Sports that Tweet

The hottest new Web 2.0 site isn’t really that new at all. Twitter—the subject of recent adulation from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times and more—started as former Blogger creator Jack Dorsey’s side project in March 2006. Now this stripped-down, not-for-profit social networking site has an avid group of followers, estimated at around 7 million. Not so much compared with Facebook’s 132 million unique users, or Myspace’s 117 million users, but a rapidly-growing vanguard of early adopters that Web 2.0-savvy sports properties shouldn’t overlook.

So far, an impressive collection of sports apparel manufacturers, teams, sports media, and athletes have staked out virtual territories on Twitter. The NFL has 600 followers (and no posts), while ESPN has 36,000 followers and Lance Armstrong has 150,000 followers.

Among sports video games, EA Sports has some of the best content. About two dozen employees, developers, producers, and community managers actively tweet, including Will Kinsler (Raczilla), who has 1,300 eyes reading his Madden and NCAA series posts. Sports game publishers Activision, 2K Sports, SEGA, and Sony Computer Entertainment also have Twitter accounts.

At minimum, a Twitter presence can help communicate with customers and fans. At best, Twitter can build a brand by engaging a pre-segmented market of tech-hungry loyalists, sharing insights into upcoming products, pointing fans to a Web site or other forum, and relating with consumers in a non-corporate setting.

The white hot risk with Twitter seems clear, though. Even at 7 or 8 million unique users, Twitter has a lot of catching up to do before it can compete with its larger Web 2.0 kin, let alone traditional media giants. But, like Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, many companies are betting that if they build it, fans will come.

Warsaw Guest Speakers

Last winter I posted a list of the fantastic guest speakers and visitors who came to the Warsaw Sports Business program. Here’s a list of sports industry leaders who have recently shared their insights with MBA students in my program.

Adam Antoniewicz, NBA China

Stephen Baines, Sports Business International

David Baker, AFL

Eric Barmack, ESPN

Lee Berke, LHB Sports

Declan Bolger, Stoneybatter, Inc.

Gert Boyle, Columbia Sportswear

Justin Byczek, NBC Sports

Carter Carnegie, NTRA

Tim Chen, NBA China

Emilio Collins, NBA

Jason Day, IMG

Len DeLuca, ESPN

Andy Dolich, San Francisco 49ers

Dave Doroghy, Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games

David Dunn, Athletes First

Dennis Farrell, Big West Conference

Sal Galatioto, Galatioto Sports Partners

Chris Granger, NBA

Stephen Greyser, Harvard University

Arthur Griffiths, Octagon

Eric Guthoff, IMG

David Haney, AFL

Chris Heck, NBA

Heather Higgins, NTRA

Stu Jackson, NBA

Akash Jain, NBA

Patt Keck, AT&T

Erica Kerner, adidas

Hollis Kosco, IMG

Peter Land, NTRA

Amy Lasky, NTRA

Sheng Li, Visa

Hunter Lockman, NY Knicks

Donna Lopiano, Sports Management Resources

Joe Mattson, Relay Worldwide

Mike McCarley, NBC Sports

Chris McCloskey, AFL

Jim McDonald, Cornerstone Marketing

Nolan Mecham, IMG

Jason Michelotti, Millsport

Jim Noel, ESPN

Vince O’Brien, General Motors R*Works

Donna Orender, WNBA

Lisa Orzechowski, Relay Worldwide

Andy Peake, Under Armour

Jeff Price, Sports Illustrated

Shannon Pruitt, FremantleMedia

Emma Qui, Fudan University

Dave Rosen, Electronic Arts

Peter Rotondo Jr., NTRA

Peter Rotondo Sr., NTRA

John Rozeira, General Motors R*Works

Beth Schnitzer, Pier 39

Adam Silver, NBA

Andrew Sippel, ESPN

David Stern, NBA

Robert Strand, Jarden Outdoor Solutions

Lucy Strong, Octagon

Tyler Vaught, EA Sports

Marvin Washington, University of Alberta

Carter Westfall, Helios Partners

Pat Zeedick, Nike

Chris Zimmerman, Vancouver Canucks

Nike Campus Trek

Nike recruiters selected sixty students from MBA programs at Columbia, USC, Virginia, Georgetown, Michigan, Texas, and the University of Oregon to attend their annual campus trek visit last Wednesday. It was a great experience for all of us, and a unique opportunity to connect with employees and recruiters in our specific fields of interest.

