ROCHESTER RED WINGS AND

SOCIAL MEDIABy DJ Sanzotta

Quotes• “It amazes me that we are all on Twitter and Facebook. By

"we" I mean adults. We're adults, right? But emotionally we're a culture of seven-year-olds. Have you ever had that moment when are you updating your status and you realize that every status update is just a variation on a single request: "Would someone please acknowledge me?”

-Marc Maron, Attempting Normal

• “Our social tools are not an improvement to modern society, they are a challenge to it.”

- Clay Shirky. Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

SummaryoGrowth of Social MediaoRed Wings Current Social Media EffortsoNew Idea/ProposaloBenefits of New IdeaoConclusion

Growth of Social Media

The chart on the following page shows the percentage change in users from the middle of 2012 to the beginning of 2013. The social media sites shown are:• Twitter• Facebook• Google+• Pinterest• LinkedIn

The chart shows how the change among social media users is greatest among the older generation.

Growth of Social Media (cont.)

Most Popular Social Media Sites• As of August 2013 (eBiz.com)

1. Facebook

2. Twitter

3. LinkedIn

4. Pinterest

5. MySpace

Facebook• As of Q1 2013:Daily active users have reached 665 millionMonthly active users have passed 1.1 billion for the first

time751 million mobile users access Facebook every monthMobile only active users total 189 millionMobile now generates 30% of its ad revenue up from 23%

at the end of 2012

JeffBullas.com

Twitter• As of Q1 2013:44% growth from June 2012 to March 2013288 million monthly active usersThat means that 21% of the world’s internet population

are using Twitter every monthOver 500 million registered accountsTwitter’s fastest growing age demographic is 55 to 64

year olds, registering an increase in active users of 79%

JeffBullas.com

LinkedIn• As of Q1 2013:Over 200 million users2 new users join it every second64% of users are outside the USA

JeffBullas.com

Why is Social Media so important in sports?

• The main reason is because of fans:

- fans are the driving force behind every sports organization

- fans generate revenue for the team

- if fans can interact with the organization or players via social media they are more likely to come to games and purchase memorabilia related to the team.

• Can give the organization positive publicity• Can give the organization a bad image (ex. Aaron

Hernandez)

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall’s infamous tweet in regards to the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Red Wings Current Social Media Efforts

The Red Wings social media efforts are led by the Director of Corporate Development/Redwingsbaseball.com.

While the Red Wings have shown an increased effort to further expand their social media efforts, they are still more of an afterthought for the organization.

What do the Red Wings use Social Media for?

• Use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram • Posts/Tweets about roster moves, whether it be a player

being called up or an injury update• Posts/Tweets about game stories, usually before and after

every home game• Posts/Tweets about in game updates, keeps fans

engaged in the games and provides them with statistics about players that enhance their experience

• Posts/Tweets about player appearances, this provides the fans a chance to meet a Red Wings player

New Idea/Proposal

We are proposing that the Rochester Red Wings create a full-time social media position.

This will not only provide the organization more of an opportunity to bring in fans but it will also separate it from the competition among local sports teams in the Rochester area.

Sports teams in the Rochester Area• Red Wings*• RazorSharks (Basketball)• Raiders & Sting (Football)• Amerks (Hockey)• Knighthawks & Rattlers (Lacrosse)• Rhinos, Lancers, Ravens & Flash (Soccer)

What would the social media position entail?

• Use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (already being used) as well as LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ and Vine (new additions)

• Roster moves, game stories, in-game updates, and player appearances (already being done)

• Having knowledge of all departments, in order to be able to answer questions fans have via social media

• Keeps track of trends and issues that fans bring up via social media• Keeps an updated blog about the status of the team and writes feature

stories about players throughout the season including the use of podcasts for video related interviews

• Coordinate with the Communications Department to set up Q & A with Red Wings players via Twitter to enhance fan interaction with the players

• Monitors all online activities that the organization is involved in• Keep track of how many views and hits each social media website

receives in order to be able to focus attention to a particular area

Benefits of New Idea• Will allow current employees to specialize in their field of expertise

without having to worry about the social media aspect• Will see increased exposure (free publicity) which might allow for

the organization to cut back spending on promotions• Will allow fans to get to know the players and interact with them on

a regular basis• Increased awareness which attracts more fans• Can reach a different target market that might not be able to be

reached otherwise• Will allow for the Wings to see what topics are being discussed

about the organization and better help them understand what needs to be improved

• Increased trafficking on website• Increased revenue

Conclusion• Many professional organizations are already beginning to

field a social media staff to increase their marketing efforts• I am unaware of any Rochester area teams that take this

same approach• The Red Wings already do a great job of promoting their

team and getting fans to come to games but increasing social media efforts will allow them to target a different demographic and attract fans from different areas

• The importance of social media cannot be underestimated, especially in sports

The END• I would like to finish with a video courtesy of the

Rochester Red Wings Front Office:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hXGWnDXB2I

Works Cited• http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/social-media• http://

www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites• http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/05/06/21-awesome-social-

media-facts-figures-and-statistics-for-2013/

• http://rocwiki.org/Professional_Sports_Teams