Digital Marketing & Sport

So, we all know social media now plays a more bigger role than ever in the lives of sports fans around the world. YouTube is an endless source of video highlights and bloopers, Twitter is a gigantic news stream and Facebook is a place for trash talking with friends (Laird 2013). Nowadays, as people watch sport on TV, it is increasingly done in tandem with a mobile phone in hand or a laptop on the knees. For lots of people it is virtually impossible to watch a live-action sports event without the security of a fully-charged smart phone. (Johnston 2014). The prevalence of social meida in the sport sector can be seen in the statistics, take for example the soccer World Cup, in the final match between Germany and Argentina, according to Twitter, there were over 618,000 tweets per minute and 32.1 million tweets in total about the game created and sent during the broadcast of the match, with the semi-final scoring even higher, with a staggering 35.6 million tweets generated during Germany’s beating of Brazil (Johnston 2014). I looked at Hootsuite’s site and saw that they recommend 3 ways that sports organizations can build stronger fan loyalty through social media which I thought were pretty relevant:

• Humanize and Personalize Teams and Athletes
• Offer Fans Unprecedented Access to Teams Through Unique Content
• Make Fans Contributors to Teams and Unite Them

Many athletes and sports stars have taken to social media with some regularly responding to questions, retweeting fans and generally interacting with the people that idolize them. The contribution this has made to fan loyalty is clear in the follower count of athletes, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Usain Bolt, Brian O’Driscoll and many others who rank among the most followed individuals on social media. Many teams now offer “behind-the-scenes” content on social channels. Instagram photos, YouTube clips and other resources are being used by these organizations to offer exclusives to their followers. I think that USA track and field for one do an excellent job of this on Instagram providing behind the scenes updates with all things track and field which you can check out here. Hootsuite also note that something as simple as showing teammates celebrating on a plane or offering photos of new training facilities can go viral amongst fans of a particular organization. Take for example the tweets below from Irish rugby player Cian Healy, both receiving thousands of retweets and favourites from fans.

Johnston (2014) also noted that more than any other sector, sport has embraced Twitter and social media in ways that business, politics and music may never achieve. You could argue that sports content is so shareable because it is emotional in nature. Be it rugby, soccer, GAA, athletics or anything else that leads to filled seats and cheering fans, sports fans are incredibly active on social media. These fans are adopting increasingly active roles in co-creating marketing content with companies and their respective brands, especially in sport. (Hanna et al 2014). I think that fans are no longer merely passive recipients in the marketing exchange process. Today, they are taking an increasingly active role in co-creating everything from product design to promotional messages (Berthon, Pitt, McCarthy, & Kates, 2007). Hootsuite (2015) note how the idea of co-creation has major implications on how involved fans feel in their teams. By asking fans to submit photos, comments, videos and suggestions, and then highlighting this content on official channels, organisations not only show that they’re listening but that they have a role in the team. By offering exclusive content involving fans with the team on social media channels, teams, athletes and leagues of all levels can increase fan loyalty and have a lasting impact on their business success.

References

• Berthon, P. R., Pitt, L. F., McCarthy, I., & Kates, S. (2007). “When customers get clever: Managerial approaches to dealing with creative consumers”. Business Horizons, 50(1), 39—48.
• Hanna, R., Rohm, A., Crittenden, VL. (2014) “We’re all connected: The power of the social media ecosystem 2014” Business Horizons, 54 (3), 265-273
•  Hootsuite (2015) “Building a Loyal Fanbase: How sports Organisations Use Social Media” Whitepaper. [Online] Available at: https://hootsuite.com/content/download/2451/36019/hootsuite-3waysfanloyalty-whitepaper.pdf Last Accesed 21/03/15
•  Johnston, M. (2014) “Is social media turning sports fans into cyber sheep?” Irish Independent. [Online] Available at: http://www.independent.ie/opinion/is-social-media-turning-sports-fans-into-cyber-sheep-30509559.html Last Accessed 21/03/15
• Laird, S. (2013) “How Sports Fans Engage With Social Media” Mashable.com [Online] Available at: http://mashable.com/2013/10/03/sports-fans-social-media/ Last Accessed 21/03/15

Hello again!

