Understanding the Value of Social Media in the NBA's Digital
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Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2019 Understanding the Value of Social Media in the NBA’s Digital Communication: A Fan(s)’ Perspective Yann Abdourazakou Xuefei (Nancy) Deng California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Dominguez Hills [email protected] [email protected] Abstract information instantly obtainable to view, comment on, and share among a large network of users. Social Social media (SM) has become sports media can be distinguished by six overarching organizations’ most preeminent vehicle to engage with categories, including Wikipedia, blogs, content fans and to enhance relationship marketing. Prior communities, virtual game worlds, virtual social studies have mostly focused on the standpoints of worlds, and social networking sites [3]. This paper sports organizations; less is known about fans’ SM focuses on one type of social media, social networking experience and perspective. This study focuses on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and sports fans’ SM use during a game, and seeks to Snapchat. Such technology-enabled information and understand their popular SM uses and gratifications communication capabilities have been increasingly and the effect of individual characteristics. Informed recognized and utilized by sports organizations to by the uses and gratifications theory (UGT), we enhance their communication strategies and build analyze survey data of 400 season-ticket holders of a relationships with their fans. For example, by professional NBA team. Our quantitative data analysis exploiting the digital communication capabilities of suggests that during a game the NBA sports fans use Facebook and Twitter, National Basketball Association SM for posting on Twitter & Facebook, on Instagram (NBA) teams have been delivering relevant sports & Snapchat, and checking emails. The less popular games’ information to their sports followers, thus uses and gratifications include accessing teams’ personalizing their communications [4]. Likewise, website, downloading video, and accessing mobile social media is also found beneficial for a sports team’s Apps. These usage behaviors varied by individual age, branding [5]. As shown in a prior study [6], social gender and household income. Research contribution media creates a digital proximity between fans and and implications are discussed. athletes, particularly for those sports figures that use social media to invite interaction and leverage engagement, thus increasing the brand value. Scholars 1. Motivation: Internet use in the U.S. have discussed the numerous opportunities provided by social media for relationship building [7, 8]. In 2018, 77 percent of Americans owned a However, social media strategies implemented by smartphone in the United States. According to Cisco professional sports teams may not always succeed nor [1], there will be 220 million Americans and 2.16 fit all segments of the market. For example, two billion smartphones’ users worldwide by the end of authors examined the relationship between social 2018 with 4.3 devices per person connected to the media addiction and sports fans’ identification and Internet by 2020. When Pew Research Center began commitment, but did not find statistically significant tracking social media adoption in 2005, just 5 percent relationship between heavy use of social media and of American adults used at least one of these platforms high level of sports identification and commitment [9]. [2]. By 2011 that share had risen to half of all In addition, sports organizations have reported Americans, and today 69 percent of the public uses challenges in employing social media capabilities. some type of social media. According to a recent study, the interviews with Social media (SM) has become sports twenty-six managers of professional sports teams from organizations’ most eminent vehicle to engage with the four major leagues in North American – MLB, fans and to enhance team identification. Defined as a NBA, NFL, and NHL—revealed six objectives for group of Internet-based platforms and applications that social media use and identified seven challenges of build on the ideological and technological foundations social media as a relationship-marketing medium [10]. of Web 2.0., the SM platforms allow the creation and As a result of those prior studies, the scholars caution exchange of user-generated content [3]. It makes sports organizations about using one-size-fit-all URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10125/59680 ISBN: 978-0-9981331-2-6 Page 2417 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) approach when designing and implementing their characterized by member preferences and individual social media-oriented digital marketing strategies. demographics. Moreover, prior studies have mostly focused on the The paper is structured as follows. First, we standpoints of sports organizations; less is known describe the investigative context with the case of an about fans’ social media use experience and NBA franchise. It is followed by a literature review on perspective. There is only a partial understanding in the social media marketing in sports management and its literature as to how sport fans perceive the worth of drivers, as well as the investigation undertaken to test social media in keeping and improving connections the conceptual framework. We then present the with their favorite sport teams [11]. Yet, it is important research site and data collection effort among an NBA for sports management to understand sports fans’ franchise. The Findings section presents the results and experience with and values in digital communications discusses the implications for sports organization for several reasons. First, such enhanced understanding related to digital marketing and the use social media to will not only enable sports organizations to design engage with sports fans. The paper concludes with effective, personalized digital communication [4] but critical implications, contributions and suggestions for also reach targeted segments of fans to maximize the future research. marketing efforts for fans experience and team Below we present the investigative context of NBA commitment [9]. Second, a focus on fans’ perspective and the nature and importance of season ticket holder will complement prior studies from the viewpoints of population. sports organizations and managers, as sports fans and teams’ marketing directors have shown disagreements 2. Investigative context on the effectiveness of marketing techniques [12]. In the context of widespread social media usage in the age 2.1. The National Basketball Association of connected stadiums [13], it has become critical to better understand how sports teams can initiate and The National Basketball Association is a men's sustain a dialogue online, and create more interactivity professional basketball league in North America, in the periphery of live games to provide a higher consisting of 30 teams. It is widely considered to be the service quality for demanding fans. premier men's professional basketball league in the This study also aims at contributing to sports world. NBA is considered one of the four dominant communication and relationship marketing literature professional sports leagues in the U.S., beside the other by suggesting empirical evidence of the fans’ needs three namely the National Football League (NFL), and wants for sports organizations’ digital content from Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National users’ standpoint. Our goal is to deliver high-level Hockey League (NHL). As one of the most popular practical inputs for sports organizations’ digital and global sports brand it has grown a strong social marketing strategies. In particular, this study seeks to media presence. The league is currently the most answer two critical questions: (1) What are the popular followed league across Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, uses and gratifications for sports fans to use social Instagram and other social media combined with more media during a game? (2) How do the uses and than 1.3 billion followers, and the first league ever on gratifications differ by individual characteristics? SnapChat with a record of 30.1 billion impressions and To address the questions, we draw upon the uses 4.2 billion video views. On YouTube, the NBA and gratifications theory (UGT) and analyze survey uploads a multitude of videos every day: these videos data collected from season-ticket holders of a include highlights, montages, interviews, and talk professional NBA team based in a large metropolitan shows. Though the league trails the NFL in profits, the city in the west region of United States. Our NBA has profited from the visibility of its celebrities quantitative data analysis has shown significant as a differentiating tactic. Players are extensions of findings, including different patterns of digital their franchise but can also exist alone, as ambassadors communications between ticket holders with dissimilar of the league, its brand, and its values. The NBA's preferences by fans’ age, gender and tenure of being a official Twitter account has more followers (13.8 season ticket holder. The originality of this study is million) than the NFL's (10.8 million) and the MLB's twofold: (1) to the best of our knowledge, it is the first (4.3 million). The National Hockey League (NHL), for study to survey the use of digital communication those who are wondering, has 3.3 million followers on portfolio (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, its official Twitter account. Snapchat,