Sports Teams and YouTube

I just read an impressive marketing article on Advertising Age entitled, “http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=111546,” which discussed the steps to gain positive traction when marketing on the Web site. This is the type of plan that any sports team who wants to be considered forward thinking and innovative around Web 2.0 should use as a start to gain eyeballs and mindshare on this popular site.

The article highlighted the following steps which I agree with:

* Secure your brand channel and make it a destination. Brand channels offer a bit of a "safe haven" on YouTube, allowing you to have moderate control of your message and providing a platform for telling your story. A good example is Warner Bros. Records' Paris Hilton Channel. (In the spirit of full disclosure, Organic was the agency that arranged for Fox Broadcasting Co.'s show "Prison Break" to sponsor the Paris Hilton Channel in its first week.)

* Respect "tribute-ors." We define "tribute-ors" as those who pay tribute to a brand by making their own home-brew advertising. Think of it as consumer-generated media in the form of an ad. Like tribute-ors or not, they are on YouTube and they have their own opinions. By having your own brand channel, your story will be there to speak up for your brand.

* Put it all out there. Remember, YouTube is the de-facto research for TV spots and video content. Make sure that you are well represented. Did you have a celebrity spokesperson for a campaign? Put some footage of the shoot or an interview up.

* Haters hate. Demonstrate that you are a 2.0 brand by embracing all comments, tributes and ratings.

* Reward loyalists. Surprise your favorite people with special content and exclusive offers. People love to be in on a secret. If they know one, then they're sure to tell a friend.

Sports team need to work with their league’s broadcasting department to gain the ability to put the following on YourTube:

* Team commericals
* Post game press conferences
* Charity events that include athletes on the team
* Clips from previous games

I knwo league broadcasting departments want to control where the league is broadcasted, but there is so much useless footage they could put on the site that would interest fans.

From what I can surmise, most teams want to stick to the traditional marketing practices. They don’t have the time or energy to deal with podcasting, blogs or YourTube. They also don’t want to be the first to try experimenting with this type of marketing due to concerns it might fail.

I totally disagree. You can hire college interns or kids right out of college to oversee this marketing channel. Theese interns understand the tagert market the teams are trying to reach. The team will be able to connect with the younger generation, the fans of tomorrow.