So in case you didn’t know, changes in the digital environment have caused significant challenges for sporting organizations in terms of advertising and communicating with stakeholders and fans. Frandsen (2012) discussed how the integration of digital platforms have been a key concern in the industry for several years and one of many new initiatives taken in order to comply with a new media landscape has been to strengthen interaction with audiences.

Sporting organizations essentially operate in a highly competitive environment, particularly as the increasing number of organizations has resulted in higher competition to gain the limited amount of funds available through sponsorship, government grants or member funds (Buchanan & Luck 2008). Because of this, many organizations rely on strong communication with their key stakeholders which means they need to be aware of the types of communication methods that best communicate with target customers and fans.

We all know that generation X and Y in general are the most connected generations thanks to new internet technologies (Bartlett 2004) – that’s not anything new, however they are now engaging with sport in new ways, using new media to supplement television and thereby augment their sports experience both at home and at stadiums where sport is carried out live (Buchanan & Luck 2008). International sporting events themselves are considered “killer content”, which owing to the audience’s strong relationship with it, has the capacity for “persuading consumers to abandon existing patterns of consumption and adopt new technologies and products” (Küng, 2008, p. 85). This can provide sporting organizations with the opportunity to engage with audiences in unique ways, capitalizing on individual’s fandom and dedication towards their teams and favourite sportspeople. By even establishing social networks, organisations can disseminate information, encourage feedback and participation in discussion, encourage knowledge sharing and create communities open to all members and fans (Scarff 2007).

A nice example I found of how a sporting organization has embraced digital media to their benefit is the GAA. Peter McKenna, GAA commercial and stadium director of Croke Park, won the title of “Marketer of The Year 2013” in an awards ceremony by Alternatives. It was stated on alternativesdigital.ie that by “combining cultural and fan sensitivity with an acute sense of commercial awareness and using traditional and new media”, Peter “plotted a path to a future” which resulted in increased numbers attending GAA games, more audience and sponsorship participation. The use of innovative digital media itself formed the core of the “For the Love of The Club” campaign for the AIB GAA Club Championships.  This included a Facebook competition which asked fans to showcase their feelings towards their club and put their club on the map which saw Facebook fans increase by 80%.

We can clearly see the importance of embracing digital media in sporting organizations with bodies such as Athletics Ireland, the IRFU, Fifa and many more spending significantly more of their marketing budgets on digital channels, making them them important methods of communication for fans and members. Through the use of platforms such as SnapChat, Vine, Twitter and Instagram I personally think we will see more organisations attempt to engage fans and develop closer relationships in creative ways. However, it will be no easy feat, the sports industry by nature is competitive and as many will soon find out, the digital marketing end of it is no different.

References

• Alternativesdigital.ie (2013)”Marketer of the year goes to the GAA” [Online] Available at: http://www.alternativesdigital.ie/blog/marketer-of-the-year-goes-to-the-gaa/ Last accessed 17/03/15
• Bartlett, M. (2004). Analyst: Understanding what shapes generations. Credit Union Journal, 8, 14.
• Buchanan, E. J. and Luck, E. M, (2008) The electronic village: the digital challenges in communication strategies for sporting organisations. International Journal of Business Environment 2(2):pp. 258-279.
• Duncan, T. (2005). Principles of Advertising and IMC (2nd ed). New York: McGraw Hill.
• Frandsen, K. (2012) “Sports broadcasting journalism and the challenge of new media”. Journal of Media and Communication Research. MedieKultur 2012, 53, 5-21
• Küng, L. (2008). Strategic Management in the Media. London, Thousand Oaks, New Delhi & Singapore: Sage.
• Scarff, A. (2006). Advancing knowledge sharing with Intranet 2.0. Knowledge Management Review, 9(4), 24-28.

With the 2016 Olympics in Rio looming, it is interesting to take some time to look back on how the London 2012 Olympics engaged audiences all over the globe through more digital channels than ever before. In their Marketing Report for London 2012, the International Olympic Committee reported that 2012 was the biggest Olympic Games in terms of the amount of broadcast coverage made available to fans around the world. It was also the first time that the total number of hours of digital output exceeded that of traditional television coverage. It is well known that digital coverage grew substantially since the Beijing Games with internet, mobile and other digital platforms becoming much more prominent throughout society.

