With the NBA playoffs in full-swing and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors meeting each other in the Finals for the fourth straight year still a real possiblity, I’m going to take a look at these two NBA juggernauts’ social media presences to see who the real kings are of the NBA.
I think it’s time to dive back into the ever-changing world of social!
Here’s a look back at the biggest stories and campaigns we saw in March, featuring International Women’s Day, Nike, Trainline, YouTube TV, Zlatan and more.
Sports leagues understand media better than most. Here’s how they’re using that knowledge in their content marketing.
It’s the final day of July, which means it’s time to look back at some of the best Instagram videos we’ve seen in the past four weeks or so.
This time around we’ve got submissions from Samsung, Nike Skateboarding, KFC, National Geographic, American Apparel, Southampton FC and the NBA.
And for more of the same, check out our roundup of some of the best social media campaigns from July.
Enjoy!
Here are some of the finest branded Instagram videos from February 2014, or Instavids as nobody in their right mind calls them.
Last week I discussed the future of Instagram video and Vine in the post has Instagram really killed Vine?
It seems that since the introduction of Instagram’s 15 second video capability, brands and regular users alike have begun to ignore Vine in favour of a social media platform they were already signed up to anyway.
I round-up the best branded Vines on a monthly basis (here are the best branded Vines of February) and I personally feel that there’s still massive potential for the only one-year old Vine when it comes to improving brand perception and connection.
So what separates Vine from Instagram video apart from the obvious technical differences? Perhaps by looking at these examples of Instagram videos from brands we’ll be able to understand how each platform can exist side-by-side whilst remaining different enough to be worthy of separate time and investment.
Here are some of the finest Instagram videos from January 2014, or Instavids as nobody in their right mind calls them.
I’ve been doing a monthly round-up of the best branded Vines for some time now (here’s the latest edition: best branded Vines of January 2014) and I thought that in the interest of balance, I’d do the same for Instagram’s eight month old social video tool.
I’ve explained the difference between the platforms in Instagram’s 15 second video vs Vine’s six seconds and at the time of writing that article, October 2013, brands absolutely dominated Instagram’s video service with 40% of the 1,000 most shared Instagram videos being from brands.
In 8th Bridge’s latest Social Commerce report it’s revealed that, out of 872 brands surveyed, 69% of brands have adopted Instagram since its launch in 2010.
The NBA’s 68th glorious season is off to a roaring start and the storylines are coming faster than John Wall in transition.
Will LeBron James and the Miami Heat (the reigning MVP and NBA champions) continue their march to dynasty status? How long will it take for injured stars Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant to return to their former powers?
And will anyone get dunked on in a more vicious manner than the way DeAndre Jordan dunked on Brandon Knight? There is plenty of hype around the 2013-14 session, which promises to keep us on the edge of our seats from now until the NBA Finals in June.
However, one of the more subtle headlines is how technology is changing almost every facet of the game.
While basketball is no longer bound to the 13 original rules conceived when Dr James Naismith invented the game in 1891, the digital transformation of the NBA over the last few years has significantly impacted how the game is played, consumed, advertised and much more.
With the aid of social media, online streaming and stats, lets have a look at how digital has changed the NBA experience.
40% of the 1,000 most shared Instagram videos (Instavids) last month came from brands.
The 15 second long Instavid format has only been around for a few months, but is already giving Vine a run for its six second-long money. We’ve discussed the respective benefits of each in this provocatively titled article Fight Club! Instagram vs. Vine.
It seems that brands have been quick to utilise this longer form media. The 150m incumbent Instagram users are clearly a major draw, as opposed to the still not inconsiderable 40m users on Vine, although it should be noted that Vine picked up all those users in just nine months.
It has often been said in filmic terms that if a story can’t be told in 90 minutes than it’s not worth telling. Try telling that to The Godfather.
However this certainly rings true on some level, especially in advertising where you’re engaging with a customer or selling a product rather than telling a sprawling, expansive story of gun violence and enemy disposal.
Who does benefit from the longer format? For a customer it’s good to keep things brief, nobody needs to sit through another colossal Thomson marathon, but conversely six second Vines may seem too short for the purpose.
Six seconds may be the prime length for our fleeting attention spans, but for marketing, this truncated length can be too much of a handicap to get a brand message across.
Perhaps, for this reason, the 15 second Instagram video is a far more effective method and may explain why there was a dip in Vine usage during its launch period. Let’s investigate…
In 2010, if you want to be the King of the NBA, you need to have a digital presence. That’s what LeBron James is quickly learning as he ponders his current contract decision. The man currently known as the “best basketball player in the world” may be ending his reign as America’s most sought after free agent on ESPN tomorrow night, but this whole process has shown how big social media’s role has become in real-time events. Sports writers, fans and even cities have been immersed in the process online.
And now LeBron is deploying his digital strategy. He’s got a shiny new Twitter feed (KingJames), a soon to launch website, and an hour long ESPN special to announce his decision. It may be the most elaborate PR strategy ever for an unsigned basketball star. Which leaves a question unanswered: Is he ready for people turn on him?