Social media and Sport

Social Media & Sports

Does it matter?

Who owns the most followed Twitter account in 2015?


Does it matter?


Who is the lead performer in 2015 Super Bowl?


Does it matter?



Are the most popular sports the ones that produce the bigger revenue streams?

Sporteology fans Topendsport fans

1 Soccer 3,500 1 Soccer 3,500

2 Cricket 2,500 2 Cricket 2,500

3 Basketball 2,500 3 Field Hockey 2,000

4 Field Hockey

2,200 4 Tennis 1,000

5 Tennis 1,000 5 Volleyball 900

6 Volleyball 900 6 Table tennis 850

7 Table tennis 900 7 Baseball 500

8 Baseball 500 8 Golf 450

9 Am football 410 9 Basketball 400

10 Rugby 410 10 Am football 400

10 most popular sports in the world


Does it matter?



Are the most popular sports the ones that produce the bigger revenue streams?

How come they aren't?


Abdul’s story

“Imagine a Manchester United fan in Kuala Lumpur called Abdul. He has never been to Europe, let alone to United’s stadium Old Trafford, but he owns a pirated club shirt, scours the internet for United news and watches their games on TV in a local restaurant. And yet the club’s total income from Abdul is zero. In fact, for decades United didn’t know he existed”

Football and Social Media. Simon Kuper, Finantial Times, 2014

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7593cd8c-7041-11e4-bc6a-00144feabdc0.html%23axzz3Q6Ut4Mxr


Abdul’s story

“ Imagine a Manchester United fan in Kuala Lumpur called Abdul. He has never been to Europe, let alone to United’s stadium Old Trafford, but he owns a pirated club shirt, scours the internet for United news and watches their games on TV in a local restaurant. And yet the club’s total income from Abdul is zero. In fact, for decades United didn’t know he existed”

My question: Is there any value in Abdul? Is he a potential consumer of my brand?





Abdul’s story

“Through social media, United can make contact with fans like Abdul. If United can register people like him, the club could become a de facto database company. Then its value would lie chiefly in its knowledge of the identities and consumption habits of its supporters”.




Abdul’s story

Clubs are increasingly becoming “identity companies” like Facebook or Google. They offer services for free; in return the user gives them his or her identity.

“The intelligent club in the future will say, ‘Well, company, you want to have my 25 million fans. I don’t give it to you. It’s mine.” The company will have to fork out. A database of 25 million fans could be worth billions of euros”.




Abdul’s story

So a Benfica soccer team executive asked: “How can I make money from the people who will never engage with me directly but are on our Facebook page, our Twitter page?




Abdul’s story

So a Benfica soccer team executive asked: “How can I make money from the people who will never engage with me directly but are on our Facebook page, our Twitter page?

Build a club app, they will have to register.



Abdul’s story

Sport teams and leagues are better customer-seducers than any other company.

Sport product, sport content, is more engaging than most of the products companies can produce.

Social media can help sports organizations to capitalize on their fans:


Monetization

Difference between customers and fans:

“Fans will paint their face purple, fans will evangelize. … Every other CEO in every business is dying to be in our position — they’re dying to have fans.” Vivek Ranadivé, owner of the Sacramento Kings.


Monetization

How can sport organization monetize their fans’ engagement?

1. Sponsorship deals. Companies partner with teams to sponsor their social media apps.

2. Discounts, lotteries, special offers…

3. Ticket sales online, contests.

4. Social gaming, fantasy games, in-app purchases…

5. In the near future, selling data about fans to other companies

Most followed soccer teams on Twitter 2014


Soccer

Most liked soccer teams on Facebook 2014

Most viewed soccer teams on Youtube 2014

Commercial revenue-per-fan


Data visualization

Social media is also useful to make us feel part of something bigger.

https://interactive.twitter.com/nfl_followers2014/%23?mode=compare&team1=broncos&team2=seahawks

https://interactive.twitter.com/nfl_followers2014/%23?mode=all&order=2


New trends

1. Athletes can skip the intermediaries and connect directly with their fans. They can control their own story.

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/


New trends

2. Quantity of data available is staggering

http://www.nba.com/rockets/hcc-rockets-science-sport-vu


New trends

3. 70% of fans bring a mobile device to the stadium and expect to use it during a game

“The new Sacramento Kings arena, set to open in 2016, will have mobile applications for check-in, ushering you to your seat, indicating shortest bathroom and concession lines, seat upgrade options (much like what has been done in the airline industry), cashless commerce, and in-seat wireless charging. The Kings are exploring the use of drone technology to survey available parking spaces and even provide unique in-arena camera angles, said team senior vice president of marketing and strategy Ben Gumpert”

http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/five-key-trends-are-driving-business-sports


New trends

4. ‘Second screens’ to enhance the users’ experience. It’s not business as usual anymore.

Viewer species in danger of extinction Multi-tasking viewer