Bosomworth (2012) reported how London 2012 Olympic Games-time traffic saw a staggering 109 million unique users across web and mobile, with 60% via search, meaning interestingly, most traffic came via Google. The Games’ link up with Google was also interesting as we saw 10 different Olympic themed Google doodles in 16 days, plus we saw how Google provided users with up to date results and medal leaderboards via search.

Stavros et al (2014) discussed how social media provides fans with an additional means to engage with their team and are a valuable forum for sport organizations to better understand fan motivations and strengthen fan relationships. Social media provide relationship-marketing opportunities for sport organizations and an additional avenue through which fans can engage with sport (Williams & Chinn, 2010). Encompassing a wide range of forums, social media presents a unique platform for marketers to create a dialog with consumers and for consumers to interact with each other. Because of this, it is also interesting to look at how more recently, digital marketing and social media impacted on the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) tracked social media activity and reported that more than 2 million new fans joined the Olympic Facebook page during the Winter Games, the Olympic Twitter account amassed 168,101 new followers and the Olympic Instagram account gained more than 150,000 new followers. Naturally we can see the growing importance of these social channels for engaging with sporting audiences across the globe. Mark Adams, the IOC Director of Communications stated that for the IOC it is important to engage and connect with the home/hosting team, as once the Games have come to an end, the social legacy lives on as they want to keep connecting with our millions of new fans (Olympic.org), mirroring Heere & James’(2007) view that effective relationship marketing is critical in the sport environment.

I think it is clear to see that the use of digital media and marketing techniques are undoubtedly a major important part of engaging audiences with the Games. London 2012 was the most digitally enabled Olympic Games in history, with more people than ever tuning in to watch the events on more devices than ever before. I for one am really looking forward to seeing what the IOC and all the Games’ official partners will bring to the next Olympics in terms of content, advertising and viewer engagement and with the speed in which digital is evolving, i’m sure it won’t just be sporting world records that will be broken in 2016.

References

• Bosomworth, D. (2012) “Were the Olympics Games a digital marketing success?” Smartinsights.com [Online] Available at : http://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/digital-strategy-development/were-the-olympics-games-a-digital-marketing-success/ Last Accessed 15/03/15
• Heere, B., & James, J. D. (2007). Sports teams and their communities: Examining the influence of external group identities on team identity. Journal of Sport Management, 21(3), 319–337.
• IOC Marketing Report London 2012. [Online] Available at http://www.olympic.org/Documents/IOC_
  Marketing/London_2012/LR_IOC_MarketingReport_medium_res1.pdf Last Accessed 15/03/15
• Moth, D. (2012) “60 fascinating digital stats from the London 2012 Olympics” Econsultancy.com. [Online] Available at: https://econsultancy.com/blog/10871-60-fascinating-digital-stats-from-the-london-2012-olympics/ Last Accessed 15/03/15
• Olympic.org (2014) “Sochi 2014 social media metrics: Hot numbers. Cool conversations. All yours.” [Online] Available at: http://www.olympic.org/content/news/media-resources/manual-news/2014/02/28/sochi-2014-social-media-metrics-hot-numbers-cool-conversations-all-yours/ Last Accessed 15/03/15
• Stavros, C. Meng, M.D., Westberg, K., Farrelly, F. (2014) “Understanding Fan Motivation for Interacting on Social Media” Sport Management Review, Vol 17, Iss 4, Nov 2014, p455-469
• Williams, J., & Chinn, S. (2010). Meeting relationship–marketing goals through social media: A conceptual model for sport marketers. International Journal of Sport Communication, 3(4), 422–437.

 

For my first post, I will be looking at how sports apparel giant Nike has embraced the use of technology and digital in order to position themselves as one of the most innovative brands on the planet. Traditionally, Nike built its business through a combination of strong innovative products and intensive brand-building through multiple media. As the possibilities of new digital media emerged, Nike was fast to capitalize in these areas (Tannou & Westerman 2012).

