Bring Game Entertainment to Life for Fans Via Social Media

Each and every football weekend, sports marketers need to consider ways that they can recreate the stadium experience for thousands of viewers at home. With social media, marketers have a very cost-effective platform to bring stadium entertainment to life for fans to watch during the week, before games, and after huge victories.

Quality content that can be captured and rebroadcasted via social media can include:

• Pre-Game
  • Pre-game introductions, scoreboard introduction videos, pre-game traditions, time lapse videos of fans entering the stadium, pictures/video of game day giveaways, the National Anthem, pre-game skydivers, tailgating insights, pep rallies, pre-game concerts, pre-game band performances, warmups/walk-throughs, etc.
• In-Game
  • Scoreboard features, on-field promotions, fan cheers, cheerleaders/dance team, halftime entertainment, in-game ceremonies, etc.
• Post-Game
  • Band performances, team celebrations, post-game interviews, fan celebrations, scoreboard highlights, fireworks, post-game concerts, etc.

As an example of capturing quality game day footage, enclosed is a great video that lets fans experience the thrills of a skydiver gliding into a stadium packed with 80,000+ screaming fans before a rivalry game. Capture these special moments for your fan base!

The West Coast Conference Goes Viral with Fan Draft...

Is your conference or organization looking to drive buzz with a captivating viral campaign? Are you looking for new ways to stimulate online fan interest?

The West Coast Conference recently unveiled a humorous "WCC Fan Draft" social media campaign that will serve as the primary marketing campaign for each of the conference's eight (8) member institutions in 2009.

Fans can view the campaign by visiting one of the eight (8) customized University viral sites: 

• Gonzaga - http://zagsfandraft.com
• Santa Clara University - http://broncosfandraft.com/
• University of San Francisco - http://usffandraft.com/
• Saint Mary's College - http://gaelsfandraft.com/
• University of San Diego - http://torerosfandraft.com/
• Loyola Marymount - http://lmufandraft.com/
• University of Portland - http://pilotsfandraft.com/
• Pepperdine University - http://pepperdinefandraft.com/

It is exciting to see a conference using social media to better its institutions. Organizations that can find a way to scale these type of social media projects across a number of beneficiaries will find that they will deliver better results. The West Coast Conference has been able to successfully drive a significant amount of buzz online already with the campaign. Fans that take part in the viral initiative even have the chance to win tickets to the 2010 Zappos.com WCC Basketball Championships (March 5-8).

The West Coast Conference used funds received through a 2009-10 NCAA Women's Basketball Marketing grant designed to increase awareness, exposure, and attendance of women's basketball. The West Coast Conference is hoping that the targeted viral initiative will result in a 15% increase across the board (awareness, exposure, attendance).  

The humorous campaign is very entertaining but will it drive fans to take action? It will be interesting to see. Check it out below:

Source: GoZags.com