8:30 a.m. – We started the morning off right with a light continental breakfast and networking with other MBAs from around the country. Most were interested in marketing, though a fair number were focusing on finance, merchandising, or strategic planning.

9 a.m.— Individually, three executive speakers gave us lessons on Nike culture, history, human resources and retail forecasts.

Nelson Farris, Director of Corporate Education, spoke on the history of Nike, highlighting the accomplishments of Phil Knight, Bill Bowerman, Jeff Johnson, Steve Prefontaine, Michael Jordan, and Carolyn Davidson.

David Ayre, VP of Global Human Resources, talked about Nike culture, goals, and talent opportunities within the company. Particularly of interest was his spiel on developing at least 30 people within the company who could be VPs for any position. How do you succeed at Nike? Be smart. “But if you think you’re the smartest person in the room, you probably aren’t.”

Louis Jordan, CFO of Global Retail, gave us an inside look at some of the goals and revenues of Nike that clearly weren’t meant to be shared outside the room. He did impart some great Nike maxims, like “Remember the Man,” “Be a Sponge,” and “Nike is a Company.”

10:30 a.m.— A panel of Nike MBAs were perhaps the highlight of the trip, talking about the 2-year rotational program, how they found their way to Nike, and how others should proceed if Nike is their dream. Julian Duncan from Global Brand Marketing stole the show, with an impressive background in football, Madden NFL parties, DJing and a lot of humor.

11:30 a.m. — Lunch, not surprisingly, was my favorite part of the trip. I sat next to Jen Jacobs, a nice lady in Brand Marketing, and a bunch of good-natured Texas folks who wanted to know more about the Warsaw program. The lasagna: excellent.

12:15 p.m. — The pouring rain didn’t stop us from enjoying a tour of the Nike campus. What a place! I’m more of a fan of inner-Portland than the suburbs, but you can’t beat the spectacular college-campus feel of the Beaverton location. A blue-line MAX stop nearby is icing on the cake.

Sponsorship Overview

My previous sports marketing terminology post covered some basic definitions of everything from affect transfer to the seven mechanisms of influence in sports sponsorship. This post, while still a cursory glance at sponsorship, lists some principle reasons why companies sponsor teams and events, criteria for choosing what to sponsor, and marketing strategies to pursue in conjunction with sponsorship.

Reasons for sports sponsorship:
· Strengthen customer relationships
· Acquire new customers
· Portray brand as unique or differentiated, relevant, active, relatable, or similarly related to the company value proposition
· Generate advocacy on a targeted tier of the consumer spending pyramid
· Provide incentives for retail distribution channels
· Create awareness and acceptance
· Correlate brand with goodwill and positive emotions of event

Sponsorship criteria:
1. Brand fit
2. Interest
3. Reach
4. Event credibility
5. Risk
6. Activation & implementation difficulty
7. Control by governing body

Integrated Marketing
1. Central marketing theme
2. Member programs
3. Merchant programs
4. Advertising
5. Promotions
6. PR
7. Athlete relations
8. Partner (team/host city/event) presence
9. Onsite activation

Competition Between "Traditional" and "Extreme" Sports

According to a recent SGMA International survey, the popularity of some extreme sports is much higher than many traditional sports. To compete with these adrenaline-sports and stay relevant to young fans, a traditional sports league’s general strategy should be to create a more exhilarant experience. The league should add visual appeal, integrate youth interests and youth brands, and create “extras.”

