John Elway, Executive Vice President of Football Operations of the Denver Broncos, has adopted a policy of transparency that is unprecedented in sports. Throughout the process of the team hiring a new head coach he gave constant updates by providing a schedule of interviews, who they were hiring and virtually live updates about each of the candidates. During this process John Elway gained over 40,000 followers on Twitter in just a week, becoming the second most popular NFL executive, only behind Commissioner Roger Goodell. Mr. Elway was able to gain these numbers by breaking, clarifying, and confirming news directly through his account. By being the one to do these things it also meant that outsiders couldn’t provide misleading information about the process since Mr. Elway was being so open about his hiring process. With the Denver Bronco’s situation of having lost a lot their fans’ trust, they have been able to improve their relationship with this tactic. Since information about these decisions is going to inevitably leaked by someone, it might as well come from the organization so that they can put their own spin on the information while keeping their fans satisfied.
The Miami Marlins have taken a similar approach during their current free agency blitz and have been constantly updating their Facebook site. They have not only announced their official signings, but have been addressing rumors about different players they are trying to sign. Most notably, the Marlins are in the process of trying to sign the most prized free agent of this class (and the best player in baseball), Albert Pujols. Currently on their Facebook page the Marlins are stating that they are going to throw a great celebration, similar to what the Heat did for the Big 3 if Pujols does in fact wind up signing with the team. With the rebranding of the team as the Miami Marlins, they have decided not only to spend money freely, but also create a social media strategy that encourages fan interaction.
The New Jersey Devils have a social media project called “Mission Control,” which has “three or four fans among a group of 25 volunteers…monitor social media sites and hockey-related sites for news and other information related to the Devils, then pass the items along through Twitter and Facebook, according to Dave Caldwell of the N.Y. Times.” This allows the fans to have a voice in the Devils. Utilizing social media is intended to create more enthusiasm about the team. Implementing a strategy similar to this would also allow for more transparency within the organization if they are reporting rumors that are in the news. Interest year-round could also be maintained for the social media sites, allowing the team to have more engagement with the fans.
All strategies seem to be very good opportunities, which are interrelated, that the team will be able to capitalize on. A common theme with both strategies is that they want to both be more transparent about their organization. The Denver Broncos have done this by being very open about new acquisitions they are making. Meanwhile, the Devils have put fans in charge of the content that goes on their social media sites. This is extremely similar to how politicians now have to both have conversations over social media and disseminate relevant information to their constituents. It is important that both teams and politicians keep careful control over what they do and say on these sites. When used effectively, there can be a lot of positive results that come out of using social media.
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