Each month, we take a look back at the month that was in online sports marketing and recap eight of the most tweetable stories.
1. How Converse Became the Biggest Little Sneaker Brand on Facebook
Todd Wasserman provides a candid interview with Converse CMO, Geoff Cottrill. With more than 15 million fans on Facebook, Converse boasts nearly 4 times as many followers as Nike, and more than 8 times as many as adidas. Cottrill’s revolutionary advice: “Do nothing (special).”
2. Google’s First Sports Sponsorship
You heard it here at Online Sports Marketing Guy first – Google is now taking a foray in sports sponsorship with their signage at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City. While the sign itself is not directly related to online sports marketing, the implications of any sports franchise utilizing Google’s revolutionary, ultrafast highspeed Internet are enormous.
3. On the Web, Bin Laden News Is Big–But Not as Big as Soccer
A study inspired by the web traffic following the death of Osama bin Laden reveals that 7 of the top 14 web traffic spikes in the past 6 years are because of sports. Sporting events that scored more traffic than bin Laden include Wimbledon matches, Champions League matches, World Cup matches, NCAA Men’s basketball, Super Bowls, and even pre-game coverage of NFL Conference Championship games.
4. UFC to Offer Bonuses to Fighters for Tweeting
In the same month that Reggie Bush tweets about enjoying the NFL lockout and Rashard Mendenhall tweets about conspiracy theories, the UFC makes the gutsy move to reward social interaction from their athletes. UFC President, Dana White, announced that fighters can earn bonuses by increasing their Twitter following and writing creative tweets.
5. Serving social media or backhanded marketing?
CNN discusses social media in sports and takes a closer look at Maria Sharapova’s social media strategy. Sharapova, who is the most followed female athlete on Facebook, uses the social network as a teaser for her revamped website.
6. Bloomberg Launches Pioneering Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
Early in May, Bloomberg Sports rounded out their suite of first-of-their-kind fantasy baseball tools with a highly-sophisticated trade analyzer. The tool joins “Free Agent Finder” and “Lineup Manager” in Bloomberg’s attempt to take the already booming fantasy sports industry to a new level.
7. Apple, Time Inc. Deal Gives Magazine Subscribers Free iPad Access
An unsuccessful magazine subscription-based service from Apple forces Time’s hand in providing free iPad versions for paying subscribers of several popular publications. The magazines offering complimentary digital counterparts include Sports Illustrated, the periodical that got the sports media ball rolling, now with 3.5 million subscribers and 23 million weekly readers.
8. Mike Tyson, App Maker: “I Don’t Want To Be A Dinosaur”
Fast Company sits down with the champ to discuss his hit iPhone game, Mike Tyson: Main Event. The game, which has exploded without any marketing, garnered tweets from Twitter superstars Ashton Kutcher and, yes, Charlie Sheen… when he was #winning.
So what do you think? A pretty exciting month if you ask me. If we missed something or you have a story you would like to share, please feel free to leave it in the comments below.
Signed,
Ryan Sleeper+, Online Sports Marketing Guy