March Madness Conversation on Social Media

      Social media is a powerful tool to engage with consumers online. Specifically, marketers should take advantage of social media during peak times, such as sporting events or ceremonies. Social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have the ability to provide valuable statistics to marketers so brands can engage more effectively with consumers online. Facebook provided information and advice during the the Oscars, the Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day. In 2016, conversations grew by 40% during March Madness. Therefore, if you are intending to reach sports fans, March Madness is  key opportunity on Facebook and even Instagram. According to statistics, more than 650 million people like a sports-related Facebook page, while about 165 million follow an Instagram account that displays sports information and posts. March Madness spurs online and mobile conversations. As brands plan for the 2017 year, they should consider the following:

   
   

   

     Worldwide, basketball is ranked as the second sport talked about on Facebook and Instagram. During the month of March, sports-related brands need to take advantage of these platforms in order to place themselves in the minds of their target audience. As an avid basketball fan, I am watching the game at any opportunity possible, whether that be in person, online, through the TV, or on social media. Brands can position themselves online for consumers to see during this peak period, to boost their potential and influence on sports fans everywhere, both men and women. Even outside of sports fans or men fans, women are also an easy target for marketers. Many engaged online throughout the tournament. Brands have an opportunity to engage with consumers when social media is magnified, sporting events, ceremonies, and award shows in order to take themselves to another level.

The Use of Emojis in Social Media

     It's important that brands keep up with trends in social media in order to stay relevant to consumers. Specifically, the use of emojis is a way for brands to communicate like consumers via social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and even Facebook. More importantly, even if it might feel uncomfortable, brands must adapt to using this form of communication or they could lag behind competitors and the modern times.
     According to Social Media Today, 92% of people use emojis, and more than 1/3 of people use emojis multiple times a day. Marketing campaigns involving emojis have expanded by 777% year after year. On Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, data has shown that engagement increases with the use of emojis. In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries deemed an emoji their "Word of the Year", allowing language to reach a whole new level for marketers.
     To use emojis more effectively, guidelines are offered to aid marketers. I found some guidelines to be extremely helpful, and could make or break marketing campaigns put out by brands on social media. First, marketers need to understand what emojis mean to the public. A survey showed the perceptions of the emoji, the peach, and how the use can be misinterpreted among consumers.

 

     Second, emojis should be used to engage with consumers in real-time. Twitter and Snapchat are the primary social media platforms where brands can interact with consumers at the moment. Therefore, they should capitalize on these conversations, with using emojis to remain trendy and with-the-times. Not matter the type of company, emojis humanize the brand. Shown below is a tweet from Bud Light for Fourth of July that is simple, but more creative than a tweet with words. 

     Last, but certainly not least, brands should use emojis to connect them with their brand. Through the use and repetition, brands have the opportunity to change the meaning of some emojis. For example, the World Wide Fund for Nature is an organization that protects the environment and endangered species in the world. They launched a campaign around emojis on social media that for every character used, 0.10 euros would be donated. There were 17 endangered species who had emojis, so they made these emojis have a meaning and used them to make the public aware of their cause. 

The Curse Continues

Atlanta, Georgia is debatably one of the most "cursed" sports cities in the United States. From the Braves to the Falcons to the Hawks, every team has made spectacular runs, and yet failed miserably when it matters the most to fans. It is safe to say that Atlanta sports are going through a dry spell, and Super Bowl 51 might as well add another disappointment to the list. As you may or may not know, the Atlanta Falcons dominated the New England Patriots for the whole first half of the game. However, the fate turned quickly against the Falcons, as it has many times for the sports teams in the Atlanta area. The Atlanta Falcons blew a third-quarter lead of 28-3 to the Patriots, and ended up losing in overtime, going down as one of the most epic failures for Atlanta sports teams.

In the curse of Atlanta sports teams, history repeats itself. Fans used social media to talk about the Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl 51 failure. For the vast majority of the game, the Atlanta Falcons had over a 95% of winning the game. With platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat, fans were able to show their negative reactions online for the world to see. 

  

As if the Falcons loss wasn't enough, the negative combat on social media made the Super Bowl 51 arguably the most epic failure of all time for Atlanta. As many fans discussed on social media, the this Falcons loss is worse than the Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead in the NBA finals. With the presence of social media, this loss will not only haunt the Atlanta Falcons fans, but also be used as memes for future sports discussion until the next sports failure occurs. 

