Just discovered this video on Landon Donovan's Facebook. Goes along perfectly with my first post. Just more proof of how fans are using their creativity along with online social media (sites like YouTube) to connect with people all around the world. Check it out!
Friday, June 25, 2010
World Cup, Like You've Never Seen It Before
The World Cup can turn anyone into a soccer fan. I am living proof, never having watched an entire game on TV in my life until I got the chance to experience it in Europe. Football, as they know it, is more than a game, it is an obsession. And apparently the rest of the world shares or is adopting this same passion for the sport. I was lucky enough to watch some World Cup matches on TV over in Barcelona, Spain, which was an incredible cultural experience; the fans are crazy and make every moment of the game exciting. But coming home to the U.S., I realized that you don’t have to fly across the world to have an experience like I did, which is where the phenomenon of online social media steps in. Through the digital world millions of fans from all different walks of life are being connected and are able to share their World Cup (WC) experiences by the click of a button.
Wow, how things have changed in the course of WC history! Flashback to 1930, when the first ever WC was held in Uruguay. The best connection fans could have at this time was with the use of telephones. The 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan was one of the first times the internet was utilized to create team hope pages and sites for the tournament; however, this was with very limited scope considering the internet usage rates and its purpose at the time. The title “online social media” didn’t even really exist. In 2006, the WC in Germany took place in a time when Facebook was restricted to college and high school students and had about 8 million users (as opposed to the 400 million users today). Myspace was the most popular online social network at the time and companies like Adidas, Nike and Puma were early campaigners on the site. Online social media was just budding at the time and no one even truly realized its full potential.
Now, we have arrived at the 2010 WC in South Africa, in an age of online social media explosion. It is being viewed not just by those lucky enough to see it in person, but by millions on television, the internet, and even mobile phones. Virtually anywhere you go there is a way to view the WC and there is also a way to talk to your friends in Mexico, France, Australia, or wherever they may be, about their reactions to the latest match. One of the biggest changes in this WC is not only the interactions fans are having with each other, but the interactions fans can have with their favorite players. Interactive social communities were limited online until the birth of Twitter later in 2006, and now fans are able to keep updated on just about any aspect of WC action, from the most recent scores, to game times, to how
Landon Donovan was feeling right after that incredible goal and U.S. win! In fact, go to his twitter page right now (http://twitter.com/landondonovan) and you will see a link to his Facebook status, which currently reads: “WOW :)” and is “Liked” by 8,244 Facebook users. I encourage any U.S.A soccer fans out there to go “Like it” for yourself. How could you not? The World Cup is the reason to bring the world together, but online social media is one of the most effective tools to make it happen. This is why I can argue, that even at the half way mark, the 2010 WC in South Africa is already the most successful WC to date.
An event such as the WC is a dream for anyone in the Media Industry. ESPN, who won the broadcasting rights for WC 2010, has the proof all in numbers. According to an article on mediaweek.com, through the first 14 matches of the World Cup, ESPN and ABC have delivered an average crowd of 3.35 million viewers, which is a 64 percent increase from the same period in 2006. These increases are not only being seen on TV, but in a place that no one would have expected years ago: the web. By just the third day of WC play, ESPN saw a 13 percent increase in all non-TV platforms (such as ESPN.com, ESPN3.com, ESPN mobile, ESPN Radio, and ESPN The Magazine). In fact, according to Glenn Enoch—ESPN’s VP for Integrated Media Research—ESPN3 drew more traffic in those three days than it did during all of June 2009.
As the WC moves along, things just keep getting better and better for ESPN, not just in TV but the online and mobile realms as well. ESPN3.com set a record for the largest U.S. audience ever for a sports event on the web with the streaming of the U.S. vs. Algeria game, attracting 1.1 million spectators. Additionally, ESPN.com recorded an all time high of delivering live scoring updates to fans with peak views at 1.7 million concurrent users, smashing the old record by 42 percent. So how does all of this amazing traffic and results tie into online social media? Well, ESPN has jumped on the bandwagon and offers fans more than just live scoring and streaming of the matches, but also an interactive experience, which I believe has a huge impact on these outstanding ratings.
