming a staple in people’s lives, and sports organizations can’t ignore the power social media holds. Although the reach of streaming is still small according to Nielsen with only 15.2 million compared to the 44.1 million of an average NFL telecast. It is a whole new audience to be tapped into.
Social media is changing marketing left and right. It’s a new way for companies to reach out to customers. There is a back and forth to social media that is intriguing to sports teams and athletes. They can directly connect with the masses, and it’s changing the way we watch sports. Yahoo Finance recently wrote an article about Twitter gaining the right to stream NFL games. This is a different marketing strategy for the NFL. The NFL sees the potential of connecting with new audiences. This is a strong move for both Twitter and the NFL. It shows that sports transcend traditional media. There are more opportunities for advertisers if the games are streamed on Twitter as well as broadcast television.
With the additional reach of the Twitter audience, this gives the NFL more opportunities for advertisers and marketers. They can up their prices, and attract different types of advertisers knowing that they have an incredible reach. It’s changing live sporting events, and there seems to be a shift away from broadcast television and into streaming through social media. It’s a whole different audience and dynamic, and that only serves more marketing purposes. Twitter is not marketing the NFL to its users as well as the NFL is marketing its viewers and fans towards Twitter.
With the live-tweeting culture of Twitter, it seemed like the perfect fit. Jan Dawson, who is an analyst, spoke to Yahoo about the new revenues for Twitter. "It gives them their first real opportunity to cross-sell these different types of ads and break into television advertising for the first time" (Urbain). Social media has it’s own niche, and this streaming deal will bring the world of live sporting events and live tweeting these events together. You can’t get away from Twitter or social media because it’s breaking new ground. This move to start streaming using Twitter is only going to encourage more users to join, and that will make marketing on Twitter even more desirable. Twitter can market itself in new ways using the NFL and broadcast television. And the companies that have advertised with the NFL are going to be interested in the new revenue and audience they can reach through streaming. With such a large number of users any company or sports team would be happy to market themselves on social media.
Work Cited
"2015 Year in Sports Media Report." Nielsen.com. Accessed 28 March 2016. Web.
Urbain, Thomas. "Twitter Wins Rights to Stream Thursday Night NFL Games." Yahoo Finance. Yahoo Finance, 5 Apr. 2016. Web.