NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Coverage Breaks NBC Sports Digital Records

     As NASCAR has wrapped up its season with awards this past week, NBC Sports Group's corporate team reflects on how well the Sport's digital platforms have performed over the season just ended. In considering the key metrics of impressions, page-views and unique users, whether you look at the digital performance of drivers' social platforms, that of NBC's NASCAR page or the digital coverage of Kyle Busch's NASCAR Sprint Cup Victory, the story is one of significantly improved digital performance compared to years past. 
In addition, NASCAR Talk broke its record for site visits and page-views in November. 
     I'm sharing this story because it's an example of a company that has struggled with its digital strategy for a long time, and lost several millennial customers as a result. The fact that the sport seems to have finally come up with digital solutions that seem to be working is both encouraging for the future, but also an interesting case-study to the role that digital plays in the coverage of professional sports. It remains to be seen whether or not this revamped approach will turn the sport around, and if it does, the role of a sound digital strategy in all major sports will be brought to the forefront of the discourse in the sports world.

Link to article:

http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/-NASCAR-Sprint-Cup-Championship-Coverage-Breaks-NBC-Sports-Digital-Records-20151203#

Five Keys to Nailing Social Video Strategy from the NBA, MLS and Fox Sports

This article does a nice job of framing the challenge leagues, teams and companies face in dissecting the cumbersome world of social media strategy. For instance, the type of content that resonates as a story told on Snapchat isn't necessarily the type of content that'll do well as a moment on twitter. In similar fashion, an Instagram post doesn't necessarily have quite the same impact on Facebook. This conundrum poses the challenge of configuring how to navigate the social media landscape particular when companies know this is an important medium through which to communicate with customers/consumers/fans. At last month's Hashtag SportsFest, executives from the NBA, MLS and Fox sports shared insights on winning social media strategies in an extremely competitive space:

• Engaging fans with content such as highlights in real time is a strategy that particular resonates with the millennial tech-savvy sports consumer  
• Prime time content pushes around major events such as MLS' Decision Day which essentially was a successful attempt to 'socially' cover all relevant incidences on the final day of the regular season that ultimately decided which companies made the playoffs 
• Leveraging the community and following of key personalities and anchors is key to social media success. Examples such as Steven A. Smith, Skip Bayless, Katie Nolan and Clay Travis demonstrate that when journalistic personalities have a clear message and perspective, they are able to drive a level of engagement that in of itself
• It's essential to get comfortable experimenting as the social media game (to some extent) is about throwing a few different attempts at the wall and seeing what sticks

Link to full article:

Cool Story: Real Madrid Partners With Snapchat

As an avid soccer fan, I found this article particularly cool. Real Madrid, arguably the biggest club in all of Sports, has recently re-emphasized its priority on social media expansion by becoming the first individual sports club with an "Official Story" on Snapchat. Fittingly, the first official live story was captured this past weekend during 'El Clasico' against FC Barcelona whereby fans were given the opportunity to submit live shots from the game through a Live Story option. Submitted shots have the potential to be selected as part of the story that will be curated by a dedicated team at Snapchat. While the goal isn't necessarily to monetize anytime soon, I thought this is yet another example of how leading companies (franchises) are finding new and creative ways to engage with consumers/fans and create interesting content in the process.

Link to article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2015/11/18/cool-story-real-madrid-partners-with-snapchat/

Data the 'new currency' in digital marketing: Yahoo

This article outlines Yahoo's Chief Revenue Officer's (Lisa Utzschneider) assertion that data is the new currency for brands/marketers trying to reach consumers. To the extent that marketers plan/aim to communicate with brands, data may be the best way to effectively do so.

Yahoo's recent acquisitions of Flurry and Tumblr have given the company new and deeper insights into consumer behavior, and the company plans to capitalize on the trend by continuing to partner with advertisers looking to target a specific audience.

I thought this subject/trend is relevant to our final projects in the sense that most (if not all) of the companies we are working with are trying to solve this problem (optimally targeting their audience) as part of their digital strategy.

Link to full article:

CNN Unveils Millennial-Targeted Video Site Great Big Story

Based partly on the success and interest that advertisers have shown in "sexy" sites such as Vice and BuzzFeed, CNN is launching a new site GBS (great big story) to appeal to millennial intelligent consumers.GBS will release three to five non-fiction videos per day of untold stories about new frontiers, the human condition, planet earth and tastes and flavors. 

I chose to share this article because I believe the advertising approach that GBS plans to take may be a big part of the online advertising industry of the future. Rather than having any sort of display advertising, the website plans to build a loyal following first, and then create opportunities for advertisers to incorporate branded content to the site. For example, one of the content-pieces will be about how the Kool-Aid man came to be featuring the individual behind the character's voice. While Kraft (who owns Kool Aid), will not be sponsoring this particular video, it gives us a sense of the kind of opportunities that will be available to brands that choose to partner with GBS in the future.

