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How Can Teams Use Social Media To Build Brand, Develop Fans & Tell Their Story?

kirk_wakefield 2014, Digital Strategy, Marketing, Relate, Social Media February 1, 2014November 1, 2018digital, Dodgers, fan base, personality, social media, super-fans, tell a good story, twitter, University of Miami 0 Comment

by Neil Horowitz – February 2014

Before the days of social media, the frequency and avenues of touch points between brands and consumers, and teams and fans, were few and far between. Beyond media broadcasts and ads, team slogans printed, and in-venue experiences, the concept of building a brand and using it to develop fans and partnerships was an afterthought. But times have changed and the ubiquity and depth of social and digital media in sports has made brand building not just a possibility, but a necessity. Teams and their brands are live entities, speaking to, and interacting with, fans on a daily basis.

Why should sports teams care about their brands?

The most successful teams in terms of marketing have fans with whom they’ve built emotional ties. These fans understand:

What the team stands for,
Why they support them, and
The need to evangelize on their behalf.

Do your team’s fans understand their roles in the community? Have you intentionally empowered them by clearly communicating the core values of the team and engaging them in the task of building the fan base? Without a strong brand purpose, this very real and effective value is lost.

Go ahead, make their day

“If we [interact with a fan on social media], 99% of the time we’re making their day, said University of Miami Associate Athletic Director Chris Yandle (@chrisyandle).”Small stuff like that can make fans feel part of the program and that’s ultimately how we build brand ambassadors who help (further) build our brand…They’ll help amplify our message and fight for our cause.”

While brand ambassadors can deliver direct return by convincing a friend to go to a game, talking up the experience with the team, and generally just promoting awareness and interest for the team, there is more. These super-fans proselytize and spread the team brand even more, developing more fans in the community and defining the team. The Dodgers used social media with great effect to this end, as they sought to win back a fan base that had felt alienated.

Tell a good story

“I’m trying to tell a story and it’s the Dodgers brand story,” explained Los Angeles Dodgers Coordinator of Social Media, Josh Tucker (@joshbtucker). “It’s having a voice…but staying on brand. You can still have a personality on behalf of the brand; it’s just understanding and finding that voice.”

There is a proliferation of teams trying to cultivate a “personality” on social media, often of an irascible variety, pioneered primarily by the Los Angeles Kings Twitter account. Ultimately, the most effective brand building for teams comes down to trust – developing a lasting, emotionally invested and trusting relationship between fan and team.

Trust doesn’t just happen

Trust cannot happen with a shower of marketing messages and one-way broadcasting; it takes proactive, two-way engagement. Tampa Bay Lightning Director of Digital and Social Media James Royer (@jamesroyer) spoke of the importance of forming this relationship in order to get the most out of social.

“We saw [social media] as ‘Let’s interact and engage with our fans,’ said Royer. “Let’s earn the right to market to our fans, by engaging with them first.”

What about you?

Think about your favorite pro sports teams. Think about the team you work for. Do you have an emotional attachment? Can you define the brand? Tell the brand story? Are you a fan evangelist? Are your fans brand evangelists?

Social and digital media bring the brand to life, opening opportunities for fan development like never before. Understand its value, use it correctly, and use it strategically. Then that’ll be a story worth telling.

How can leagues and teams build excitement? Step outside your box! Literally.

kirk_wakefield 2013, Lead, Sell, Tickets September 2, 2013November 2, 2018Anaheim Ducks, creativity, Dodgers, Gary Bettman, hockey, innovation, Los Angeles Kings, Luc Robitaille, NHL 0 Comment

by Kelly Cheeseman – September 2013

When the NHL announced in May that they will be expanding their highly successful outdoor game concept showcased by their New Year’s day Winter Classic, many critics asked how much is too much? I’d like to think of it as stepping outside the box, since so much of what we do is focused on what goes on inside a big box we call our arena.

