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Digital Advantage to the Australian Open

by Chris Conway|January 25th, 2012

The Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, which has reached half way stage as I write this, has built on the progress of previous years to establish a strong, recognizable and credible online brand. According to Sam Laird, in a recent post on the US website Mashable, the Australian Open ‘may just be the most digitally connected major sporting event of all time’. High praise indeed.

So why is the event in Melbourne attracting such accolades for its digital presence?

In my opinion, what the Australian Open is doing so well is leveraging digital assets to create deep and meaningful engagement with fans, while at the same time integrating its sponsors. Many sporting events, clubs and organizations across the globe strive to simultaneously achieve these two goals and the Grand Slam for Asia/Pacific has, arguably, pulled it off. [click to continue…]

About Chris Conway

Chris is a strategic programs analyst at the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) focusing on, amongst other things, sponsorship research, analytics and acquisition. He holds a MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Business (AGSM). Chris took part in the school’s exchange program by completing a semester at Stern business school, NYU where he studied sports marketing and sports economics. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Social Media Changes Sports Photography

by Thomas van Schaik|January 2nd, 2012

The world is changing rapidly and from now onwards the speed of that change is only going to further increase. We’re daily bombarded with thousands of images. Every photo can be worth a thousand words. But which images are the ones that stick and make a difference? Which (and whose) story is being told (and where) has almost become as important as the quality of the image. Choices about which professional images are created are increasingly made by executives, not necessarily creatives. At the same time, anyone can now take pictures. The quality of a sports photography image is no longer defined by its resolution or razor sharp focus. A picture made by a fan can travel all over the world and end up on the international front pages before you can say ‘bong’.

This post covers the changes in sports photography from the perspective of the photographers, media, sponsors, fans and athletes. Its not intended as a philosophical reflection of the value of a photograph. The digital revolution, which this blog is dedicated to, has resulted in lasting behavioral change as well as the way sports imagery is produced, distributed, and ultimately consumed. How do photographers find their audience, how do sponsors maximize their visibility, and how do athletes manage their exposure? [click to continue…]

About Thomas van Schaik

Thomas studied Communications in Amsterdam and has been working in international sports for over 15 years. He started his professional career at the Amsterdam Admirals in the NFL Europe and moved to Dutch professional soccer champions PSV Eindhoven in 1997. In 2001 he moved to Southern Germany to join Adidas. He's filled a variety of roles with the sporting goods brand, including 'Head of Global PR'. In 2011 he moved into the role of Global Brand Director.

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Meet Paul Bissonnette – Twitter Superstar

by Brendan Wilhide|December 1st, 2010

Phoenix Coyotes hockey enforcer Paul Bissonnette is a popular guy these days. Although he doesn’t lead his team in scoring or play in hockey hotbed like Toronto or Boston, Bissonnette has a legion of loyal fans following his every move this season. In fact, Bissonnette’s fan club currently has more than 22,000 fans – on Twitter.

Bissonnette, who tweets as now as @BizNasty2point0. He was first known as @PaulBiznasty until an inappropriate comment about fellow player Ilya Kovalchuk made his agent nervous and he shut it down. At the time, he was one of a handful of active NHL players on Twitter. More NHL players have joined Twitter this season than ever before, in part due to Bissonnette’s enormous rising popularity. [click to continue…]

About Brendan Wilhide

Brendan Wilhide runs Sportsin140.com, a site that covers sports and social media. He is currently co-authoring a textbook on social media for the sports industry. Follow him on Twitter: @BrendanWilhide and @Sportsin140.

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5 NFL Twitter Accounts I’m Thankful For

by Sam Taggart|November 25th, 2010

Ah, Thanksgiving… Family. Turkey. Beer. Pumpkin pie. And football. For me, Thanksgiving is a day to spend with people I love, and to take a step back to think about all the things I have to be thankful for. What are you thankful for? At the top of my list are good health, happiness, family, and friends, without question. How lucky I am to have all of those things in my life. But what do you care? This is a blog about sports! And since it wouldn’t make any sense to write about those for this blog, I’ve decided to take a bit of a different angle.

Since football has become such an essential and inherent part of the Thanksgiving tradition, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of my favorite NFL-related Twitter accounts. These men, on a daily basis, provide fantastic and genuine content. And I highly recommend you follow them. So without further adieu, here are the five NFL related Twitter accounts I’m thankful for: [click to continue…]

About Sam Taggart

Sam is a Creative Strategist for VaynerMedia, a social media agency based in New York City. Sam previously worked as an Account Executive for the New York Jets as well as the New Jersey Nets and spent time working with former NBA player Jalen Rose as well as NFL safety Kerry Rhodes. He now focuses on creative strategy across VaynerMedia's portfolio. You can follow Sam at http://twitter.com/gosam & visit VaynerMedia at http://www.vaynermedia.com.

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Interview with Boston Celtics’ Peter Stringer on Social Media

by Brendan Wilhide|November 12th, 2010

As Director of Interactive Media for the Boston Celtics, Peter Stringer (@PeterStringer) oversees the social media entities of one of the NBA’s most successful, storied and beloved franchises. I caught up with Stringer recently and asked him about social media, engagement, mobile apps and how job seekers can help their cause through social media.

What is your primary objective in representing the Celtics brand via social media?

