Kobe Bryant may very well be close to the center of the NBA universe, but basketball has always been a team game. The 30 franchises that make up the league have generated a revenue pie in excess of $5 billion. The digital age has enabled this game to reach its worldwide audience anywhere, anytime. Teams can build up their own local fan base through the sundry of platforms available.
Much like our #NFLTechSeries, this time SportTechie delves into the digital strategies–from web, social media, mobile apps, and any other technological connection–of each team and analyzes them, including insights from some of the digital executives involved. Today, the #NBADigitalSeries 2013-14 debuts with the Christmas Day matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. Stay tuned to SportTechie in the New Year for ongoing coverage of the #NBADigitalSeries. Happy holidays!
The Los Angeles Lakers are the franchise with the most national and global appeal in the NBA. The amount of attention they garner each season reflects how their status is virtually unflappable. Where they rank in the standings is merely a footnote to the drama bestowed, both real or fabricated. Kobe Bryant represents the mythological aura and draw to them.
Even without Bryant physically able to play today on Christmas, the thought of his presence alone will overcome what would have been billed up as another marquee matchup versus LeBron James.
Nevertheless, the Lakers’ roller coaster season thus far hasn’t fazed their digital team from marketing them at the high standard this fan base expects.
The Lakers’ website possesses a simple silhouette backdrop of purple hues and a header that subtly denotes they’re 16-time NBA champions. There’s a social bar immediately visible on the left side of the screen that stays in a user’s vantage point when scrolling down different pages. This feature emphasizes the importance of fans sharing their content across social media platforms.
They haven’t, however, made the site accessible in foreign languages to translate; the few Spanish content available consists of videos and articles provided by Time Warner Cable Deportes, both of which are outdated. The two areas with tremendous value are their video and infographics, which are produced frequently, contain high quality original features, and are monetized through a current sponsorship with Delta Air Lines.
From a sheer volume standpoint, their 17 million likes on Facebook easily dwarfs the reach of their other social outlets. The cover photo of the entire team huddled together is a fitting one, considering the Lakers have had to play collectively to win games in spite of Bryant’s absence. There’s a rather conservative tone throughout with the copy reading as informative.
They tag the local broadcasts accounts on game days, use Bitly links, and occasionally include the “#GoLakers” hashtag. These tactics intend to redirect users to the first-screen, back to the site, and funnel the conversation, respectively. Most of the graphics, though, seem to derive from Instagram and are utilized again for this medium. And they rarely force any sales objectives among the posts, just timely ones such as Cyber Monday and when they debuted their “Hollywood Nights” uniforms.
On Twitter, there’s a little more lighthearted tone with its over 3.5 million followers–usually at the expense of the character that is Nick Young, a.k.a “Swaggy P”. The re-tweets from Lakers Reporter, Mike Trudell, provide live, inside access that fit this platform well. They mix in Vine clips before the games and during halftimes as better ways to showcase short video; fans can expect a team account on that medium in the near future. The team’s lengthier produced videos are disseminated through its own handle, @LakersTV, which then gets retweeted from the main handle. It’s very rare that any user’s mentions of the team are replied back to; all retweets come from partner accounts or players.
Instagram, though, is where the Lakers shine. They’ve clearly made a point to craft images that purport the team’s brand. After every game there’s a photo that highlights the final score and a key player from it in a contrast consistent to the Lakers’ ambience. Their behind-the-scenes shots are timely, likeable, and places fans in moments they would like to be a part of. Most of the videos posted serve to promote the local broadcast’s show called “Backstage: Lakers”. They’re just a little of 50,00 shy of eclipsing a million followers and should get there by sticking with what they are currently doing.
With the extensive time spent on these primary social mediums, the Lakers’ presence on Tumblr and Google + are virtually a direct representation of what’s already published. The copy and images utilized in these networks can be seen elsewhere. At the very least, posting content on these other outlets exposes it to potentially new users. Google +, in particular, has proven to be a worthwhile undertaking by needing less than 9,000 to reach one million followers there, on top of increase in search engine optimization benefits.
The overall strength, volume, and engagement across these channels finally lead the team to host their first ever Social Media Night. The Lakers planned for it on December 8 against the Toronto Raptors; no one had a clue that this very night would also happen to be Bryant’s first game back from his Achilles injury.
Fans were treated to their own designated seating area, t-shirts–players wore their own with handles shown–foam fingers, game ball presentation, featured on the big board, and a post-game questions and answers segment with Xavier Henry and Ryan Kelly. This evening proved to be a successful one to showcase a dedicated and social media savvy audience among the larger fan base, and in an intimate setting after the game–let alone on Bryant’s highly anticipated return.
As for their mobile app, the Lakers and OneUp Games made wholesale changes to bring a more immersive experience to fans. The home page is a very appealing stream of image tiles–almost akin to the interface of a Windows phone–that users can intuitively choose the content they want. Reading news is appropriately displayed within the platform’s parameters, while also giving the option to visit the team’s site.
The most unique feature is a 3D gamecast with real-time play-by-play to follow along during game day–whether a user is watching on TV or not. Tickets and merchandise are the methods of e-commerce. Two other convenient features are Staples Center’s food concourse layout and a live score ticker of the league’s games.
Kobe Bryant may not be lacing up his Christmas edition Nike’s today, but the Los Angeles Lakers have no shortage of all-access coverage across the digital sphere to the delight of their entire Laker Nation.