Many adventure sports—such as surf competitions, snow boarding, and mountain biking—are geared toward television audiences, since watching these events in a stadium setting is difficult. To compete for television viewers, a league should ramp up the visual thrills of its sport. On-screen score boxes with cartoons can add excitement, while virtual confetti and animated dueling robots are more likely to keep young people interested and engaged.

Visual appeal is not limited to television audiences. In-stadium, a sports league can create thrills by adding special-effects lighting, improved sound systems, and video boards in high-definition. The new cricket league, Twenty20, has gone further, changing uniforms, adding firework displays to the stadium experience, and dressing cheerleaders in sports bras.

Beyond visual appeal, a sports league needs to integrate youth interests and brands to compete against adrenaline-sports. By creating a presence on the Internet or in the world of video games that allows for a high level of interaction, leagues can construct a social milieu that appeals to a media-savvy generation while also branding their sport as “cool.” The NBA’s creation of a headquarters in Second Life is just one example of how a league can use online communities to generate interest.

And, although it’s understandable why some leagues choose large, unglamorous corporate sponsors (i.e. the NHL and Scotiabank, and MLB and Bank of America) these sponsors can put off young viewers. Better sponsorship choices include Sony Playstation and Mountain Dew: the sponsors of kiteboarding, wakeskating, longboarding, and other non-traditional sports.

Finally, adrenaline sports often emphasize style over statistics. For that reason, it’s important for a league to adopt events, stunts, or individual performances outside the scope of regular competition. Consider the slam dunk contest: this NBA competition allows participants a forum for individuality and style. It also appeals to a basketball subculture by showcasing moves and behavior not generally seen on the court. Similarly, all-star games, three-point contests, and field-goal competitions highlight the individual athlete over the team and can help leagues compete with sports that rely on freestyle play, tricks, and an alternative image.

Though a traditional league would benefit from a more exciting and relevant fan experience, it should be wary of upsetting fans who rely on the sport’s history and traditions. To avoid becoming another XFL, a league should court youth viewers without resorting to major format shifts, gratuitous behavior, or iconoclastic rule changes. If a traditional league can adapt to changing interests and technologies without isolating its core fan base, the league can compete with adrenaline-sports and stay relevant to a new generation.

[This post derives from my entrance essay to the Warsaw MBA program, originally written September 2007.]

Sports Book Trailers

So many of the videos seen on the Internet are those viral videos with funny cats or Saturday Night Live clips that people share over email or IM. But for those of us who want to use Internet videos for promotions, the Internet is becoming a friendlier place to raise awareness using the important video medium.



I made the above video for a book about football in Alaska. It took only a couple of hours using the Ken Burns effect on iMovie, the simplest video editing program I know of.

Facebook App -- Fan Page

The Facebook App I wrote about last time is working and in full-gear. Every day roughly 40 new users upload the application to track their favorite Olympic sports. Unfortunately, the application usage has grown linearly, rather than exponentially as we'd hoped, but there are some bright spots.

One of these bright spots is the fan page. Every application has a fan page--those users who are so pleased with the application that they become "fans." Usually this is a relatively minor percentage of overall users. For example, the Michigan St. Football Application has more than 6,000 users, but only 150 fans. Our Olympic Games 2008 application has only 200 users so far, but 44 fans.

Facebook, for all its flaws, allows for some pretty neat data collection. The fan page enables us to run numbers on even a relatively modest sample size, and to come up with some neat findings.

The table to the left, for example, shows the gender and age range of the fans page. It's startling to see that more of our Olympic Games Application fans are women rather than men. And, looking at the ages, 40% are minors.

It would be interesting to compare these numbers with Facebook's overall demographics or the Neilsen rating demographics for the Beijing Olympics on NBC. My guess is these numbers are much closer to the former group than the latter.

In an unrelated surprise: the 44 fans of the application aren't just Americans. There are users from Switzerland, New Zealand, China, Canada, Australia, Morocco, England, Lebanon, and elsewhere.