Jeff McCarthy is a digital and sport marketing specialist who discusses how digital technology is disrupting and leveling the playing field of major sporting events. He talks about how media fragmentation and the use of social media at sporting events is changing the fan experience, for better and worse. McCarthy emphasizes that sporting organizations need to embrace fans on social media and mobile platforms, engage in two-way conversations, and share compelling content and stories in order to build passionate communities and thrive in the future digital landscape.

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Digital Sport Manchester
Digital in Sport:
Disrupting and levelling the playing field
Jeff McCarthy
Senior Lecturer: Digital & Sport Marketing, MMU
• @jeffmclfc
• Jeff McCarthy Google+
• http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeffmccarthyuk
#DSManchester

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Who Am I?
• Digital & Sport marketing specialist
• Previously digital marketing business owner >6yrs
• Senior Lecturer in Digital & Sport Marketing
• CIM & IDM Course Director (Prof. Qualifications & In-Company)
• Guest blogger, internationally published author
(Practitioner & Academic journals)
Let’s connect:
jeff.mccarthy@mmu.ac.uk | @jeffmclfc | Google+ |
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeffmccarthyuk

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Major Sporting Events Drive Change
• Media fragmentation happening at
incredible rate
• Sport content drives digital consumption
• Platform agnostic consumers
• Records being broken left, right, centre…
• Digital disruption levels the playing field
Image source: www.google.co.uk/imghp, accessed 24.04.13

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The Good:
 Contagion / viral
 Sense of community
 Shared experience
 Treasured memories
 Showing off 
Source: @foster_alexa, @ric_wee. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/athletics/great-north-city-games-starts-6022489,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRA-N58ZXSU
Changing the Fan Experience

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The Bad:
× Poor/no connection
× Trash content
× Lack of data
× Lack of atmosphere?
Changing the Fan Experience
Source: www.google.co.uk/imghp

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• Some initial concerns with social:
Conversations
“These supporters are saying it in the pubs,
or on the terraces, or in the shops, wherever
they meet and congregate. So denying them
that space on the website doesn’t mean that
those views will go away.”
Engagement
“[Clubs]...have just shied away from any level
of interaction and engagement with our
supporters.”
“We have to be a little bit careful that we don’t
push them [fans] into finding information
elsewhere in terms of the stuff we put out from
a Club point of view.”
Commercialisation
“[Clubs]...have just shied away from any level of interaction and engagement with our supporters.”
“... the danger is that you make it overtly commercial. That’s the big, big issue.”
Copyright: McCarthy, et al., (2014)
The Impact on Organisations
Social media in the football industry
– a brand management perspective

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Source: Universal McCann, 2011:38.
Why?
Source: Universal McCann
Impact of social on
Brand Sites

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• What does your brand represent:
– Externally: To your audience?
– Internally: To your team?
Source: smartinsights.com (2014) & http://www.theuksportsnetwork.com/using-twitter-to-mix-business-with-pleasure.
The Impact on Organisations
“I am extremely proud to
once again be playing a
part in the club’s history.”

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 Content
 Community
 Shared Experience
 Co-creation
 Passion
 Success & Failure
 Highs & Lows
 Unpredictability
 Opinions
 Interaction
 Identity
 Differentation
 Expertise
 Data

Source: Holt (2004)
Sport has all the ingredients
to be successful
Above all: Stories!

10. #DSManchesterSource: @gapingvoid
So We Now See:
Failure As Opportunity
• The terrain is unpredictable

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 Passionate, brand advocacy
 Immediacy
 Responsiveness
– adapting & changing content plan
on the fly
 Real-time content
– particularly behind the scenes
Source: http://statigr.am/tag/carlsbergtalk,
Good Social Media Practice

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Source: Nic Peate, Rippleffect.com
Everton
Why?
 Increasing/maintaining fans & followers during tough times
 Reduce negative conversations
 Promote commercial message without negative feedback
How?
 Switch focus to fans & players
 #FanFriday & #standtogether initiatives
 Season ticket campaigns
 Personal tone of voice
Source: https://twitter.com/Everton, http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/2012/10/14/twitter-breaks-100k-mark, accessed 23.10.12

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Source: http://republicofdigital.co.uk/2014/02/14/everton-turn-agony-to-ecstasy-for-malaysian-fan/
Own the Moment!
 Over 6,000 RTs
 National & global coverage
 TV & Radio: Sky Sports News, North West
Tonight, Granada Reports, 5Live, Talksport,
Radio City, Radio Merseyside.
Press: UK newspapers, Australia, New Zealand,
Malaysia.
 Ric’s followers immediately grew to 8,700!
Everton Brand Strength:
 Authenticity | Responsiveness | Presence
Understanding | Relevance
 Sense of fan community crucial
 All sporting sites can find this genuinely
opens up potential of global audience

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Source:, 2012
Passions = Opinion
After deal

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• Sport is Part of Our Lives
• Sports fans attend, participate, watch
• Sports fans crave information
Source: http://republicofdigital.co.uk/2014/04/04/mcfc-high-density-wifi-takes-epl-stadia-into-21st-century
Embracing common interest

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 Event providers sell & engage
 Retailers drive footfall
 Athletes inspire & interact
 Community engages
 Publishers entertain & inform
 Brands transcend
The Glue...

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 Competition & gamification work
 Physical communities attract
 Community is how you build passionate tribes
 Fans will defend against detractors
The Glue...

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• What have you got to say, to share?
– “If you want us to talk to you, tell us
something. Make it something interesting
for a change.” (Cluetrain Manifesto, 1999)
• Look outside of sport
(I’m not a ‘monster’ btw!)
Source: https://econsultancy.com/blog/9262-9-things-lady-gaga-can-teach-us-about-community-management#i.19eprgnigtf45r
What is Your Story?

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• Mobile: 2nd screens become main
source of immediate, relevant content.
– UK mobile market worth £1.03bn
(up 93.3% on 2012)
– Digital adspend £6.3bn
(increased £853m 2013 vs 2012)
– Mobile users to pass
desktop in 2014 (Morgan Stanley)
• Internationalisation
– go local & break down
language barriers
• Wearable tech is here
Source: http://spmrkt.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/the-future-of-sport/; : www.google.co.uk/imghp; www.youtube.com
Further Disruption

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Mobile First Social is Here
• AND they often have brands in mind from day 1!
Source: econsultancy.com; uksportsnetwork.com

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Source: http://www.gapingvoid.com, accessed 26.10.12
Does Your Other Digital Now Trail
Social & Mobile?
• Remember:
 Plan ahead: Content Strategy
 Do people care?
 Are you:
 Funny?
 Interesting?
 Opinionated?
 Original?
 What is your tone voice?
 What is your personality?

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• CONTENT = CRAVINGS
• COMMUNITY = SOCIAL
• CONVENIENCE = MOBILE
• So focus on connections
Your Are The Glue...
The Golden Rule? NEVER just cross-post...
DO change your message and creative for the service

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Any questions?
#DSManchester