Advances in digital and social media platforms have fundamentally changed in the game when it comes to marketing. But how are they changing the business of sports? This was the question posed to the Minds Behind the Game panel last week.
Last Thursday evening at the fourth sold-out Chat Sports: Minds Behind the Game event, former All-Pro running back and Thuzio co-founder Tiki Barber, NBA Executive Vice President Amy Brooks, and NY Red Bulls Vice President Joseph Stetson discussed the ways they’re tackling the challenges these advances surface for marketing teams, athletes, and brands.
The panel, moderated by Chat Sports CEO James Yoder, emphasized the importance of harnessing those digital platforms to expand efforts to attract new fans and keep current ones engaged. According to Brooks, the NBA is hoping to utilize these platforms to give fans more exclusive content they can’t get anywhere else:
“What digital and social media have given us is the ability to go behind the scenes,” she explained. “Today, we see teams like the Toronto Raptors, who created this fantastic show based off their ‘We The North’ campaign. It’s authentic, and we find that’s the type of content that really works in the NBA.”
While brands like the NBA already have a massive fan following, up-and-coming leagues like the MLS are using these new avenues to generate widespread interest and attract new supporters.
“You look at teams like Seattle, Portland, and Kansas City that really turned those cities into soccer towns, and L.A. Galaxy as well,” Stetson said when explaining how the Red Bulls plan to grow their fan base. “They do a really good job on the digital and social sites. Kansas City did an amazing job of transferring those disgruntled Chiefs and Royals fans at the time who wanted something new and something fresh, and brought them over to this completely different experience.”
However, it’s not just professional sports teams that are using these new platforms to their advantage. Many businesses, like Barber’s Thuzio – a company that matches businesses and corporations with athletes and other talent they wish to do business with – have used it to grow their products.
“The social sphere controls so much,” Barber explained. “A lot of players are on social media because it allows them to express themselves authentically and not them through a reporter that may have some sort of bias…but it’s a double-edged sword. It does allow you to build your brand, but at the same time you open yourself up to trolls and people who spew negativity to try and gain some sort of power over you.”
As these platforms continue to become more and more entrenched in society, businesses will continue to find new ways to promote their brand and expand their reach through different marketing techniques. The goal is to allow fans and consumers to become more engaged and involved in the product, thereby increasing popularity and revenue.
But will it work? Now, that’s a question that another Minds Behind the Game panel may address down the road.