MarketingLand.com reported last week that the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association may have been the first NBA team to include their Twitter account in their court decision. In an exhibition game, the team’s handle “@Celtics” was printed on the court to drive more traffic for the franchise’s social media marketing efforts.
Collegiate athletics have been faster to adopt this form of social media marketing. As MarketingLand reported, the Mississippi State University football team printed “#HailState” in its end zones for its rivalry game with the University of Mississippi earlier this year, rather than the team’s nickname. The use of the hashtag was an innovative social media marketing campaign that urged engagement from fans.
The use of social media marketing in sports has come in many different fashions recently. While the Celtics decision seems the most logical, others have been more innovative. Club de Fútbol Jaguares de Chiapas, a professional soccer team in Mexico, replaced players’ names on their jerseys with their Twitter handles.
For collegiate athletics, social media marketing has also helped drive ticket sales by engaging alumni and other parts of the fan base. Brafton reported earlier this year that several schools, including Louisiana State University, which will play for a national championship in football next week, have launched social campaigns that include giveaways, exclusive video and other engaging content.