Nike began experimenting with digital as early as 1996 with the launch of Nike.com for the Atlanta Olympics. This move was the basis for all further digital expansion with the brand (Swallow 2011). For Nike, the Internet presented a new frontier and with their already established global appeal and the brand was in a comfortable position to take advantage of emerging digital platforms (Neal 2005). Similarly, Smith (2012) noted that by taking into consideration the preferences of Millennials, the effectiveness of online communications and digital marketing aimed at this market segment can be increased. In line with this emerging trend, Nike moved into the social media space, joining platforms such as MySpace and took advantage of internet users’ affinity for sharing content and started posting videos on YouTube.

In 2010 Nike then ramped up their digital marketing efforts launching the Nike+ running app, which uses GPS technology to track users’ workout data (Neal 2014). The Nike+ Running Apps link seamlessly into nikeplus.com which Nike rebuilt from the ground up in HTML5 for a better infrastructure, faster performance and smarter capabilities (Nike 2012). The brand then released it’s first major follow-up product, the Nike FuelBand. I had contemplated buying one at this stage but couldn’t seem to get my hands on one in Ireland at the time (#sadface).

Nike stated that by using these devices, users could track their routes and share them with others in the Nike community which was pretty cool. This resulted in one of the largest databases of running routes in the world, created in just over a year (Swallow 2011). This move meant that via digital technologies, Nike could forge a tighter customer-brand relationship. This move also signaled a broader effort to shift the bulk of Nike’s marketing strategy into the digital and social media realm (Guarda 2013). Ramaswamy (2008) noted that by engaging with informed, connected, and networked customers around the globe through their digital efforts, Nike found a new source of value. When Nike launched the Nike+ (NikePlus) platform they created a co‐creation platform that capitalizes on the connection between running and music and with the combination of innovative, mobile technology, online communities and athletic gear.

I think Nike’s Global Digital Brand and Innovation Director Jesse Stollak gave an pretty interesting insight into how the brand connects with fans on a global scale stating that “Ultimately, we are about connecting with the consumer where they are, we’ve quickly evolved to a focus on conversations and engaging them to participate as opposed to using new media in traditional ways.” I personally believe that what Nike did and (is currently doing) heavily indicates the way even traditional brands will have to market themselves to new consumers in the 21st century. Nike themselves have arguably engaged one of the best uses of social media and digital marketing we have seen to connect a traditional brand to consumers and we are sure to see many brands attempt to follow suit in the near future.

References

• Cashman , J (2013) “How Nike Is Killing It In Social Media Marketing” [Online] Available at: https://digitalfireflymarketing.com/how-nike-killing-it-social-media-marketing Last Accessed 14/03/2015.
• Guarda, D. (2013) “Nike Takes Digital Data and Social Media Marketing Seriously” [Online] Available at: http://www.intelligenthq.com/social-media-business/nike-takes-digital-data-and-social-media-marketing-seriously/ Last Accessed 14/03/2015.
• Neal, C. (2014) “Case Study: Nike Regains Its Stride in the Digital Market” [Online] Available at: http://www.brittonmdg.com/case-study-nike-regains-their-stride-in-the-digital-market/ Last Accessed 14/03/2015.
• Ramaswamy, V. (2008) “Co‐creating value through customers’ experiences: the Nike case”, Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 36 Iss: 5, pp.9 – 14
• Smith, K.T. (2012) “Longitudinal study of digital marketing strategies targeting Millennials”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 29 Iss: 2, pp.86 – 92
• Swallow , E. (2011) “How Nike Outruns the Social Media Competition” [Online] Available at: http://mashable.com/2011/09/22/nike-social-media/ Last Accessed 14/03/2015.
• Tannou , M. and Westerman, G. (2012) “Nike: From Separate Digital Initiatives to Firm-Level Transformation” Capgemini Consulting. [Online] Available at: http://www.capgemini-consulting.com/resource-file-access/resource/pdf/digital_transformation_at_nike_20-12_pdf.pdf Last Accessed 14/03/2015.

Hows things, just setting up my latest blog for a module in college, ooooh exciting!

This one will be focussing on how sporting organisations and brands have embraced and applied digital to enhance their overall strategies – oooh fancy!

Stay tuned for some first class digital marketing blogging that will most certainly be the most excellent blogging you’ve ever seen* in your life and should really be graded extremely high. Ahem.

(*May not actually be the most excellent blogging you’ve ever seen.)