How can you get involved in all the online social media craze associated with the World Cup? ESPNsoccernet.com should be your first stop. Not only will you find all of the scores, headlines, and video footage you need to stay updated, but also exciting new ways to get involved in the action. They offer the chance to support your team with a “My Team” dashboard displaying latest results, next matches, and the option to create your own bracket. Also new, the World Fantasy game offers fans the chance to create their own teams and compete with friends online, living the dream of managing a World Cup team.
Another cool feature to check out on Soccernet are the blogs. World Cup Daily (http://blogs.soccernet.com/wcdaily/ ) features news you wouldn’t necessarily see in the headlines, like news on how FIFA is handling security, an ambush marketing campaign by some scandalous Dutch women, and even a link to President Barack Obama’s “Good Luck” shout out to team U.S.A on Twitter (Yes, even the President is in on this online social media stuff!). But there are also 32 individual team blogs that are written by people who really know their stuff. These are writers from each of the 32 countries who are passionate fans, care about their team, and have experiences ranging from past World Cup coverage, Olympic coverage, radio/news paper journalists and more. For example, let’s meet the blogger from Brazil, Gustavo Faldon, who is described as “a Brazilian football fanatic and has lived the emotions of celebrating two World Cup titles as a fan. This time, he is celebrating the World Cup as a journalist that is working for ESPN's website in Brazil.” Basically, these journalists are living the dream, and soccer fans from all over the world can have the chance to live vicariously through them as if they were right there in South Africa amidst all the action. Comments on blog posts are welcome and have spurred some great conversations among followers.
And of course, last but certainly not least, users can find the link to the ESPN Soccernet Facebook page where continuous conversations are being held by users; updates, video clips, and even Twitter links can be found. The best part about this? These updates will be on your live newsfeed, and with all the time you already spend of Facebook…talk about multi-tasking!
I urge you to get on board, if you haven’t already, and check out these useful online tools for all your WC social media needs!
ESPN Soccernet World Cup: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/?cc=3888&ver=global
ESPN Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPN
For you U.S.A fans…Landon Donovan’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/landondonovan
ESPN World Cup Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNSoccernet
Also, http://www.youtube.com/, to watch clips and some of the outstanding Ad Campaigns going on for the World Cup (Nike “Write the Future” is my personal favorite).
SOURCES:
“World Cup Boosts Up Ratings”- mediaweek.com
“The World Cup’s Social Media Evolution”- Mashable.com
“World Cup 2010: A Social Media Gooooooal!” - mpdailyfix.com
ESPN Media Zone
Wow, how things have changed in the course of WC history! Flashback to 1930, when the first ever WC was held in Uruguay. The best connection fans could have at this time was with the use of telephones. The 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan was one of the first times the internet was utilized to create team hope pages and sites for the tournament; however, this was with very limited scope considering the internet usage rates and its purpose at the time. The title “online social media” didn’t even really exist. In 2006, the WC in Germany took place in a time when Facebook was restricted to college and high school students and had about 8 million users (as opposed to the 400 million users today). Myspace was the most popular online social network at the time and companies like Adidas, Nike and Puma were early campaigners on the site. Online social media was just budding at the time and no one even truly realized its full potential.
Now, we have arrived at the 2010 WC in South Africa, in an age of online social media explosion. It is being viewed not just by those lucky enough to see it in person, but by millions on television, the internet, and even mobile phones. Virtually anywhere you go there is a way to view the WC and there is also a way to talk to your friends in Mexico, France, Australia, or wherever they may be, about their reactions to the latest match. One of the biggest changes in this WC is not only the interactions fans are having with each other, but the interactions fans can have with their favorite players. Interactive social communities were limited online until the birth of Twitter later in 2006, and now fans are able to keep updated on just about any aspect of WC action, from the most recent scores, to game times, to how
Landon Donovan was feeling right after that incredible goal and U.S. win! In fact, go to his twitter page right now (http://twitter.com/landondonovan) and you will see a link to his Facebook status, which currently reads: “WOW :)” and is “Liked” by 8,244 Facebook users. I encourage any U.S.A soccer fans out there to go “Like it” for yourself. How could you not? The World Cup is the reason to bring the world together, but online social media is one of the most effective tools to make it happen. This is why I can argue, that even at the half way mark, the 2010 WC in South Africa is already the most successful WC to date.An event such as the WC is a dream for anyone in the Media Industry. ESPN, who won the broadcasting rights for WC 2010, has the proof all in numbers. According to an article on mediaweek.com, through the first 14 matches of the World Cup, ESPN and ABC have delivered an average crowd of 3.35 million viewers, which is a 64 percent increase from the same period in 2006. These increases are not only being seen on TV, but in a place that no one would have expected years ago: the web. By just the third day of WC play, ESPN saw a 13 percent increase in all non-TV platforms (such as ESPN.com, ESPN3.com, ESPN mobile, ESPN Radio, and ESPN The Magazine). In fact, according to Glenn Enoch—ESPN’s VP for Integrated Media Research—ESPN3 drew more traffic in those three days than it did during all of June 2009.
