The Oklahoma City Thunder teamed up with Old Hat Creative to create a brilliant online and community fan engagement strategy - The Thunder Blue Alliance - that allows fans from all areas of Oklahoma to become team ambassadors for their communities.
Fans interested in participating in the Blue Alliance initiative simply have to:
- Log on to the official Blue Alliance landing page
- View an interactive map of the state of Oklahoma and click on a flag that designates the area of the state that they live in (or apply to represent their city)
- Submit their testimonial video or photos and an essay telling the Thunder why they would be a great Blue Alliance Captain for their home town
Once fans are selected as Blue Alliance Captains, they are tasked with representing the team in their hometown via:
- Organizing team watch parties
- Monitoring a Facebook community page (each fan club area of the state is provided a Facebook community page)
- Assist with local team-oriented promotional initiatives
- Communicate with fellow members
Blue Alliance Captains receive a number of perks for representing their hometown, including:
- Welcome letter
- Game ticket voucher
- Personalized Thunder ID card
- Thunder yard flag and pole flag
- License plate frame
- Embroidered Blue Alliance polo
- Opportunity to attend semi-annual Blue Alliance meetings and special events
The Thunder Blue Alliance has been rolled out in a two (2) phase strategy, with the first phase generating a tremendous response from fans looking for new ways to engage with the team, demonstrate their avidity, and take a leadership role in their community. The platform's strategic use of Facebook groups allows it to be easily manageable for team stakeholders, community leaders, and participants.
Looking for more teams to roll out similar platforms to engage fans statewide, nationwide, and across the globe!
