As I have written about in previous posts, I have been super impressed with not only the creative innovation Clemson’s team has done online, but they have truly captured the attention, excitement, and heart of social media sports. Professionals, fans, and students from around the country were cheering for Clemson during the CFP game last night.
There were a lot of trends and things that I saw that really captured my attention as a professor who teaches social media. I felt there were some important elements to consider and take note of as we begin 2016.
Here are some of the things that I saw initially come up related to sports and social media:
Power of Snapchat: After seeing the World Rugby Game on Snapchat and the Army v. Navy game, I was sold on Snapchat as a platform. I was able to follow some great stories on Snapchat during the game, and it really captured what we consider to be experiential storytelling – you really felt you were there in the game cheering on the teams. Very cool branding for the game and team!
Competing livestreaming across apps: Instagram launched their livestream app for the Golden Globes and you were able to see this in play for the CFP as well. However, you also had to take into consideration Facebook Live and of course Snapchat as well. Who will eventually win the livestreaming video battle? Who knows – still pretty early to tell, but what is interesting is Twitter’s new Periscope update.
Bringing in the future generation of social media professionals: THIS. This is what makes Clemson a different team on social media in my opinion. What an incredible and wonderful opportunity for these students to create, share, and be part of one of the biggest events in college athletics. This consistent action and mentorship of paying it forward to students has been wonderful to see. I have to give praise to both Jonathan Gantt and Jeff Kallin for this – you have truly set the standard for this within not only sports, but all brands and companies working with students. If we had more Jonathans and Jeffs out there in sports and social media for students, the industry would truly be a better place.
Handling a loss with grace and class: Addressing a loss in any sport is difficult – there are a lot of emotions that can come up and resonate both offline and online. However, by taking a step back and remember what kind of a season you had this year, that’s important. Clemson did this, and the other thing I felt really was great to see here: thanking the Clemson family and fans. Nice touch and this really resonates with everyone. Well done, Clemson!
Evaluating the social media from both teams: I had my students in my social media class share their thoughts about the game and I provided them with both hashtags for Clemson (#AllIn) and Alabama (#RollTide), and here were some of their thoughts:
So, based on what #Freberg16 shared with me, looks like our class here at the University of Louisville was indeed #AllIn.
In summary, we have truly experienced a dynamic, entertaining, and pretty spectacular college football season. What made this special was to have a team that stood out from the others in a way that really touched and resonated with all audiences combined.
As a fan, professor, and scholar in social media, I have to say the Clemson Athletics team for social media and digital is not just one of the best teams out there in sports, but one of the best out in social media period. I’m already looking forward to the 2016 College Football Season!
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
