A Cavs Upset on Social Media

On Sunday, April 9th, the Atlanta Hawks came back from a 26 point deficit in the fourth-quarter to win the game in overtime against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the largest comeback in history since 1955, with the Hawks scoring 44 points to Cleveland's 18 points. With this win, the Atlanta Hawks also secured a playoff spot for the NBA 2017 playoffs. With the undeniable presence of social media, an event like this created an uproar on social media, from both the players, organizations, and fans in general. Especially on Twitter, people have not held back and have used the best memes and gifs to mess with the Cleveland Cavaliers, due to their second terrible loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

 

In the world of sports, it is important to insert yourselves at the right time. When a big event occurs, like this upset or when a team wins the Super Bowl, the activity on social media peaks. Therefore, marketers should capitalize on this opportunity. The Hawks PR capitalized on this upset by using it as a way to thank the fans of Atlanta, by having the players post about the big win. Also, the Falcons and Dream used it to congratulate the Hawks on clinching a playoff spot. These organizations use an event like this to insert themselves in the right conversations, at the right time. If it makes sense, brands can do the same and will be able to benefit more than ever before.