If seeing your tweets on a small screen isn’t enough for you, perhaps the US Open of Tennis has just the thing: a giant social media wall 50 wide by eight feet tall. So get ready to hashtag #usopen with your clever thoughts and ideas. Fans everywhere are eager for more social media interaction, and sports entities are finding news ways to fulfill their needs.
Social media wall sure to be a hit with fans
Not only will fans have the ability to see their tweets on the big screen, but relevant content will be pulled from Facebook and Instagram as well. All appropriate content will also be displayed on usopen.org.
With the official hashtag of the event being #usopen, fans will easily be able to share their photos, thoughts, and ideas, while keeping a keen eye on what is trending. This wall is sure to bode well for event awareness, as well as awareness of the three sponsors of the social media wall: Xerox, Esurance, and Chase. Nicole Jeter West – director of digital strategies and partnerships for the USTA – believes the wall’s reach will expand to a larger scale:
“It also connects our global fan base, combining them with the live event and the attendee.”
The US Open isn’t the only sports entity striving to fulfill the social media needs of fans. Take a look at these other social media projects making waves within sports:
New Jersey Devil’s Mission Control
The New Jersey Devils paved the way for other sports teams by being one of this first to utilize a social media “command center”. Mission control is a fan controlled social media suite located inside the Prudential Center.
The Devils carefully chose 25 social media savvy fans, the self-proclaimed Devils Army Generals, through Facebook and Twitter to act as the voice of the team’s fan base using Devils’ social media platforms. These “army generals” go by the handle @DevilsGenerals.
Jeff Vanderbeek, Chairman and Managing Partner of Devils Arena Entertainment, had this to say:
“Mission Control will allow our team to connect directly with our fan base, expand the Devils’ presence throughout social media platforms, and ultimately give our fans the opportunity to be a part of the Devils family.”
San Francisco Giants @Cafe
The San Francisco Giants have a great new feature at AT&T Park. The new social media cafe is located behind the centerfield bleachers. Not only can fans keep an eye on the game, but they will find a state of the art 12 foot by 4 foot video wall displaying Giants baseball social chatter throughout the world, including trending tweets, popular Instagram photos, results from Facebook polls and check-ins.
The @Café will feature a coffee bar serving Peet’s Coffee and Tea and offer full espresso and coffee service served by Juma Ventures, making it a true cafe. This is a great place for fans to relax, catch some baseball, and keep an eye on the social media universe surrounding the San Francisco Giants.
Do you think these social media projects are worth the time and money for sports teams? Add your favorite social media projects to this list.
Photo credits – spitfireseattle.com, pitchengine.com, sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com