How the NBA is winning on Social Media
The NBA has our attention on social.
The League demonstrated it's digital prowess under 30-year commissioner David Stern, who earned the nickname "Digital Dave" and is credited with positioning the NBA in the global marketplace. Current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has the League set on winning the social and millennial game, both highly courted by brands needing to steadily grow fanbases and revenue. Silver envisions social as an invaluable supplement to the live broadcasts, telling Jason Gray of the Wall Street Journal, "The games are the meals and the highlights are the snacks. We encourage our fans to snack before meals."
So how is the League embracing social?
1. Spurring Personality
The NBA is fully embracing the 'F' word...funny. Teams are adding some zest in the copy and content they create and demonstrating that humor is memorable, often elicits an immediate reaction and drives engagement. The Atlanta Hawks know all this well, very well. During the 2015 playoffs a joke emerged on Twitter where rappper Lil B was believed to curse NBA players to underperform. The Hawks were quick to respond and asked Lil B for mercy during their playoff run. A quick google search of "Atlanta Hawks Lil B Curse" netted 44,000 results showcasing the tweet as major conversation fodder on and off Twitter.
2. Buzzworthy Content for Millennials
The NBA is a curator and trendsetter and the world is thankful. Goodness, when Riley Curry entered the NBA post-game room with her dad Steph, a meme/vine/gif star was born. So, the NBA gave more of what fans wanted to see... Riley.
Also, we know the "Lance Stephenson blowing on things" is very 2014 but we still see people referencing it. That's what we call staying power.
3. Bold Experimenting
Being an early adopter of new platforms and concepts is prioritized in the League. No wonder the League in early 2014 put significant dollars and time into cultivating a Snapchat audience with custom geo-filters, behind-the-scene access and "Our Story" features. When Lebron James announced his return to Cleveland in 2014, the NBA partnered with Snapchat to tell the multi-angled story of his first game back in Quicken Loans Arena.
4. Encouraging fan creators
The best part of a new NBA season means, "NBA Vines are back, praise-hand emoji." Video clearly is winning on social (Mashable predicts 55% of all internet traffic will be video in 2016) and the NBA knows it. Compared to other sports leagues, the NBA has not shied from crowdsourced creation. The League is letting fans share their video highlights, mash-ups, off-beat content and gaining free and valuable social boost. Peruse Vine and you can consume literally thousands of 6-second videos highlighting the NBA.
The NBA is courting the millennial audience and reaping the benefits
Embracing social is a significant attribute to the estimated $5 Billion in revenue the League will pull in 2015. A lesson to other sports leagues and team- listen intently to you audience. The NBA engages to their majority millennial audience by meeting them where they are at (Snapchat, Vine, Instagram) and providing the content they want to see (gifs, memes, crisp photos, videos and copy in a casual language).
The NBA is winning social and so can your team and organization. Sports Media Challenge's analysts and creatives are the thought leaders you'll want as guides on social. Also we are REALLY enjoy making creative visual and videos because we see the value. Here is our stop-motion Vine for the 2015 NBA Draft https://vine.co/v/e5QAx22hgnt
Let's talk!
The Sports Media Challenge Crew
(Kathleen, Kelsey and Amie)