I recently wrote a piece for the “Team Marketing Report” newsletter. Here is part 4 of 5
4. Why is it important for fans to interact with each other and with the team?
This is one of the single biggest opportunities and challenges facing every brand today, not just sports teams. As a team we have been guilty over the years of not investing too much into developing fan relations. Those days are over. Our research tells us that avid fans want 4 main things out of their Colts Experience: camaraderie, consistency, visibility and access. That’s what we’re out to provide.
Camaraderie is what the fans get from their friends and other people around them. Whether they’re at the stadium, in a pub, or at someone’s home, watching a game is most enjoyable when you’re with other people. And if you’re not watching the game with your friends, the chances are pretty good that you’re going to call them during the game.
Beyond the telephone, the Website adds another dimension to inter-fan communication during a game (and on other days too). Interestingly, a recent survey revealed that over 50% of our fans report that they have visited our Website while simultaneously watching the game on TV. In fact, the time from kickoff to final gun is one of the highest traffic times on our Website; and Fan Forum is one of the most highly trafficked areas during the game.
The Forum is where people talk to people. And communicating is what people like most. Even inside the stadium you see people on their cell phones after key plays. Who are they talking to? They’re calling their dads, their brothers, their friends and their sharing the moments together (albeit physically separated) and saying things like “did you see that play?!” Even though they go to the game with other people, they still feel the need to share camaraderie around the game with other key Colts fans in their lives.
50% of avid NFL fans will never attend an NFL game in their lives, but just because they aren’t at the stadium doesn’t mean they don’t want communicate with other fans during the game, after the game, before a game, or at other times. This is an interesting phenomenon and one that opens up a world of possibilities in terms of the content we could produce and the interaction we could have with this audience. Our goal on the Web is to create an experience environment which allows fans to freely enjoy camaraderie with other fans, regardless of where they are.
Consistency is important for every brand and no less so for the Colts. NFL football games are surrounded with ritual both for the players and the fans. We want the Website to be a tool fans can use in their rituals, to help ensure them that they’ll have a positive experience every time.
Visibility is an interesting concept. Fans are telling us that they want to be recognized as fans. They want to be noticed. They want to feel like they matter and that they are making an impact on the outcome of the game and the success of the franchise. The social networking platform we’re building will offer several ways for fans to show off their passion and become recognized for their knowledge or dedication to the club.
Fans will be able to build up points (a.k.a. “colts cred”) based on their behaviors in the network. The more they visit, the more they blog, the more popular they become, the more “cred” they’ll earn and the greater the likelihood that they will be visible in the environment. We’ll celebrate the most popular fans by posting their profiles, blogs, reviews, etc. on public facing pages like group homepages. We expect that certain fans will work hard to achieve and retain status in the My Colts Network community.
Finally, insider access is what every fan seems to want. They want to get behind the scenes and get to do things that nobody else gets to do. It’s impossible for any team to allow 6 million fans into the locker room, but through the Web we believe we can give them the chance to create unique experiences which will make them feel like they are on the inside.
From the very beginning the My Colts Network will be for “insiders only”. Whereas visitors to Colts.com can remain anonymous, fans must register for access into My Colts Network. Many of the features of My Colts Network will be visible within Colts.com, but if fans want to participate they must register. Once they register, a whole new world of Colts connections and interactions will open up to them.
