Football’s marketing strategies have come a long way since its inception. Now, the National Football Association (NFL) has begun using social media in an effort to market the sport and its brand in a new light.
Social media has become one of the most powerful tools in the marketing world for sports. Though football has been around for a long time, social media creates a bridge between digital immigrants and digital natives. This bridge has become shorter as technology advances. According to r2integrated, “A typical viewer is a multi-tasker, switching between their smartphones, tablet, laptop and television as many as 27 times per hour.” Additionally, it’s a great outlet for marketers and advertisers because of its mass media engagement and branding awareness.
The influence social media has on the NFL is big. According to CNN Money, back in April, the NFL and Twitter established a partnership where Twitter would live stream 10 Thursday night games. Just last month, Twitter premiered its first live stream game of the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills. Though TV ratings were 27% lower than last year at 15.4 million viewers, Twitter had 2 million viewers tune in, according to deadline.com. The average person viewed 22 minutes of the game as reported by deadline.com.
Instagram is another popular social platform used in the N.F.L. Instagram helps football and its players build their brand and personality through iconic photographs. One of the teams in the lead with the most followers is the Pittsburg Steelers. Through the use of graphics that feature footage of their quirky personality, as a team, that is not televised, fans get an insight into a different world of football, one that may not be so serious.
Our culture and the way people view or tune into the games has changed within the digital era. The NFL has been wise to keep up with it. Outside advertisers are challenged to follow the NFL and its “consumers” in order to get the targeted exposure for their product.
At Integrated Advertising, we can help businesses place the right ads, in the right place, at the right time.
Integrated Advertising, Inc., is a full service agency with over 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing. We are known for strategizing unique and comprehensive game plans where your goal of reaching new clients, through social media, will be accomplished. To learn more about us visit http://www.intadvertising.com/ or call (904) 296-2585 for more information.