The Beatles of Our Generation

The music industry has changed dramatically due to the presence of social media. Social media has removed many barriers of communication from the musicians to the fans. Now, musicians can share their songs via social media to reach millions, or even billions, of fans. Recently, Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, gave an acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. In his speech, Glover gave a shout-out to the rap group Migos for "making Bad and Boujee", claiming that "it was the best song ever". Moreover, Gambino called the group the Beatles of the current generation, sparking interests worldwide online. Now, there is even a petition to replace Lady Gaga with Migos during the halftime of Super Bowl 51!

Migos' song, Bad and Boujee, needed no help in boosting awareness or recognition. Before the speech, Bad and Boujee held the billboard's number one song spot for weeks, via views on Youtube, Spotify, and iTunes. The speech alone created an additonal increase of 243% Spotty streams. The video of Glover's acceptance speech went viral on social media and allowed the song's ratings to increase even further. Social media has revolutionized and serve as a catalyst for the music industry. With the internet, artists have more control over their music. Current, popular artists can reach a broader audience, whereas upcoming and aspiring artists can become more known by sharing their music via social media. 

                            

Super Bowl 51

On February 5, 2017, Super Bowl 51 will be played in Houston Texas, featuring the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. In 2016, more than 111.9 million viewers watched the Super Bowl in the United States. The Super Bowl consistently stands as one of the most watched sporting events in the world. Whether you truly like watching football or not, most viewers enjoy watching the Super Bowl every year for one reason.

Why? 

The commercial advertisements.

According to USA Today, in 2016, the television network, CBS, charged $5 million per advertisement, which is $166,666 per second, for just 30 seconds! Brands use a significant portion of their marketing budgets to display advertisements during the Super Bowl, because it is an unusual time where viewers are looking forward to the commercials, as opposed to being cynical about advertisements. With the increasing importance of social media, brands use platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and even Snapchat to strengthen, or weaken, their campaigns digitally. It is imperative that brands engage with the audience via social media to have a successful campaign during the Super Bowl.

Always keep in mind that your campaign should be shared effectively through social media. Last Super Bowl, T-Mobile's advertisement, featuring Drake dancing to Hotline Bling, generated about 80,000 shares on social media using the hashtag #YouGotCarriered, before the game even began!

For 2017, social media today offers a "gameplan" to make the most out of the Super Bowl 51. First, brands should post their advertisements before the game begins to get more viewers. Second, brand should engage more online during the first and second quarters of the game, when viewers are searching for the advertisements more on the internet. Finally, use other forms of media and applications to boost awareness to your ads, for example, banner ads on Facebook.

Athletes In The Public Eye

     Professional athletes live in the public eye, constantly criticized for every move they make. Due to the popularity and dominant presence of social media, athletes use social platforms to create their "personal brand" online (off the court, field, etc), contributing to their overall reputation.

     In the National Football League, the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Antonio Brown uses social media to display his flamboyant personality online, that is also displayed on the field through his style of play and touchdown celebrations. Specifically, in the 2015 season, Antonio Brown celebrated a 71-yard punt return by jumping on the goal post. Not only did the celebration go viral in 2015, but also is still shared on social media by both fans and Antonio Brown himself (Instagram post shown in picture).

     Antonio Brown continues to push boundaries on social media, and some of his actions can be seen as controversial. On January 15, 2017, after the Steelers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Brown went live on Facebook sharing the team locker room talk. The video includes Mike Tomlin motivating the team for the upcoming playoff game against the New England Patriots. However, the video included quotes from Tomlin about the Patriots, that ideally want to be kept behind closed doors. Despite the decision by Brown to share the video online, the Steelers players still support him stating "AB is AB. He can do what he wants to do... We love AB" (sportingnews.com). Even though the video got taken down quickly, thousands of viewers were able to see the content due to the power of social media. This content reflects upon the reputation of not only Antonio Brown, but also his teammates and coach, Mike Tomlin. Therefore, social media is seen as a power tool in influencing people's opinions. Overall, professional athletes, need to use social media to market themselves how they want to be seen in the public eye. Even though Antonio Brown has made controversial decisions both online and offline, he continues to stay true to himself and market his own "personal brand" and spontaneous personality. He engages with the public on social media, and markets himself as an entertainer as both a player and an individual.