Tag: social media and sports

Replicating a Simple Idea From Nike

By Guest On June 9, 2015 In Video Content with 1 Comment

I realize that the words Nike, simple and replicate aren’t normally used in the same sentence, but yes, here they are. Last week I saw an awesome, yet simple, idea from Nike that teams and leagues can replicate. It all starts with their glorious new video welcoming LeBron James home (which I’m sure by now you’ve seen):

If you watch the video all the way through, you’ll notice that it ends with a compelling image of LeBron standing in the middle of a huddle and three buttons at the bottom that direct you to the Nike Basketball’s website, subscribe and poster.

When you click on poster, it takes you to this jpg:

This simple action is something that would translate really well to teams, leagues and others in the sports industry looking to share their game schedule posters, title / championship posters, TV schedule posters, etc. The best part about all of this? YouTube allows you to add annotations (clickable text overlays) to videos for free. You can learn all about them here.

If you are looking to create something even more robust, Interlude is a great option. The pricing is reasonable and their web application is easy to use. It could be a great tool for schools, teams, conferences and leagues to use:

I realize this barely touches the surface of what interactive videos can do for sports, but I thought this was a simple idea that can be replicated now. There are many more options than simply driving people to schedule posters, but I’ll conquer more robust ideas for interactive videos down the road in another post.

Thanks for reading!

Taking Notes from the Miami Hurricanes

By Guest On September 19, 2014 In College Athletics, Social Media

I have a strong appreciation for the Miami Hurricanes in the social space. Brian Bowsher and company continue to shine season after season, consistently ranking in the top 25 for athletic departments across all platforms. Their Facebook page sits at No. 6 for engagement, which in my opinion is more important than the number of fans.

From the outside looking in, it seems that it’s not so much about jumping on the latest platform, but being great at where they choose to play. I admire that. Year-after-year they continually improve their content across platforms, always coming out with something a little different. This year is no exception.

Below is a look at four of my favorite trends and initiatives from Miami this year, with some thoughts on what we can takeaway:

No. 1 – Video infographics.

Miami has always been on the emerging trend of using infographics to highlight game notes and stats, but this year they took it up several notches and turned their infographics into video productions. The results are outstanding:

Takeaway: Everything can be tweaked. Take a look at your content and the story you want to tell. Ask yourself how it can be improve. Your social media presence will not continue to grow and shine if you get stuck in a content rut.

Why the @Colts Sponsored Content Works

By Guest On August 28, 2014 In Best Practices, Twitter with 4 Comments

I can be tough on sponsored programs. All too often it’s forced or simply screams advertisement (think the “sponsored by” copy you see everywhere), adding noise to the community and little value to the sponsor. But this football season the @Colts have found a formula that actually works. They’ve found a way to integrate sponsorships into their content in seamless fashion. Go ahead and take a look:

The Colts have created mini series of sponsored content. The series range from behind-the-scenes sideline photos (sponsored by Taco Bell) to score updates (sponsored by McDonalds). The idea of sponsored content in the form of simple graphics makes a lot of sense. I have a feeling it’s something we will see more of from teams and leagues in the next year to come.

A Q&A With South Carolina’s CMO on Storytelling, Marketing & Their Latest Brand Campaign

By Guest On July 30, 2014 In College Athletics, Digital with 1 Comment

As football season gets into gear, athletics departments and teams are ramping up their social and digital efforts in order to drive anticipation for the upcoming season and ticket sales. As I’ve watched the content come across my screen, a particular campaign from South Carolina stuck out to me—Here. The campaign isn’t just about football and the gameday experience; it’s bigger than that. The campaign is about the culture of the school and town, a retreat from the grind, the commonality that ties all Gamecocks together and the passion of the team and fans. Instead of just selling football tickets, South Carolina told their story. Ah, emotion:

Five Smart & Savvy Social Media Plays from US Soccer

By Guest On July 1, 2014 In Lessons Learned, Social Media with 1 Comment

If you’ve been following US Soccer on their social media / digital channels during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, it’s clear they took a look of time to prepare for the event. Not only are they cranking out stellar content on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, but they are tapping into brand ambassadors and celebrities left and right (I’m sure this didn’t happen by chance, but by outreach). And while I could probably list 20 or more things that US Soccer is doing right, below are five winning tactics we can all take away from their smart and savvy social media play:

No. 1- Create fan-first initiatives.

While US Soccer is not engaging with fans directly on Twitter (one of the few things I wish they were doing), they’ve had some very fan-friendly activations for their faithful following including personalized jerseys, good luck wishes in the locker room and a doctor’s note:

During a live and major event, it’s easy (unfortunately) to ignore the fan piece—there’s a story to tell, content to produce and game updates to give. I know it’s exhausting, but teams and leagues have to take the time for the fans when emotions are high. This is the time to leave a lasting impression.

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