LeBron James may very well be at 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 Miami Heat can turn on a switch whenever they so choose. After winning back-to-back titles, the reigning champs have their eyes set on the playoffs, not the regular season. They can afford to lose some games here and there because of their proven pedigree. Most Heat fans would be fine with them conceding the first seed to the Indiana Pacers–provided that their core players are healthy for the postseason.
These past two seasons have earned them an enormous amount of exposure through digital media. LeBron James’ arrival alone propelled every single outlet as a vital communication and marketing mechanism. The entire organization has benefited tremendously from the heightened interest. They’ve been in a prime position to capitalize on their champion product across their various digital assets.
Still, the Miami Heat should be impelled to maximize these platforms accordingly, especially as they look to three-peat. The regular season serves as a telling vehicle insofar as how their digital strategies jump-start peak playoff engagement.
Given the fact that Miami is a multinational city, the Heat have taken measures to tap into these non-traditional markets. The two distinctive widgets on their website that stand out are for Spanish and Mandarin. They’ve opened up access to two key demographics through video means and direct overall site translation, respectively. Within this tab, interestingly, lies a forum called “The Inferno” that fans can login to, which is akin to traditional online participation. Under the team’s social tab, though, not all social media accounts are housed in it, including the omission of their Instagram feed.
With respects to social media, they have a massive audience across these channels. Facebook’s volume of over nine million has presented the Heat the biggest opportunity to reach their fans. Rather than promote the obvious “Big Three,” their cover photo features three role players along with the team’s upcoming schedule. This team emphasis is displayed in numerous posts. They’ve personalized graphics on game nights to bring attention to the local broadcast, including Social Saturdays to funnel second-screen activity. Only periodically do they explicitly attempt e-commerce, which bodes well to maintain the high levels of engagement.
As for Twitter, there’s an excitable tone apparent often during in-game action. The predominant hashtags used are “HEATgame” and “HEATwin,” mostly refraining from incorporating external ones. Post-game tweets tend to be quotes from players while using a period before a handle tactic to increase its visibility. Their over two million followers could perhaps be leveraged more when it comes to cross-pollination, particularly to drive traffic to the website, broadcast, and Instagram. They do, however, respond to fans that attend games at a decent rate to show appreciation for them.
On Instagram, the strategies from the aforementioned networks are more or less carried over. There’s a chance that by season’s end this account will surpass a million followers, which might be more a byproduct of the team’s public profile than unique images as content. Besides the same graphics used in Facebook for local broadcasts, there’s a higher clip of blatant e-commerce ploys–none of which really resonates well on this platform. The video feature is utilized occasionally; with the best example being when individual player segments were shot during the Opening Night’s ring ceremony. And recently, they’ve started to conduct simple scavenger hunts for tickets, one of the few activation points.
When it comes to mobile, the Miami Heat’s official app leaves more to be desired. The entire UI and UX seem a bit outdated. There isn’t a natural, aesthetic look or feel, both in terms of design and functionality. Most of the content contained inside redirects users to its original source, instead of having this information natively baked in. The app’s best feature are the three different noisemakers options, including the Spanish phrase of “dos minutos!” Tickets, ads, and the Heat’s store are the primary ways for monetization; registered users are eligible for players’ autograph photo sweepstakes running through the holidays as an added incentive.
All in all, the Miami Heat generate fanfare without even trying. A lot of possibilities abound through leveraging the stardom, glory, and recent history across their digital media presence. Some positive strides have taken place this season, yet it may not quite fit the billing of fans’ expectations and LeBron James’ mighty throne.