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PROGRAM TITLE
Giants Launch "Viral Video" with Keenan Cahill
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OBJECTIVES
For most Major League Baseball teams, winning the World Series and basking in the publicity that comes along with such an achievement, is a marketing tool in itself. More times than not, teams utilize their previous season's success to capitalize on their overall image and increased sales (both ticket and merchandise). This tactic of "hanging on" to the moment, "living the dream" while it lasts, is simply not enough to generate the buzz that all teams strive for going into a new season. There must be something more, something enticing, or maybe just something comedic that has the ability to relate to large numbers of people and support a good cause.
After winning the 2010 World Series, The San Francisco Giants turned to viral marketing as a way to keep their fans connected and regenerate the hype of their winning season. More importantly, the Giants wanted to "engage [their] audience on a social media platform that was funny and exciting, yet entertaining at the same time," states Faham Zakariaei, Giants Director of Special Ticket Events. Furthermore, with season ticket sales on the rise and an increasing affinity toward their team, the San Francisco Giants decided to swing for the fences and utilize what is considered, in many cases, unorthodox marketing.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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To keep their previous season's momentum alive, the Giants partnered with YouTube sensation, Keenan Cahill, to produce a boisterous video spoof of Taio Cruz's most popular song, Dynamite. With two motivations guiding this fun-filled video, it was a win-win for both parties involved. Primarily, as Zakariaei explained, the video would "integrate fans from both the San Francisco Giants and Keenan Cahill," further exposing the Giants, and baseball for that matter, to an "untouched" fan segment around the world. Secondly, the Giants would partner with the Keenan Cahill Fund for their May 25th home game against the Florida Marlins in an attempt to raise money and awareness for Maroteaux Lamy Syndrome, the disease Cahill has suffered from since the age of one.
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Made famous from his comical yet entertaining lip sync videos of popular songs, Cahill has had the pleasure of recording videos with artists such as 50 Cent, Maroon 5 and LMFAO. A number of Cahill's most famous videos have exceeded 45 million views, further asserting his popularity as a teen sensation.
In an attempt to reach Cahill's fan base as well as support the Keenan Cahill Fund, the Giants came up with the idea to launch a viral video with Keenan as the star. Accompanied by two of the Giant's most notable players and mascot, Brian Wilson, Cody Ross and Lou Seal, Cahill performed Dynamite in flawless lip sync with a strong presence of fist pumps. The playful video immediately caught the attention of many; spreading across the web until it became "viral." As Zakariaei explains, "it is hard not to like Keenan and embrace his fun-loving attitude...we (the Giants) want people to make that association to our team and in turn, support Keenan any way we can."
Click the photo above to see the San Francisco Giants viral Youtube video
In order to track the number of fans attending the May 25th game directly in support of Keenan's foundation, the Giants offered a special "Dynamite" package that was available for purchase via phone following the end of the Dynamite video on YouTube. The fans that participated in the "Dynamite" promotion, and therefore watched the video online, were given an authentic Cody Ross "ROSS IS BOSS" t-shirt for their support. Additionally, a percentage of all sales for the May 25th game were given directly to the Keenan Cahill Fund. This created a sense of belonging for the fans, a feeling of involvement and support for something more than just their team. For the fans who simply attended the game, they were fortunate enough to see Cahill perform Dynamite live in left field with the faithful mascot, Lou Seal. Regardless of how tickets were purchased, both Giants and Cahill fans in attendance experienced an action packed game and an entertaining performance, while supporting a good cause all at once.
RESULTS
Long before the Giants had a chance to blink, their YouTube video with Cahill had gone completely viral. Within the first week of being online, the video had surpassed 1 million views and is continuing to reach the 3 million mark. Aside from the video, The May 25th "Dynamite" game against the Marlins had raised upwards of $10,000 in support of the Keenan Cahill Fund. Additionally, the promotion attached to the online video was "the icing on the cake for selling out that particular game," admits Faham Zakariaei. Over 2,500 tickets were sold from the promotion, allowing the Giants to capitalize on a less favorable game.
No organization in sports has the ability to look their fans in the eyes before the start of a season and ensure them a winning year. What teams can do however, is everything in their power to create an engaging experience for their fans and an opportunity to give back; allowing them to see the value in being a part of the team. This simple video, and other ideas of the sort, will continue to radiate throughout the sports industry as teams look to utilize social media to generate a buzz around their organization.
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