2 Notes
For consumer brands seeking to drive purchase through social media engagement, the solution may be simple: have an athlete mention it.
According to our 2011 Catalyst Fan Engagement Study, sports fans who follow their favorite athletes on social media are 55% more likely to purchase a brand if an athlete mentions it on Facebook or Twitter. Additionally, athlete mentions of brands on social media can have an even bigger impact on young (18-34), non-white fans (75% more likely to purchase) and those with kids at home (62%). Catalyst Public Relations commissioned Vision Critical to develop its second annual Catalyst Fan Engagement Study, exploring the growing convergence of sports and social media. Conducted in May 2011, more than 2,000 fans nationwide participated in the survey, which focused on the social media attitudes and usage habits of NFL, NBA, MLB, and college football and basketball fans.
5 Notes
By Ray Rahmati
Catalyst Public Relations
Go out and win a major golf tournament! That’s just what 22-year-old Rory McIlroy did yesterday after dominating the field at Congressional Country Club to become the second youngest player to win a major championship.
Young Rory, an active Twitter user with over 300,000 followers to his account prior to the U.S. Open, rounded up nearly 60,000 new followers on Saturday and Sunday of the tournament, an increase of nearly 19%—upon last count his account was at 409,398 followers.
7 Notes
A massive riot occurred in Vancouver after their 4-0 loss in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins last night. Mashable collected real-time pictures, showcasing the massive rioting that occurred in the streets.
Why the violence?
Well, first, the Bruins’ win marks the first Stanley Cup Title in 39 years. The team proudly brought home the championship win to a passionate city with incredible pride for their successful sports teams.
While the Bruins had a lot to gain, the Vancouver Canucks had a lot to lose. Coming on the heels of an incredibly strong season and a 2-0 lead into the final, they lost in game 7, and even worse - to Boston, a long-time rival, on their home turf.
As the rioting after the game intensified, so did the volume on Facebook and Twitter, most notably with the hashtag #canucksriot, which continues to trend on Twitter this morning.
On the positive side, over 11,000 people have accepted an invitation to clean up the aftermath left on the streets of Vancouver this morning, evidenced by this Facebook event which started last night, and is supported by the Vancouver police department.
7 Notes
Great article recently published in Fast Company about the NBA’s strategy to engage social media followers. This is a terrific read and a good reminder to brands as they engage consumers in this medium.
Rules of Engagement, from the NBA Social Media War Room
While bored traditional sports reporters wait for quotes from the megastars, the NBA’s elite social media team finds images, videos, and moments that take followers up close and behind the scenes of the Finals. We follow—literally—the social media masters during before, during, and after the action to watch how it all works. Read more at Fast Company. 
7 Notes
This week’s Ad Age collected social media demographics based upon user profiles. Check it out. Click the image below to read on.
1 Notes
By: Bill Holtz, Managing Partner
Sports has always served as common passion point for people, one that numerous brands have tapped into and leveraged.
Jon Last recently wrote an interesting commentary on MediaPost about the live sports experience as the ultimate brand community, and the opportunity that it presents to brand marketers. Having attended many sports events, both in a professional capacity and as a “fan,” I understand the power of shared experiences that only come from “being there.” There is value for brands in activating at live events.
That said, the live event is most valuable…only if there are people at the live event. Attendance for most sports has fluctuated in recent years, given the many entertainment options and the challenging economy.
5 Notes
Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today about some new Twitter strategies on the forefront. It seems Jack Dorsey, the new CEO of Twitter who recently took over for Evan Williams, is trying to fix some problems that need attending.
Twitter, with an estimated value of $4 billion, has more than 200 million registered accounts. However, the company doesn’t say how many active users there are. In fact, what they’re seeing is a drop-off: new users don’t stick around and really use the service the way it can be used.
One should note, however, that active users on Twitter are extremely active and very influential. However, Twitter still needs to find a way to scale.
To fix the drop-off issue and try to grow, Twitter is going to start to segment their audiences by showing new users the power of the platform.
For more experienced, active users, Twitter is going to help show the most relevant tweets to the user (similar to the way Facebook shows you the most relevant updates in your news feed).
Interesting trends to watch moving forward.
1 Notes
By: Megan Hueter
Account Supervisor, Digital
The mere size and scope of SXSW Interactive conference this year more than doubled from last year – further evidence of explosive growth in the digital landscape.
What was once a hipster gathering of tech geeks (early adopters) has now turned into a trade show, with everyone from CNN and Pepsi on-site, spending massive amounts of dollars to have the biggest presence and make the biggest impact. It’s safe to say – “online life” and “real life” have now merged.
With all the noise in the digital space, it will become even more difficult to cut through the clutter and understand macro trends and key takeaways. Here’s a little context and recap of what we need to pay attention to this year.