As the WC moves along, things just keep getting better and better for ESPN, not just in TV but the online and mobile realms as well. ESPN3.com set a record for the largest U.S. audience ever for a sports event on the web with the streaming of the U.S. vs. Algeria game, attracting 1.1 million spectators. Additionally, ESPN.com recorded an all time high of delivering live scoring updates to fans with peak views at 1.7 million concurrent users, smashing the old record by 42 percent. So how does all of this amazing traffic and results tie into online social media? Well, ESPN has jumped on the bandwagon and offers fans more than just live scoring and streaming of the matches, but also an interactive experience, which I believe has a huge impact on these outstanding ratings.
How can you get involved in all the online social media craze associated with the World Cup? ESPNsoccernet.com should be your first stop. Not only will you find all of the scores, headlines, and video footage you need to stay updated, but also exciting new ways to get involved in the action. They offer the chance to support your team with a “My Team” dashboard displaying latest results, next matches, and the option to create your own bracket. Also new, the World Fantasy game offers fans the chance to create their own teams and compete with friends online, living the dream of managing a World Cup team.
Another cool feature to check out on Soccernet are the blogs. World Cup Daily (http://blogs.soccernet.com/wcdaily/ ) features news you wouldn’t necessarily see in the headlines, like news on how FIFA is handling security, an ambush marketing campaign by some scandalous Dutch women, and even a link to President Barack Obama’s “Good Luck” shout out to team U.S.A on Twitter (Yes, even the President is in on this online social media stuff!). But there are also 32 individual team blogs that are written by people who really know their stuff. These are writers from each of the 32 countries who are passionate fans, care about their team, and have experiences ranging from past World Cup coverage, Olympic coverage, radio/news paper journalists and more. For example, let’s meet the blogger from Brazil, Gustavo Faldon, who is described as “a Brazilian football fanatic and has lived the emotions of celebrating two World Cup titles as a fan. This time, he is celebrating the World Cup as a journalist that is working for ESPN's website in Brazil.” Basically, these journalists are living the dream, and soccer fans from all over the world can have the chance to live vicariously through them as if they were right there in South Africa amidst all the action. Comments on blog posts are welcome and have spurred some great conversations among followers.
And of course, last but certainly not least, users can find the link to the ESPN Soccernet Facebook page where continuous conversations are being held by users; updates, video clips, and even Twitter links can be found. The best part about this? These updates will be on your live newsfeed, and with all the time you already spend of Facebook…talk about multi-tasking!
I urge you to get on board, if you haven’t already, and check out these useful online tools for all your WC social media needs!
ESPN Soccernet World Cup: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/?cc=3888&ver=global
ESPN Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESPN
For you U.S.A fans…Landon Donovan’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/landondonovan
ESPN World Cup Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/ESPNSoccernet
Also, http://www.youtube.com/, to watch clips and some of the outstanding Ad Campaigns going on for the World Cup (Nike “Write the Future” is my personal favorite).
SOURCES:
“World Cup Boosts Up Ratings”- mediaweek.com
“The World Cup’s Social Media Evolution”- Mashable.com
“World Cup 2010: A Social Media Gooooooal!” - mpdailyfix.com
ESPN Media Zone
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