NHL | Trevor Turnbull

Posts Tagged ‘NHL’

HNIC (NHL – Inside Hockey) – The Effects of Twitter, Facebook and other Social Networking Websites

Posted 03 Nov 2009 — by tturnbull
Category Social Media - Sports, Videos

While researching the latest news surround Social Media in Sports, I came across this video produced by Hockey Night in Canada (Inside Hockey). In the video, Elliotte Friedman (HNIC Reporter) talks about the impact social media is having on sports and the NHL in particular.

Some key points from the video include:

Tampa Bay Lightning become first team in any sport to announce a trade via Twitter (before releasing thru any other media)
Ted Leonsis (Washington Capitals owner) discussed how he predicted that traditional media (TV, newspaper) would be in deep financial trouble. Also acknowledged that the fan base would become big contributors of content. He is quoted as saying: “It’s not a matter of should you acknowledge bloggers, its imperative that you embrace bloggers and use social networks to your advantage”
NHL players were shown videos warning them of the impact social media can have on their reputation as “high-profile athletes”
Ted Leonsis discusses the fake Twitter account setup under Washington Capitals defenseman – Jeff Schultz. He says his reaction was not to try to shut it down, but rather, to encourage Jeff Schultz to establish his own official Twitter account.
NHL star, Keith Tkachuk, was the victim of identity fraud
Sports Agent, Allen Walsh, announced via Twitter that his client, Scott Hartnell, would not be suspended for his butt-end on Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.
Ted Leonsis states ” There is a lot more positive that will come out of being authentic, reaching out and being interactive with your fan base than being stand-offish. This is not going away, it is only going to get more personal, it’s only going to get more interactive. Prices are coming down, technology is getting better…..this is like oxygen…..get used to it!”
NHL is considering implementing rules on when it’s players can and can’t use social media.

Needless to say……the best part about this video is Ted Leonsis’s quote stating that there is way more upside to being authentic and participating in social media….rather than trying to stop it. I recently wrote an article on the Washington Capitals approach to Twitter after visiting with Nate Ewell (Washington Capitals Director of Media Relations) at the Capitals exhibition game vs the Chicago Blackhawks. See what Nate had to say about their approach to Twitter: http://sportfanconnect.com/day-3-capitals-vs-blackhawks-nhl-twitter. As you’ll notice, the leadership and vision of Ted Leonsis resonates throughout the whole Washington Capitals organization.

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Tags: "Elliotte Friedman", "Jeff Marek", "Ron MacLean", "Ted Leonsis", Facebook, HNIC, NHL, Twitter, YouTube

Sports & Social Media – NHL TweetUp

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Posted 13 Apr 2009 — by tturnbull
Category Social Media - Sports

In my role as a Account Executive with zu (www.zu.com), I am responsible for staying up to date on the latest trends in website development, social media and mobile application development and work to implement strategies that will benefit my clients. Over the past few months, I have been focusing most of my efforts on working with sports teams and am fortunate to have a great working relationship with one of our clients, the Calgary Stampeders. We are currently working on a number of social media initiatives with them and I look forward to sharing these initiatives with all of you in the near future.

So, all that being said, I’ve finally got around to starting my blogging about the good, bad and the ugly in social media as it relates to individuals, corporations and sports teams. As social media marketing is slowly being integrated into sports teams marketing mix, I believe the early adopters will benefit the most as they will be trailblazers in bringing the fans closer to the team and it’s players and in turn, will retain fans through tough economic times. Although the thought of joining the conversation is intimidating for many Marketing and PR professionals, the reality is, people are already talking about their team……and until they join the conversation, they won’t be able to react to any of it. I look forward to sharing my ideas on how teams can join the conversation using social media, how they can sell tickets in tough times and how they can retain fans in good times.

NHL Tweetup

To kick off the greatest time of the year (NHL Playoff time!), Michael DiLorenzo (Director of Social Media Marketing with the NHL) and Schuyler Baehman (NHL PR) helped organized the first official “NHL Tweetup” in celebration and anticipation of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. @dani3boyz and @goaliegirl were the brainchild for this idea and contributed greatly to the success of this initiative. The Tweetup event took place in 24 cities in the US and Canada. The event went down at 7pm EST on April 15th in Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Montreal, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Regina (Sask.), San Jose, St. John (NB), Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC.

I am kicking myself right now because this would have been a great event to coordinate here in Saskatoon. As some of you might know, Saskatoon, Sk, Canada will be home to the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships this coming December. zu will be assisting the planning committee with social media initiatives leading up to the event and a Tweetup is definitely on the list of things to do. We look forward to joining in on the next Tweetup (which I have heard is going to be scheduled around the NHL draft). If you are interested in keeping up to date on news leading up to the event in Saskatoon, you can become a fan at the official Facebook Fan page and offer your opinions and join the conversation on Twitter.

I’d like to give praise to Michael, Schuyler, @dani3boyz and @goaliegirl and all the other hard working volunteers for putting on a great event. The NHL (along with the NBA) seem to be taking the lead when it comes to connecting with fans through the use of technology. I came across an article on Shannon Paul’s Very Official Blog where she interviewed Michael DiLorenzo about what he has learned thus far through social media engagement and what he plans to do with what he’s learned. Michael made a number of great points in his interview, but here is a summary of the key points I took from his interview.

“There’s a temptation to use these emerging platforms as just another way to speak *at* the public, not *with* the public.”
“Both individuals and businesses are learning as they go. I don’t think that’s a great crime, as long as they follow a few simple rules: listen, engage, be authentic and be (reasonably) transparent.”
“I thought some fans might appreciate a direct line into the League office. What I’ve learned on this point is that I have to be vigilant in responding to fans that contact me. They’re all important to listen to and acknowledge.”

All great points………….and it is refreshing to see that someone like Michael is humble enough to admit that he is still “learning as he goes” as well. There are many people out there that claim to be experts in social media when the reality is, it takes years of experience, making mistakes and learning from those mistakes to become an expert. I look forward to future posts on Michael’s blog (www.fromtheblueseats.com) about his experience with the first official NHL Tweetup event. I’m sure the next one will be an even bigger success and I, for one, am looking forward to participating in a future TweetUp event in Saskatoon.

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