COMM 253 Final Presentation

1. ROCHESTER RED WINGS
AND
SOCIAL MEDIA
By DJ Sanzotta

3. Quotes
• “It amazes me that we are all on Twitter and Facebook. By
"we" I mean adults. We're adults, right? But emotionally
we're a culture of seven-year-olds. Have you ever had
that moment when are you updating your status and you
realize that every status update is just a variation on a
single request: "Would someone please acknowledge
me?”
-Marc Maron, Attempting Normal

4. • “Our social tools are not an improvement to modern
society, they are a challenge to it.”
- Clay Shirky. Here Comes Everybody: The Power of
Organizing Without Organizations

5. Summary
oGrowth of Social Media
oRed Wings Current Social Media Efforts
oNew Idea/Proposal
oBenefits of New Idea
oConclusion

6. Growth of Social Media
The chart on the following page shows the percentage
change in users from the middle of 2012 to the beginning of
2013. The social media sites shown are:
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google+
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn
The chart shows how the change among social media
users is greatest among the older generation.

7. Growth of Social Media (cont.)

8. Most Popular Social Media Sites
• As of August 2013 (eBiz.com)
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. LinkedIn
4. Pinterest
5. MySpace

9. Facebook
• As of Q1 2013:
Daily active users have reached 665 million
Monthly active users have passed 1.1 billion for the first
time
751 million mobile users access Facebook every month
Mobile only active users total 189 million
Mobile now generates 30% of its ad revenue up from 23%
at the end of 2012
JeffBullas.com

10. Twitter
• As of Q1 2013:
44% growth from June 2012 to March 2013
288 million monthly active users
That means that 21% of the world’s internet population
are using Twitter every month
Over 500 million registered accounts
Twitter’s fastest growing age demographic is 55 to 64
year olds, registering an increase in active users of 79%
JeffBullas.com

11. LinkedIn
• As of Q1 2013:
Over 200 million users
2 new users join it every second
64% of users are outside the USA
JeffBullas.com

12. Why is Social Media so important in sports?
• The main reason is because of fans:
- fans are the driving force behind every sports
organization
- fans generate revenue for the team
- if fans can interact with the organization or players
via social media they are more likely to come to
games and purchase memorabilia related to the
team.
• Can give the organization positive publicity
• Can give the organization a bad image (ex. Aaron
Hernandez)

13. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall’s
infamous tweet in regards to the death of Osama Bin
Laden.

14. Red Wings Current Social Media Efforts
The Red Wings social media efforts are led by the Director
of Corporate Development/Redwingsbaseball.com.
While the Red Wings have shown an increased effort to
further expand their social media efforts, they are still more
of an afterthought for the organization.

15. What do the Red Wings use Social Media for?
• Use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Posts/Tweets about roster moves, whether it be a player
being called up or an injury update
• Posts/Tweets about game stories, usually before and after
every home game
• Posts/Tweets about in game updates, keeps fans
engaged in the games and provides them with statistics
about players that enhance their experience
• Posts/Tweets about player appearances, this provides the
fans a chance to meet a Red Wings player

16. New Idea/Proposal
We are proposing that the Rochester Red Wings create a
full-time social media position.
This will not only provide the organization more of an
opportunity to bring in fans but it will also separate it from
the competition among local sports teams in the Rochester
area.

17. Sports teams in the Rochester Area
• Red Wings*
• RazorSharks (Basketball)
• Raiders & Sting (Football)
• Amerks (Hockey)
• Knighthawks & Rattlers (Lacrosse)
• Rhinos, Lancers, Ravens & Flash (Soccer)

18. What would the social media position entail?
• Use of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (already being used) as well as
LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ and Vine (new additions)
• Roster moves, game stories, in-game updates, and player
appearances (already being done)
• Having knowledge of all departments, in order to be able to answer
questions fans have via social media
• Keeps track of trends and issues that fans bring up via social media
• Keeps an updated blog about the status of the team and writes
feature stories about players throughout the season including the use
of podcasts for video related interviews
• Coordinate with the Communications Department to set up Q & A with
Red Wings players via Twitter to enhance fan interaction with the
players
• Monitors all online activities that the organization is involved in
• Keep track of how many views and hits each social media website
receives in order to be able to focus attention to a particular area

19. Benefits of New Idea
• Will allow current employees to specialize in their field of
expertise without having to worry about the social media aspect
• Will see increased exposure (free publicity) which might allow
for the organization to cut back spending on promotions
• Will allow fans to get to know the players and interact with them
on a regular basis
• Increased awareness which attracts more fans
• Can reach a different target market that might not be able to be
reached otherwise
• Will allow for the Wings to see what topics are being discussed
about the organization and better help them understand what
needs to be improved
• Increased trafficking on website
• Increased revenue

20. Conclusion
• Many professional organizations are already beginning to
field a social media staff to increase their marketing efforts
• I am unaware of any Rochester area teams that take this
same approach
• The Red Wings already do a great job of promoting their
team and getting fans to come to games but increasing
social media efforts will allow them to target a different
demographic and attract fans from different areas
• The importance of social media cannot be
underestimated, especially in sports

21. The END
• I would like to finish with a video courtesy of the
Rochester Red Wings Front Office:
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hXGWnDXB2I

22. Works Cited
• http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/social-media
• http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-
websites
• http://www.jeffbullas.com/2013/05/06/21-awesome-social-
media-facts-figures-and-statistics-for-2013/
• http://rocwiki.org/Professional_Sports_Teams