Wyatt Hamilton's Blog

Recently I was encountered a blog about Social Media on Graeme Law’s page. He points out that the value of Social Media may be over exaggerated and the sum of its abilities may be far fetched. This made me think about the importance of Social Media and the affect it has on professional sport. More specifically Twitter.

Cue:

Paul Bissonnette AKA: Biznasty2point0

He is the living, breathing proof of the power of Twitter.

For years professional hockey players have been stereotyped by the media as having no personality and only giving cookie cutting answers. But then again the press probably wouldn’t be jumping over tables to interview a 4th line forward for the Phoenix Coyotes who averages 5 minutes of ice per game.

Biznasty allows a new generation of fans to see what professional players are really like behind the scenes via 140 characters at a time. He doesn’t give scripted cliché comments about the previous nights game to be broadcasted all over North American TV’s every morning. He tweets about anything and everything from celebs, other sports, girls, nights out, favourite songs  and even his clothing line he developed. Yes NHL players are highly skilled athletes, playing on an enormous stage every other night, but they are also 20 to 30 year old males who like to relax and enjoy each other’s company. They do have lives and personalities away from the rink and Twitter allows people to see that.

Recently The Hockey News released their Top 100 People of Power and Influence list. Out of 700 players in the NHL only 17 made this list. Paul Bissonnette was one of those players. At 2200 thoughts of wisdom and 50,000 followers growing exponentially Biznasty2point0 is changing how fans observe the players and the NHL as a whole.

When an organization focuses its marketing efforts not purely on product, but on a portrayal of emotion, consumers are driven by affection. It is that emotional reaction that can prove to be more appealing to a consumer than the physical product itself. The National Hockey League this past spring did a remarkable job of “selling” the emotionality of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a series of TV advertisements. They focused their efforts on appealling to loyal and new fans alike, and on the amount of emotion, heart and dedication the players feel during their relentless fight to win professional sports’ most difficult trophy.

They differentiated the value of playoffs from the regular season. The NHL regular season is 82 games over five months. That is a lot of hockey to be played in a short period and not every game is the very best quality. The regular season is a grind, 30 teams all have one goal is to make the playoffs. It is during the playoff run when the best players in the world prove themselves, do anything to keep their teams alive; fight for 16 wins over two and half months, and ultimately hoist Lord Stanley’s cup.

Playoffs are a different breed, its when inspiring story lines develop, heroes emerge, and cities come together.

Personally one of my absolute favorite things about the media surrounding NHL playoffs is the footage captured of the player and fan’s emotional responses. CBC annually creates an inspiring montage of this footage, and for fans young and old, especially in Canada, it’s hard not to get shivers when these are watched. It’s a visual display of grown men playing the game they love, chasing a dream they’ve had since they were kids on the frozen pond in the backyard or on the street playing ball hockey. The passion and excitement that players, coaches and fans have for the playoffs is contagious, and the NHL has done an exceptional job of recreating and selling those emotions in its promotional ads!

Many athletic organizations use their status in the community to raise awareness about non-profit organizations. Hockey in particular at the professional level, have foundations that provide volunteer support and financially  help charities involving children, the homeless, shelter, research and the sick just to name a few. The Vancouver Canucks are known for “Canucks for Kids Fund,” which through a variety of programs in which Canucks players and employees participate, along side corporate partner sponsors to raise funds. The Calgary Flames also have a similar program called the “Flames Foundation For Life” that has a commitment to education, medical research, health, amateur sports and recreation.These teams use readily available resources such as the media to promote philanthropic efforts within their fan base. A win-win situation, fans appreciate what the teams are doing in the community which helps with their promotion and popularity.

A common thing junior hockey teams do across Canada in December is the annual Teddy Bear Toss where fans are encouraged to bring stuffed bears to the game and when the home team scores the first goal they throw them on the ice. These bears are then given to charities in the community for kids who need them.

UBC hockey is involved heavily with breast cancer month. One marketing promotion athletics could possibly do is, similar to the teddy toss, have a bra toss. Players could go around to local businesses and collect pledges per bra (ie: dollar a bra), then have one home game during that month where fans throw bras on the ice. Along with the donations raised, the Thunderbirds could donate the bras to a local women’s shelter or somewhere else where they are needed.

This will get players, students and fans involved in something worthwhile and bring them out to the games!