Third Tuesday Meetup, March 13, 2013

No notes for slide

Introductions. Ask questions at any time. Comment, provide input. Let’s have some fun. What we’ll talk about tonight - what I won’t cover: software, processes, detailed metrics. (But happy to answer questions at the end) Poll the audience: Similarities and difference

We are in the era of multi-platform media. Especially now with the advent of smartphones and tablets, further fragmenting our audienceGoes beyond marketing. It touches all departments from communications, customer support, in-game entertainment to sales.

Firstsocial entry point for us was a group led by fans on Facebook launched during Stanley Cup Run. Fans were asking questions that we could answer (When is the Red Zone opening? Are tickets sold out? Etc.) -Reached out to the administrator and become the “PR MANAGER”  - Soon realized we needed to “own” this channel so we launched our official Facebook Group that summer – which has turned into the fan page it is today

This is “fair” compared to other NHL clubs but quite high for our market. We have lots of room to grow. - I’ll take you through what we’ve learned along the way in a few minutes

We also have Instagram, Youtube and Linked IN- Instagram launched

I will take you through the lock-out and a little about where we’re headed- Last season, there was a commitment to hard work under new coach Paul Maclean- A never quit attitude and exciting style of play - We surprised everyone with a birth in the Stanley Cup playoffs

- We obviously had some warning but had to launch the season as planned of course.. Go on sale with our tickets

We were facing a lock –out for an unknown length of time. Season-seat owners that wanted to know how this affected their package and the process moving forth.- Casual buyers that had purchased game packs or opening night- Unfortunately loss of some staff (writers, photographers and videographers). - For season-seat owners, it became a one to one relationship- For all other fans, we knew they were most likely not coming to our website… social became a critical tool to keep the connection between the community and the brand alive. All information about the lock-out was being led by the league. We could only republish or repost what was released by the NHL.

We decided to focus on what we could control. 2 core content streams: Community: More than just a hockey team – aimed at the casual fan Prospects / our farm team BINGO -aimed at the avid hockey fanManagement: - Everyone became content producer – editorial meetings /widened the net / got input from all business units - Trained everyone on headline, details, photo, link. Communicate, circulate, talk about it

So, in hindsight, there probably wasn’t a lot of human emotion in our social feeds… But what might not have been evident is that we were living it at the same time as fans. But hard to convey that… needed to stay 100% impartial. Much of our staff focus was on the business side. Every time a new proposal was put forth by either side we were looking at a season launch. The longer it lasted, the more our game plan changed until we were looking at a brand new season and not just a loss of some games. - Social was a key mood indicator as well. The stream of comments were largely negative.. Fans were angry and rightly so. But we could see a small glimmer of hope in those that were continuing to support the team.

When the lock-out ended and the agreement was finally ratified, we had about 48 hours to promote the schedule, launch the season and start selling tickets. - Facebook and Twitter became a critical part of our strategy / as did email. So I’d like to take a look now at some of what we’ve learned..

- Sounds obvious… but it’s probably one of the biggest challenges for most organizations. There needs to be a clear owner. a personality makes your brand likable. - We definitely struggled with this as everyone has a different opinion on humour .. We went back to why people come to the game. 1) It’s an escape. They want to have fun. 2) It’s an experience they want to share with family and friends. 3) They love the game itself. We hired a writer that has captured all of that.

Exclusive photos you could not see otherwise. Media have the scrums, pre and post game interviews. But they don’t necessarily have the day in the life stuff.All of these moments connect the fans to the players

We listened.. Fans liked it. Players liked it. We starting using the #peskySens in everything. - Peer to peer sharing is the best way to create share of voice

Be clear about what you want your audience to do after consuming your content. Influence

Example: Ask fans to post/share photo or their favourite memory on social or web (owned), promote the program in advertising (paid) and make it engaging enough to be talked about by key social influencers (earned).

Number of likes and comments for any given posts.A high engagement rate helps to build our EdgeRank Number of people “talking about this” ratingAt any given time, how many fans are having conversations about our brand.

Before we get to the questions, I wanted to outline our commitment to our community and why I feel strongly about the importance of this club to our community.

Rogers House- Rink of dremas- 19 rinks in lower income neighbourhoods- used equipment program to lower income families - Not to mention each individual player’s commitment to the community and their various charities

Third Tuesday Meetup, March 13, 2013

Isabelle Perreault

Third Tuesday Meetup, March 13, 2013