Good Use Of The Digital Space…Soccer, The Clippers, ARod, and Charley Hustle?

June 17, 2008 by Joe Favorito · Leave a Comment 

The optimization of the digital space by sports teams, athletes and brands to effectively communicate and build a return on the invested infrastructure remains a moving target.  For every success story like WCSN (which made a quantum leap forward Monday with their deal with NBC Sports) and mlb.com there are efforts that continue to fall short on expectations and return.  We all know the digital space needs to be a part of the overall strategy, but what part and at what investment is still in question, and will probably be driven by the demo that the entity is trying to reach.  Here are some best practices that are worth noting recently…on the social networking side, Media Post had a good piece on how the Los Angeles Clippers used the digital social partner Water Cooler to create a facebook platform that drove ticket sales, gave fans an incentive to recruit others and build casual talk around the team, while on the international side TechCrunch has a breakdown of the new soccer social networking site Footbo.com and how it’s simplified platform is ready to unite soccer club fans from around the world in one place.  Both are examples of keeping it simple and driving interest.  There is a lack of bells and whistles, but the appeal strikes directly to the group trying to be reached, which is the key to effective social networking.  Use the passion of the end user to go and find the other fans and bring them in to the community.  Also in the digital side comes Anthony McCarron’s New York Daily News piece on the text messaging relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Pete Rose .  Now it is in no way unusual for athletes to be texting each other…what makes the story intriguing is the crossgenerational link between the two baseball legends, and the revelation that ARod is getting some real advice via his text service from Rose, almost in real time…can easily see a campaign between some athletes coming out of this piece.  Lastly, for those who haven’t seen it, Time Magazine has a great list of various websites and their success and value…another good reference piece to bookmark.