June 2, 2010 | Volume 9, Issue 1

Curtis Danburg
Communications & Creative Services Director
Cleveland Indians
[email protected]
(216) 420-4200

Cleveland Indians

As the social media trend gains popularity in the sports industry, more and more teams are looking to increase their involvement in the online platform. One team, the Cleveland Indians, set a business goal for 2010 to become more active in the social media world and increase fan engagement. Their intention was to reconnect with lost fans as well as attract a new generation of fans to Indians baseball.

The Cleveland Indians decided to team up with social media strategist Digital Royalty to guide and educate their organization in social media. Digital Royalty presented the idea of transforming a section of the ballpark into a specialized area for members of the Indians' social media community who are active on Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and blogs. The Indians fell in love with the idea and were able to create the new section in time for Opening Day on April 12th.

The Indians were able to identify a great location in their Time Warner Cable Bleachers for their newly created Tribe Social Deck and was a perfect tie-in with one of their predominant corporate partners, Time Warner Cable. The Tribe Social Deck consists of two rows anchored to an actual wooden deck and the Indians provide media information such as game notes along with Wi-Fi access, cable TV and power outlets. The Indians also allow access to their media sound site which provides player audio interviews. Indians Communications & Creative Services Director, Curtis Danburg describes the Tribe Social Deck, "As a 'Press Box' for social media users and affords attendees the opportunity to not only watch a game live but also network with members of their digital community; often providing attendees the first time to shake hands with someone they had been conversing with for months online."

Initially, involvement with the Tribe Social Deck has been by invitation only, however, the Indians have collaborated with MLBAM to develop a free online application for prospective fans and members of the social media community. In addition, the Indians hired Rob Campbell, formerly of IEG in Chicago, to specialize in their social media efforts.

Members of the Indians social media community watch a game from the Tribe Social Deck.

There was no specific advertising used to promote the program instead Cleveland is relying on the publicity and word of mouth generated by the members of their social media community that attend games at the Tribe Social Deck. The Indians decided to do a soft launch on Opening Day, inviting 10 of the most active social media members in the Cleveland community. Their experiences and social media activity alone has produced an outpouring of interest in both the social media and mass media world.

For guidance and education in social media, the Indians partnered with Digital Royalty who suggested the idea of the Tribe Social Deck.  The Indians also teamed up with one of their corporate partners, Time Warner Cable, to make the Tribe Social Deck a reality.  The partnership with Time Warner Cable has been extremely valuable in providing Wi-Fi and cable access to the Tribe Social Deck.

Although the Indians are in the process of quantifying their efforts, they have created a huge buzz in the sports industry and social media community.  In such a short period of time, the popularity that the Tribe Social Deck has gained, has been overwhelming and certainly exceeded the Indians expectations. The Tribe Social Deck and growing in-house education and use of social media have allowed the Indians to reconnect with lost fans and generate new fans by engaging them personally in a non-threatening manner. Additionally, Cleveland was able to add value to their existing corporate partnership with Time Warner Cable and look forward to an ongoing relationship with Time Warner Cable and further enhancements to the Tribe Social Deck.

Views of the game and field from the Tribe Social Deck
(Jessica Kanalas/ Indians)

Moving forward, the Indians plan to continue to operate the Tribe Social Deck all season long. Danburg believes that, "It is important for us to continue to enhance this space and making the experience a positive one for our attendees, while at the same time engaging in conversation with our fan base both in person at Progressive Field and via social media channels."  The Indians recognize the importance of social media and are excited for future improvements to the Tribe Social Deck.

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