The UK Sports Network has done a two part series about what they predict will be the new fads of Sport and Social Media in 2012. Part 1 focused on the United States and Spain while part two focused on the UK. So what do they have to say? I focused on the United States and Spain in this post but you can read about what the UK experts have to say here.
First off, Adam Bader, a football journalist, reporter, and head of social media for the Spanish mega club Real Madrid. He plans and implements social media strategies and also works with RealMadridTV (he can be seen as a guest on 'Extra Time').
"I think everyone will get involved and continue to put more resources into social media but also try to leverage their audiences to enter into other areas such as mobile gaming." He went on to say that Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, used his large number of followers on Twitter and Facebook to promote his iPhone game "Heads Up with Cristiano" which is headed to the top in ranks for the App store. "[I also] see football clubs going into...live streaming of press conferences, training sessions, friendly matches and events. I think 2012 is the year for streaming."
Next is Brian Gainor, a sports marketer with GMR Marketing, the world's largest engagement marketing agency. Brian also founded a business resource that shares sports marketing and sponsorship ideas and best practices.
"[It] will be driven by mobile marketing, social TV, industry consolidation, and globalization in 2012." He expects to see change when it comes to mobile marketing in the aspect that many properties and brands in the sports industry are going to look to optimize their mobile offerings and deliver content in new ways. "Brands and properties will continue to invest in the social media space as fans gravitate to the notion of social TV creating a communal viewing experience that delivers real-time engagement, insights, and unique vantage points." He states that the London Olympic Games will be the sports story of the year in 2012.
Lastly, Pat Coyle, president of Coyle Media and founder of Sports Marketing 2.0. I personally think he is also great to follow on Twitter @sports20.
"In 2012 I expect to see a lot more targeted and personalized forms of advertising, not just from [Google and facebook], and just for advertising either." He also thinks that digital ticket marketing will improve dramatically with places like Ticketmaster, StubHub, and QCue. This would happen when "fans share their transaction data with ticket sellers." He expects to see fans exchange more and more personal information in exchange for perks from sponsors, teams, and athletes that they love. "Social TV is an emerging trend that seems too important to ignore." He believes that the relationship between smartphones and televisions will be expanded drastically.
I personally think that we are going to see a lot of social media integration during the 2012 Olympic Games and I am hoping that it will set the expectations for the rest of the sports world. We already saw some great use of social media with the Australian Open so we'll see if the Olympics will be next!
London 2012 Countdown: 170 days! Are you ready?!
No comments:
Post a Comment