Sean Gleason has been a key member of the leadership team for the PBR, helping lead the circuit into a more, aggressive, positive and mainstream era for the sport. He has been key in having the PBR enter new markets, grow its corporate base and find ways to engage with new fans while not alienating the core. So it should come as no surprise that Gleason frequently scans the social media scene for ways to engage and grow, and encourages others in the organization to do the same. The last few weeks Gleason noticed social media hound Chad Ocho Cinco posting information about PBR, interest and his upcoming travels, so through twitter Gleason reached out and challenged the wide receiver to come join the PBR in suburban Atlanta and try out a ride on a bull, complete with dollars and some other prizes if he can stay on. The result has been a homer for the PBR in their quest to draw new eyeballs, especially in a time of year that has every distraction imaginable in sport, from the coming Indy 500 centennial to the NBA and NHL Playoffs, MLB, and the impending NFL lockout etc etc. Not exactly a time of year for PBR to rise up on a national level. However by effectively mining and then using social media, the PBR took a chance and came through for the sport, and for the effective of a PR stunt. MLS grabbed some space when Ocho Cinco showed interest in giving soccer a tryout, and he has drawn requests from leagues, brands and other areas looking to grab on to his social status and buzz factor. Most have failed, but PBR did not. They were sincere, timed it right, came up with the right pitch and made the pitch work. Best of all it was lead not by someone looking just to exploit, it was led by an organization leader, which gave it credibility both in the business world and in the sport itself. Here’s hoping Ty Murray’s coaching works, and Chad doesn’t break anything.
On the other side you have another group that has done really well activating its fans in the social media space, the UFC, which according to some reports, will now create a competition for its fighters to use twitter effectively. There is no brand that probably does the male demo activation better than the UFC, and no better leader of manipulation of the space and spectacle than their head Dana White. He says what he wants, worries little about consequence, and their fans enjoy the banter. It is great that their athletes have been given the ability to effectively use all areas of media, and hopefully that will continue to open doors for sponsors, fan engagement, and for their stories, which for the most part are pretty interesting. Whether incenting people to use social media in a competition is worthwhile remains to be seen. What it will do is create a cottage industry for guys to glam on to followers and engage friends, publicists etc. to tweet for them. It also will create some additional buzz for the brand overall. Does size matter? Does it make sense for guys who should be worrying about training to be worrying about how many followers or likes they have? Like the rest of the population, social media isn’t for everyone, so why add the extra pressure for those who just shouldn’t engage? Will inappropriate or off color comments that could create distractions be worth the time and effort? Will the UFC care? Probably not. The athletes are indy contractors, there is no collective bargaining and they don’t have to participate. The edginess adds to the spectacle, and the UFC is all about spectacle. It will be fun for the fans and fun for the media to see what develops, so that’s probably worthwhile. Some fighters, like George St-Pierre, have found and used the digital space very effectively. But it is not for everyone, and by placing a dollar based incentive on creativity on any level problems could arise. It is an interesting incentive, but whether it works for the whole remains to be seen. Regardless, the UFC again found a way to engage and motivate its fans in a way other sports and even entertainment brands have not.
End of the day, both the UFC and the PBR leadership found a way to generate interest in the new media space that may not have been there before. The PBR’s was through outreach targeted at one event and with someone who already had a following, the UFC’s is more internal, long term and designed to generate buzz and new characters amongst its own core of athletes. Whether both or either will be successful is TBD, but both are certainly worth of note this week.
