Sports and Social Media

With athletic events like the Super Bowl and NCAA Football Championship being among the most viewed content across the United States and among the most talked about content, it makes sense that companies try to use social media to advertise their content during sporting events. Social media has also been a great way to gain the attention of fans and potential students for the universities that participate in major sporting events. Social media has never been more important in sports.

It is almost expected of corporations to use real time marketing via social media for advertising since @oreo got the ball rolling during the Super Bowl several years ago. After their quick response to the Super Bowl power outage became a national phenomenon, every major brand decided that they needed to have their social media teams working the Super Bowl. This year, after every major play, companies like KFC would tie in what just happened with their product promotions. Everyone is trying to make sure they don’t get left behind in sporting event advertising via social media.

Corporations aren’t the only ones using social media to their advantage, university teams that are participating in these sporting events have also begun to use real time marketing to promote their schools. One university team who really stands out on social media is Clemson, who use platforms like Vine, Snapchat, and Twitter to gain more interest for their school. During the NCAA Football Championship this past year, Clemson utilized their social media accounts to increase the focus on their game by posting every play that was happening in real time and creating a sense of community with #ALLIN. They also kept their audiences engaged by asking them questions and to tweet support for their team. They have also recognized the fans on social media by thanking them time and again. This helped the University of Clemson capture the attention of prospective students and helped them show how grateful they were to their fan base.

Tying social media campaigns to sporting events can increase audience participation and create unique opportunities to advertise products. If used correctly, it can make your brand a national phenomenon and increase your fandom. I can’t wait to see what innovative posts will be posted during the next major sporting event: NCAA Basketball Finals.