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March 31, 2016 | Volume 14, Issue 3
BARCLAYS CENTER LOOKS FOR NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE MILLENNIALS THROUGH MOBILE FAN ENGAGEMENT
Teams looking to actively engage fans begin movement from standard to preffered communication.
By: Mike Curtin
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Click the image above to check out the Barclays Center's upcoming events!
Dear Faithful Readers,
March and April are some of the best months on the sports calendar. With the NCAA Tournament, Opening Day in MLB, the Masters, the closing of the NHL Season, NBA playoff push and the NFL Draft, the two months are packed with excitement for sports fans.
My phone is constantly buzzing with texts from my buddies on scores and updates or who they think the Chargers should draft #3 in the NFL Draft. Phones are such a key part of the way we communicate that I was surprised to learn organizations and properties are using texts to sell tickets.
In the story below you'll find the success the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders have seen by using SMS technology to engage with fans.
Enjoy the read,
Ryan Heidrich
Director of Communications
PROGRAM TITLE
Barclays Center: Mobile Fan Engagement
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OBJECTIVES
Marketing departments across sports organizations and properties are always looking for new ways to actively engage and capture the attention of their core target demographics. Too often we are hearing complaints from fans about ticket sales representatives and the constant outbound calls they are making in an attempt to get the fan to renew their season tickets. Studies are beginning to show this is not the most effective way to engage with your target market. Although this may be obvious to some, as millennials become the core target market for fan engagement efforts amongst teams and properties, we are beginning to see that the preferred communication of this generation has shifted from standard phone calls and e-mails to text messages (SMS).
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The fans of this generation are beginning to prefer the simplicity of texting over a phone call or even having to download an app. Teams in the NBA, NHL, MLS and NCAA are looking at new communication channels to invite audience feedback and questions that will actually drive engagement. Sales and service members all have landline phone numbers and now sports properties like Barclays Center, the Brooklyn venue that is the home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the NHL’s New York Islanders, are giving those reps another touch point for prospects, season ticket holders, and casual fans. Another great feature that really resonates with the fans is that SMS also offers a fast and reliable channel to address concerns that you’d prefer be private.
When looking into what the future holds in terms of fan engagement, it’s more dialogue than monologue. Mobile engagement platforms like Zipwhip help Barclays Center provide features to streamline efficiency like group and scheduled texts for renewal and event notifications, keywords for marketing campaigns, picture messaging for social media content, and more. |
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Click the image above to check out more info on Zipwhip!
PARTNERSHIP
Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Islanders, partnered with Zipwhip, who pioneered the concept of utilizing the cloud to enable existing mobile, landline, and toll free numbers to send and receive text messages from any connected device.
RESULTS
While the results of this program largely remain to be seen, Barclays Center has noticed some impressive data since partnering with Zipwhip. In an attempt to drive ticket sales for the Islanders during the team’s inaugural season in Brooklyn, Barclays Center utilized Zipwhip’s SMS service to run a promotional texting campaign that generated hundreds of sales leads while selling a significant quantity of individual tickets and mini-plans for the team.
LOOKING AHEAD
Given the response and feedback that the Islanders and Nets have received thus far, The Barclays Center will continue to use this SMS platform as a way to keep fans engaged and coming back for more.
CONTACT
For more information, contact:
Keenan Huschke, Account Executive, Zipwhip
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL SPORTS FORUM
The National Sports Forum is the largest annual cross-gathering of the top team sports marketing, sales, promotions, and event entertainment executives from throughout the broad spectrum of teams and leagues in North America. The 2017 NSF Conference and Trade Show will be held on February 12 - 14, 2017 in Minneapolis, MN. Visit www.sports-forum.com.
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THE NSF SALUTES
OUR PARTNER
Budweiser is back for their 14th year with the NSF as they are the Official Sponsor of the "Budweiser Gala" that will take place on the evening of Tuesday, February 14, 2017. Anheuser-Busch, Inc., a diversified corporation, is the world's largest brewer with 12 domestic breweries and distribution in more than 80 countries.
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