Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea, and Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya tried to break a feat of running a sub-two hour marathon on Saturday Morning. What made this so different is that the whole event was streamed on Social Media. Nike’s #Breaking2 was their latest marketing ploy that turned into a social media sensation last night.
The runners ran a marathon race in a controlled course in Italy. Their purpose was to run a marathon time that was less two hours. Kipchoge of Kenya was 24 seconds short in his expedition but it was really a spectacle. As he inched closer and closer to his goal, timelines exploded and #Breaking2 was the main topic of conversation on Social Media.
Although Nike’s latest test wasn’t accepted widely by Track and Field critics, it was a bold marketing move that worked. Not to mention, with the help of interactive video marketing, brands such as these are also doing some profitable selling, while keeping the consumers engaged. In this case, not only did they use social media to boost their next line of shoes, they displayed the star power of their company-branded athletes as well.
Eliud Kipchoge 2:00:25. Incredible inspiration to witness!! #breaking2 #justdoit pic.twitter.com/Dw1BQBGRqM
— Allyson Felix (@allysonfelix) May 6, 2017
Nike’s test should be looked at by many sports leagues. Going by the increasing trend of fans flocking on social media to discuss their favorite sports and teams unrestrained, any sporting leagues or organizations looking to enhance their customer experience strategy should start to design ideas focused on digital platforms to cater to the huge fan base. Taking help from companies focusing mainly on customer experience management, such as Qualtrics, could be a good starting point. The NCAA, NBA, NFL, MLB and WNBA should look into more live streaming on social media. The NFL had a successful run on Twitter last season while streaming Thursday Night Football Games. All games had at least 2+ Million viewers for each game, which is about 1/8 of a usual NFL audience. The WNBA and MLB are currently streaming live games on twitter as well. And on the NCAA side of things, Campus Insiders has stream many games on Twiter and Facebook. Streaming has become a popular way of reaching an audience without an issue, with some sporting events taking place on Amazon Prime Video. Unfortunately, viewers outside of the country would have to rely on a VPNCompass guide for Amazon Prime or a similar service in order to watch online.
As chord cutting becomes more apparent, leagues and companies should invest more into streaming games on Social Media. Arena Football, NCAA D2 & D3, NHL, HBCU Programs, and even FIFA Soccer Federations should capitalize on the latest trends. Pay
https://twitter.com/Nike/status/860789822587195392
If sports fans go to social media first after a big play or moment, then maybe more games should be streamed online. Twitter and Facebook are the places to do it. Players gain popularity or a lack thereof through social media. Teams are interacting with fans through this tool. And record-breaking moments are followed and documented through the power of social media. I see a bright future of sports streaming on Social Media.
