There’s no question now, athletes should be on Twitter. It is a great way to personify their brand message, build a valuable audience, and engage and interact with that audience. This applies to companies, brands, events, and causes, too.
If you are new to Twitter, or just looking for a bit of guidance, check out our Twitter Helpful Hints One-Pager. Twitter is where the action is, and where you need to be!
As the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament grows bigger each year, brands are finding creative and innovative ways to activate their sponsorships. Our favorite of 2012 thus far has to be the “Brackets by Six-Year Olds” campaign by AT&T, the exclusive wireless partner of NCAA March Madness.
Their viral video series tugs at the heart strings of all avid March Madness Bracket analysts, and anyone who was a fan of “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” No matter how much math, systematics, knowledge, or thoughtful insight goes into filling out your bracket, a little kid always wins because they picked their favorite colors.
With the expansion of this year’s tournament to include 68 teams, there are more than 147.57 quintillion (147,570,000,000,000,000,000!) different ways to fill out the bracket. And the odds of filling out a correct bracket? 9,223,372,036,854,775,808-to-1. That’s nine quintillion-to-one. With those alarming odds against you, why not go against the analysts and bracketology experts, and fill out a bracket based on pure randomness, innocent assumptions, and youthful interpretations.
This year, AT&T has gone right to the source to provide unconventional bracket advice – six-year old kids.
With hilarious answers from the 1st graders, to the sarcastic comments from the host, these viral videos are sure to be one of the most shared videos from the 2012 Tournament.
Teams are scrutinized by the short attention span of the six year olds, with profound insight into Syracuse’s invisible orange ball shirts, the California Bear’s blending into a blender, and an interesting rendition of the Ohio State fight song.
But what makes this campaign so great, is its perfect tie-in to the AT&T brand. “Rethink Possible” is their slogan, and while the latest and greatest technology isn’t going be created by consulting these elementary students, AT&T is embodying their slogan, proving that they are willing to go against what’s expected of them and rethink what’s possible in their realm of business.
Check out all of the videos and maybe you’ll “rethink possible” this year and take some of their advice to heart.
You might have noticed new and exciting programs being announced on the Honda Racing/HPD Facebook page. At INDYCAR races this season, you will see American Honda reaching out to Honda fans and involving them in 2012 auto racing events. Honda recognizes the loyalty and passion that its fans have for the brand, and are using at-track activities to show its appreciation.
One of these new programs is the “Honda Fan Section.” Honda is proud to present its new “Fan Section” at Honda-sponsored INDYCAR events including St. Petersburg, Alabama and Mid-Ohio. The Honda Fan Section is a unique fan experience, combining the natural atmosphere of a spectator event with the thrill of racing. Fans will be given a Honda Racing towel and hat, and will have the opportunity to win free racing merchandise. Those sitting in the fan section will be encouraged to express their energy and enthusiasm throughout the race, for the chance to be named the “Honda Super Fan.” Tickets for the “Honda Fan Section” at the Streets of St. Petersburg are on sale now at www.gpstpete.com.
In another 2012 race season program, Honda fanatics will have the opportunity to share their passion for Honda products and be entered to win an exclusive “Backstage Pass” experience. The “Honda Racing Backstage Pass” program will honor Honda loyalists with stories, photos, footage, and art that best express appreciation of their Honda cars. Winners can choose which Honda-sponsored race they wish to attend and will also have the opportunity to invite a guest. This behind-the-scenes experience will give participants a firsthand look at Honda Racing and its many at-track facets. The last day to enter for the chance to win the “Backstage Pass” experience at the Streets of St. Petersburg is Friday, March 9th.
These fan programs should make for a thrilling race season. Be sure to check out the Honda Racing/HPD Facebook page for your chance to participate before time runs out!
Looking around the Super Bowl Village in the streets of Indianapolis, you wouldn’t know the city has never hosted a Bowl before. From ice sculptures to zip lines, the streets are packed with activity and the week’s events are running seamlessly. Busy streets, enthusiastic fans at events, and thousands of smiling volunteers. How does Indy do it? The answer is simple…Indy does big events.
Indy is home to five National Governing Bodies, the NCAA headquarters, championship winning professional sports teams, successful minor league teams, and collegiate programs that have inspired and warmed the heart.
Over the past 25 years Indianapolis has turned large-event hosting into an art form, while hosting five NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournaments, two NCAA Women’s Final Four tournaments, the Pan American Games, and the annual Indianapolis 500.
Early on in the planning for Super Bowl XLVI, the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee decided to take the fan experience to a new high. The committee’s floor plan included indoor shopping and dining, heated benches, tailgating, stages for live musical performances, and lavish nightclubs. The committee even released a Super Bowl XLVI app to better communicate maps, schedules, and events.
Outside of the Super Bowl Host Committee, others also took the initiative to connect the fans with each other. A few weeks before events started down town, dozens of influential social media users got together in one room to discuss social media and technology efforts surrounding the Super Bowl. The discussion led to the creation of social media centric Super Bowl hashtags, as well as a hashtag photo contest.
The results for the NFL and Indy have been gratifying so far. The NFL Experience reached a record-breaking attendance of 100,563 people after being open less than five days. Hotels are also expecting impressive numbers, with a six to eight percent increase in revenue compared to the hotels from last year’s Super Bowl in Dallas. It’s no wonder headlines are reading; “New Orleans looks to Indianapolis for Super Bowl Tips.”
Some of the U/SSA ladies in front of the Roman numerals.
You’ve witnessed the miracle comebacks. You’ve heard the stories about his gladiator strength and unmatched work eithic. You’ve definitely tweeted about him, right? Well if you haven’t, you’re the only one. Of course I’m talking about Tim Tebow, the quarterback in Denver that has led his team on a story-like run into the playoffs.
Last Sunday, while Tebow was busy throwing an 80 yard touchdown pass to teammate Demaryius Thomas to seal an overtime win over the Pittsburg Steelers, everyone else was tweeting about him. According to Twitter, the popular QB was mentioned in 9,420 tweets per second. PER SECOND! That set a record for sports tweets, kicking the Women’s World Cup Final out of their top spot with 7,196/second, and moving past Hollywood status when Beyonce’s baby bump annoucement reached 8,800 tweets/second in August of 2011.
So let’s recap…the highly religious, squeeky clean, All-American boy with a weird throwing motion is creating more Twitter maddess than pop culture royalty’s offspring? Crazy?
Well, not really, if we think about it. Tebow, who has a number of top level endorsements (Nike, FRS, Jockey), is playing the most high-profile position for a legendary franchise in the country’s most popular sport.
The Broncos-Steelers game was watched by 42.4 million people, making it the most watched game of the NFL season, the most watched Wild Card game ever, and the most watched television program since last year’s Super Bowl. Pretty impressive. So much so that Tim Tebow, at age 24 and in just his second year in the NFL, has been named America’s Favorite Professional Athlete by ESPN Sports Poll.
And this is just the beginning. The Broncos and the Patroits will face off this weekend at Gilette Stadium, in the second round of the NFL playoffs. Brady vs Tebow, should be fun. Get your 140 characters ready!
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