With the announcement of the Stadium Series presented by Coors Light, the NHL will be adding 5 additional games to the lineup. Gary Bettman was noted as saying,

“The reason we’re doing more outdoor games is really what it’s now doing locally,” Bettman said. “This is an incomparable event and what happens is fans get connected to the game in ways they never imagined, we get new fans who, for the first time, will come and be a part of this. This is a fan-oriented, fan-driven event, and that’s why we’re doing so many games so we can bring it to more fans.” (Thursday, 08.08.2013 / 4:55 PM / The Canadian Press)

Outdoor Hockey in LA

If you were in LA looking for an outdoor venue for hockey, where would you look? What about Dodger Stadium?

Opened April 10, 1962; the third-oldest continually used park in Major League Baseball.
Hosted more than 147 million fans since it opened
Hosted eight World Series and close to 4,000 regular-season games.
Zero hockey games.

With a remarkable view of Chavez Ravine overlooking downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel mountains, Dodger Stadium has been called one of the treasured cathedrals of baseball with one of the most unique and picturesque settings in sports. Of course, critics ask how a hockey game is possible in a “warm weather city”? Doesn’t it need to be freezing cold?

The Kings actually have some history with outdoor hockey events. The NHL’s first outdoor game was an exhibition in the parking lot of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Sept. 27, 1991. That game took place in 85-degree weather. But, further evidence as to the possibility of this game is simple science. The average high in January in Los Angeles is 68 and the average nighttime low is 48 degrees. Translation? If we play the averages, we are slated to have one of the best settings for a hockey game imaginable. In fact, with a little luck, we’ll have temperatures more pleasurable than a full NHL venue on a game night.

With all of this in mind, when the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks were asked to participate in an outdoor game in our market in one of the most iconic and historical venues in the history of our country, Gary Bettman’s words “incomparable”, “innovative”, “fan driven” all came to mind.

Since the arrival of the Kings in Los Angeles in 1967 many stepping stones have been passed to spur the growth of the game on the West Coast:

The Gretzky trade in 1988,
The arrival of the San Jose Sharks in 1991,
The Kings 1993 Stanley Cup Finals participation,
The arrival of the Anaheim Ducks (also 1993), and
The marquee moments of Stanley Cup Championships for the Ducks in 2006 and Kings in 2012.

All have lead us to this moment where the Kings and Ducks can showcase the game on one of the most unique stages during the Grammy Awards’ weekend in Los Angeles.

Measures of success

As we plan ahead for this moment in January we often ask ourselves what will be the measuring stick of success for this game? Will it be a sold out venue? Big NBC national ratings?

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“This is a credit to our fans and the amazing support they have shown to us and the NHL these past few years. This will be a sporting event like no other that has ever been seen in Southern California and we are proud to be a part of it.” [/dropshadowbox]With this platform these two outcomes are almost certainties. A sell out and a big national rating are almost a given. Broadcast partners indicate an excitement for this game and ticket sales trends are ahead of all historical trends of other outdoor games.

But for us, the growth of the game on the west coast is the most important measuring stick. Big local ratings, attention to the Ducks and Kings Freeway Faceoff rivalry, and the ability for as many hockey and sports fans in Los Angeles to be touched by this game will create the sustainable impact we are looking for short and long term. Plans are still in the works to capitalize on this moment, but these are the objectives we are focused on. We welcome any constructive comments or creative ideas below!

In a game slated to be one of the most historical hockey events ever, the NHL has a chance to garner the attention of the local and national media like never before. As, the host and participating home club, we have a platform to grow the game in a way never available to a market like Southern California.

Cover photo courtesy of Marian Stanton.

What makes a great ballpark?

kirk_wakefield 2013, Experiences, Learn, Research, Sell, Tickets May 31, 2013November 2, 2018ballparks, best stadiums, customer service, Dodgers, excellence, fans, MLB, Padres, Phillies 0 Comment

by Kirk Wakefield – May 2013

My favorite is AT&T Park. You don’t have to love baseball to love going there. And that really is the business issue: How do you build or maintain a park that attracts people who don’t really care about baseball? The Cubs aren’t spending $500 million in renovations because baseball fans don’t love Wrigley. They’re concerned about the long-term attractiveness of the park and providing all fans, baseball lovers or not, with a good experience.