We can only host so many fans in our arena throughout the season, but there’s seemingly no end to the amount of fans who want to experience the Celtics whether it’s in the arena, on TV, the radio or online. Our fans actively seek out Celtics content and we need to have a presence everywhere our fans are willing to engage with us. Social media platforms allow us to direct interact with those fans without the middle-man, and it’s a powerful tool for us, given the massive audience we’ve built on social media. Right now, at almost 1.9 million Facebook fans, we’re the third largest team sports brand in North America, and at 85,000 followers, the fourth largest (North American team sports) team on Twitter.

What is the biggest challenge facing an NBA team (or any pro sports team) when it comes to social media?

The biggest challenge is the pace of change. It’s constant, there’s always something new to learn, and the rules of engagement and technology change on a daily basis. Facebook loves to roll out new rules or features with little or no notice and as marketers, we have to be ready to adapt. And from a league standpoint, some of the rules that are in place hamper our ability to market to some of our most passionate fans. Leagues really need to rethink how teams are allowed to engage fans and leverage corporate partners, and not just inside their own marketing territory. There’s opportunities well outside a team’s DMA upon which they currently aren’t allowed to capitalize.

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About Brendan Wilhide

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Demise of the Dallas Cowboys

by Michelle Hill|November 3rd, 2010

What’s wrong with the Dallas Cowboys? Why can’t a team with extraordinarily talented players get it together? Maybe several reasons pop into your head but I simply want to give my perspective since I’m a lifelong, die-hard Cowboys fan. Never mind what you’re thinking…I take a lot of guff when I mention ‘America’s Team’ but it’s the truth and I support them, win or lose.

Right now, though, is a very tough time to be a Cowboys fan. Heck, right now is a very tough time to be a Cowboy. Let’s look at some reasons why the Cowboys are facing a 1 and 6 record; and what they can do to get back on track to winning. [click to continue…]

About Michelle Hill

Michelle Hill, the Strong Copy Quarterback for Winning Proof, is a sports and fitness copywriter. My mission is to help pro athletes, coaches, and sports agents increase their success score in their entrepreneurial endeavors with my writing expertise and creative turn of mind.I write website content, client letters, media pitch letters, sponsorship proposals, and brochures for sports-related companies. www.winningproof.com

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Lingerie Football League Fans Flooding New Social Media Platform

by Lewis Howes|October 18th, 2010

The Lingerie Football League recently kicked-off their new season and if the popularity of their new social media platform is any indication, fans are taking notice.

Adage Technologies, a leader in website and application development, partnered with the Lingerie Football League (LFL) and Maximum Fantasy Sports to create the revolutionary LFL “Fanzone,” a new social media outlet for league fans looking to interact with their favorite players and teams.

Launched in July 2010, over 15,300 users are already signed up to participate in the LFL Fanzone. Fans can customize their profile with their personal information, pictures, photos, videos and links to their favorite players and teams. Users can then ‘friend’ other profiles, chat on message boards and connect with specific teams, players and league officials.

“We wanted the LFL fans to feel they were part of the organization, as well as receive the most up-to-date news on teams and players,” Roy Chomko, President of Adage Technologies, said. “With the Fanzone, users can create their own profile and immediately start connecting with the league through several social media tools.”

The site also features regular blog posts from the players to keep their fans updated on what they’re doing, when the next game is or even the status of their latest injury. For new users looking to learn about the league, the Fanzone features a league blog, team rosters and highlight videos of the most recent action.

“As professional sports continue to grow, so has the way organizations connect with their fans,” said Mitchell S. Mortaza, Founder and Chairman of the Lingerie Football League. “The response to our Fanzone has been phenomenal, and it represents how teams and players can use social media to bring fans closer to the action than ever before.”

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About Lewis Howes

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From Sports Team to Social Experience

by Ash Read|October 12th, 2010

This is part of a short blog series where we take a look at how social media can be utilized to grow a sports team’s fan base, regardless of whether the team already has a large following or is starting from the grassroots level. You can see the other posts here.

In the first post of this series I covered the importance of listening in social media. Today I’m going to cover how community can help your fan base grow.

Using social media to create an online community is a great way to bring your fans together, constantly keep them thinking about your team and also reach new fans. You can also use an online community as a way to add to your teams overall experience and create brand advocates. [click to continue…]

About Ash Read

Ash is the co-founder of FundSport.com a grassroots sports community providing sports clubs and athletes from around the world with professional, easy-to-understand advice and articles on all aspects of grassroots sport including sponsorship, fundraising, the Internet, social media, club management, PR and marketing. As well as being passionate about the development of grassroots sport Ash also has a keen involvement in the sports social media industry. You can follow Ash on Twitter at @ashread14

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How the Carolina Panthers Use Social Media

by Brendan Wilhide|October 7th, 2010

The Carolina Panthers are challenging their fans to compete in the ’Panthers Purrsuit’ social media contest, the first of its kind in the NFL, on Saturday, October 23.

Fans will pair up into teams of two and compete against other fan teams in an all day “Amazing Race” style contest which will take place at locations throughout greater Charlotte. The Purrsuit begins at Bank of America Stadium at noon. Teams will then follow a series of clues and instructions and complete challenges at locations throughout the day. [click to continue…]

About Brendan Wilhide

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San Francisco Giants Tweetup

by Lewis Howes|September 28th, 2010

Tweetups have been one of the true successes of Twitter. Meeting new sports fans through social media is great, but nothing compares to the networking and bonding that occurs in face to face events. Embracing both social media and face to face relationships, the San Francisco Giants hosted the first tweetup for Major League Baseball earlier this season.

This wednesday, they are hosting another tweetup, called “Tweetup Happy Hour”. I am going to be there as well and would love to meet with you as well!

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