Kind Snacks and Hewlett Packard have already signed on as sponsors:

Link to full article: 

http://adage.com/article/media/cnn-unveils-millennial-targeted-video-site/300975/

Target is planning to test robot workers

This article talks about Target's intention to step up its game on the technology side of things in the retail context. The national retailer has known for a while that tech and the digital age is going to have a massive impact on on the future retail industry but hasn't necessarily been on the forefront of the movement. However, interestingly enough, the company has entered into a partnership with TechStars, a reputable start-up accelerator with the goal of finding, funding and advising entrepreneurs with the most promising ideas to revolutionize this space. One of the ideas in the pipeline is to test robot workers in stores.

Full article here:
http://www.businessinsider.com/target-teams-up-with-techstars-for-new-concept-store-2015-9

Ninja Metrics uses analytics to boost Springboard’s retail and ecommerce revenues

This interesting article outlines how Ninja Metrics, an innovative and exciting analytics company, is applying its methods that've been successful in the gaming industry to the retail industry. Ninja Metrics' takes an algorithmic approach to customer acquisition; in the gaming industry specifically, the company has figured how to identify gamers who don't spend any money on games, but have "social value" in that they are so involved and active on the gaming scene that they generate excitement and engagement with other users. To gaming companies, while this non-paying, active gamer isn't contributing much revenue to the bottom line himself, he is through the revenue generated by users he influences to game who indeed to pay. In this sense he is a social influencer. 

The article draws a simple but illuminating analogy to someone at a bar who is clearly the life of the party, but isn't himself spending much on drinks. The bar owners don't care because he or she is the reason others come to the bar, stay at the bar longer and spend more on drinks. In quantifying the value of this customer, the bar owner has to consider the value of the "social network" he brings to the bar as opposed to his individual spend.

The crux of the article is on the Ninja Metrics taking its approach into the retail industry (a much bigger market) through its partnership with Springboard retail, a cloud point-of-sale and retail management company that processes $200million in sales in the US. The idea is that they can drive incremental sales to retailers first my linking the transaction of one user to next and accurately identifying when a purchase made by one consumer is as a result of a prior purchase by another. Overtime, retailers would be able to identify the most influential and valuable shoppers and leverage their network to drive incremental revenue. 

Ninja Metrics' model has been successful in the gaming industry (85% to 90% accuracy), and it'll be interesting to see if they are able to achieve similar levels of accuracy in the retail context.

Link to full article:

http://venturebeat.com/2015/10/06/ninja-metrics-uses-analytics-to-boost-springboards-retail-and-e-commerce-revenues/

Facebook and Google, Two Giants in Digital Ads, Seek More

This NY times article does a good job of summarizing (in a simplified way) the extent to which Facebook and Google dominate the digital advertising world. Both companies took center stage at the first day of this year's Advertising Week, introducing tools that will enhance their share of the digital advertising revenue pie. Perhaps most importantly, through Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings, Nielsen will get involved in the measurement of ad performance in the digital space as it has in the TV space for several years. According to Nielsen, 88% of tablet owners and 86% of smartphone owners use devices while watching television. New Nielsen tools will make it easier for advertisers to plan their marketing spend on Facebook in the same way in which they have on TV for many years. Google also revealed a product that will give marketers the ability to target ad campaigns at consumers using their email addresses. Facebook announced it was introducing mobile polling, allowing marketers to measure ad effectiveness of their mobile ad campaigns. With projected ad earnings of $7.7 billion and $23.3 billion in 2015, Facebook and Google (respectively) are set to maintain their roles as market leaders for some years to come.

Link to full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/business/media/facebook-and-google-two-giants-in-digital-ads-seek-more.html?_r=0

The biggest company you've never heard of

     This Forbes Article is about MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), the digital tech company of Major League Baseball. Specifically, the article points out the fact that for a company with which many of us aren't familiar (say in comparison to say Netflix or HBO Now), MLBAM is making a case to be considered among the elite in the digital world. The company is certainly best-in-class in the sports world and the bench mark for digital strategy among North American professional leagues.

     I thought there are lessons to be learned from some of the digital strategy and tactics employed by MLBAM such as enabling nearly 100 million streams to unique viewers on top of MLB.TV, covering content from Wrestlemania to March Madness. Other initiatives include a series of mobile apps, enhanced ticked sales through digital and upgrading your seat while you're at the ballpark.

     The consensus is that MLBAM is much more than the digital arm of MLB; It is its own media company that may even spin-off into an independent company with Major League Baseball as its majority shareholder. There's also been talk of a company IPO at some point in the future; a deal that would likely value the company at upwards of $4 billion dollars.

See below for a link to the full article:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2014/07/07/the-biggest-media-company-youve-never-heard-of/

By Columbus Morfaw