What makes a good park?

In the past two weeks I visited Dodgers Stadium, Petco Park (Padres), and Citizens Bank Park (Phillies). On this three-park trip I focused more on the team stores in addition to the sportscape. Let’s take a quick look at the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s start with the good.

San Diego’s Petco Park is also one of my favorite parks. The location is perfect, adjacent to the Gaslight District for fine eating and close to major thoroughfares and public transportation for easy access. Walk two blocks and you’re good for a stroll along the bay. I’ve been here many times, so the pictures highlight a few things you might not notice if you’ve only been here once or twice.

Many team stores are designed as an after-thought. Not so at Petco Park. The Padres team store opens to an exterior retail street. The merchandise assortment, displays, lighting, and layout are as nice as any comparable upscale retail store. (Place cursor over pictures to pause & read comments.)

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Philadelphia’s Citizen’s Bank Park is located in the same area as all of the Philly sports facilities. Public transportation is great (take the Phillies Express to the AT&T subway station), parking is fine, but if you plan to do anything else besides go to the game, forget about it. Outside of the Xfinity Live! establishment on the corner by the football and baseball stadiums, there’s nothing but concrete for miles.

Great parks have signature foods and restaurants–not only in the club level–that fans actually want to consume beyond standard hot dog & beer fare. Outside of maybe the Philly cheese steaks, this is not one of them. The food service on the club level is above average, but the general access food is typical. Overall, the layout and design of the park is easy to navigate and the size of the stadium makes for good sight lines and seats all around.

With respect to the team store, fans may be deceived by the relatively small storefront visible from the concourse. The store is very large and contains an extensive collections of kids and women’s clothing. As with the Padres, the Phillies offer some exclusive items you can only get at the park. Good call.

Dodger Stadium is iconic. Any baseball fan will love it.

Any non-fan? Not so sure. You may have heard it’s in a ravine. From a traffic standpoint, the vast majority of fans assume the only entrance is off the 110 via I-5 or the 101 (blue line on map). The reality is not that LA fans are fashionably late. They are all stuck in traffic about a mile from the stadium.

After sitting at a complete standstill for 15 minutes coming off the 101, I took off to explore an alternate route (the black line) away from the traffic jam. (“Yes, dear, it IS better to move no matter what than to stand still in traffic.”)

In short order I ended up parked–for free–on a nearby street where all the locals obviously go. Traffic was still piled up at the bottle-necked entrance as I walked past the $20 parking. All it would take would be a few traffic cops directing to the less traveled routes. Alternately, like the San Antonio Spurs and others have done, teams can place traffic directions on the website for newcomers. Better yet, email to new ticket buyers.

Now to the apparel and a few other things. Since I love Magic Johnson and the Dodgers I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

The smaller team store, drab concrete floors and facades, and cramped serving areas are problems with any park built back in the Stone Age of stadiums (1950-70s). Food service areas, passageways, restrooms, and virtually anything that should provide amenities were designed as discomforts. That said, the lower levels have better food service, but fans aren’t allowed to go below their seated level.

Franchises can make some changes. The Dodgers could generate millions in new revenue by moving the press box out of its prime space directly behind home plate. Other parks (e.g., White Sox, Astros, etc.) moved press boxes and immediately sold out all of the new premium seats.

Want more?

These are just snapshots of a few things baseball franchises (MiLB and MLB) should be monitoring. As part of Baylor’s Sports Sponsorship & Sales (S3) program, we go into these issues and many more. If interested in an in-depth treatment of sportscape management, you may want to read more at www.teamsportsmarketing.com. As information, this text contains frequent attempts at humor.