Scott Wasden's Blog

There has been a lot blogging on the effects of social media both good and bad.  Two classmates in particular (Dan Chatfield and Wyatt Hamilton) have singled out one of my favourite followees on Twitter in Paul Bissonnette.  With his online presence  he has quickly established himself as an elite athlete that is full of character, opinion but most of all gives a pretty honest approach to how he sees it.  Once you have discovered Biznasty2point0 you won’t go back, the guys hilarious!  

As Dan mentions in his post not many of the top NHLers such as Crosby, Toews, etc are avid Twitter users.  I’d like to shed a little light as to why I think that may be:  First, high caliber players such as these are in the media on a regular basis involuntarily.  Crosby for instance has microphones and cameras on him day in and day out whether he likes it or not.  One would think that guys like this would want a break and a little privacy after awhile.

Secondly, they are well established in the league and are at the top end of league earnings.  I understand that even guys at the low end such as Biz are making more in one season than most of us could imagine but it is all relative. nhl.com These players live extravagant lifestyles and do not shy away from investment opportunities through sponsorship or endorsements.  Now these endorsements and so forth are generally again targeted towards the top players.  So similar to how any other lower end company competes with the “big dogs” is through marketing and adding value to their product which puts them at a level playing field.  Without Twitter many would be hard pressed to recall who Paul Bissonnette is however he is now a rising star; most recently named to one of the top 100 most powerful people in hockey.

Players already at the top with an established “brand” and loyalty don’t need to rely on marketing strategies such as Twitter used by Biznasty to create a “brand” and strong customer base or in his case …. make more money.

Evidence……