CP3 on NBA.com and NBA TV
Written by Octagon Digital on March 6, 2009 – 11:05 am -Quick post about the new Chris Paul video series (called “On Point with Chris Paul“) that premiered last week on NBA.com.
There is no doubt that CP3 is one of the NBA’s brightest young stars, both on and off the court. To help fans understand what life is like for an NBA superstar, NBA.com is distributing behind the scenes videos of Chris on NBA.com, with added promotion for the series running on NBA TV and TNT’s NBA broadcasts. 3 videos have been distributed so far (2 from All-Star weekend and one from CP3’s charity bowling event), and they really do give a cool glimpse into Chris’ life.
The videos also highlight a growing trend of athletes using large portals and distribution channels to connect with their fans, instead of relying on the athlete’s personal website. There is no doubt that it makes sense for athletes to have a personal digital presence (although I tend to favor Facebook fan pages over personal websites - check out this one from Michael Phelps), but at the end of the day, the vast majority of athletes simply do not generate enough content to keep fans coming back to their personal sites on a regular basis (after all, they have the business of being a professional athlete on which to focus). By utilizing established distribution channels, however, an athlete can tap into the channel’s existing user base and reach a much larger fan base. And, for the NBA.com’s of the world, they get great content that helps make their site that much more compelling.
Tags: Chris Paul, Octagon Digital, Videos
Posted in Athletes, Octagon Digital |
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By Hugh Beaumont on Mar 9, 2009 | Reply
The fact Michael Phelps does not have an official website is nothing but terrible management by Octagon. The guy was the “Summer Olympics” and his site (the old one you guys had for him from 2004 - yea that one) was not updated even once through-out the entire Olympics. His new “page” at SwimFan - is a joke. Here is a guy who could have used an official site to capitalize in numerous ways from having a true official site, and you guys think he only needs a myspage or facebook page? HELLO - anybody home over there?
Twitter, MyS, FBook are easier to maintain than a true official site for sure, but moreso from the people behind the site - not really the athlete. If the people behind the site know what they’re doing, content is very easy to generate around an athlete. Social forums do have a place and that is to compliment and drive traffic to the official site. Just like you mention Shaq - you realize despite however successful you think his Twitter page is, he’s missing a helluva alot of opportunities by not having an official site - and there you have it, his reps are in fact developing one for him.
Very surprised you would say you prefer the social forums vs. an official site. If they’re done correctly by someone with competence behind them - there is no substitution and there never will be. Hopefully you’re office hires or partners with people who get it, otherwise Octagon’s athletes are going to sit in the dark like Phelps online - and miss numerous opportunities.
One more note on Phelps - his recent debacle in the press over the bong. You realize that could have been handled by Octagon 10000000x better if he had an official site right? That is no-brainer and someone dropped the ball big time.
Blogs are nothing more than journals and the new buzz form may be Twitter, but they’ve been around since 1999 on athlete sites - so no real story here other than some in media living in the stone ages for 9 years. Lance and Shaq have done a great job of updating their’s non-stop, but what happens when that slows down and eventually ends (our guess it will). Gulbis has already slowed down on her postings. Roddick has come to a halt. You really think Spears will continue over time???
Once again it will come back to who is behind each of these athletes, because there is an obvious solution to how these should work and how a content calendar could be setup months in advance - just like it has been done for journals on personal websites for a decade.
By Octagon Digital on Mar 9, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for the comments Hugh. Looks like we’re going to be on the opposite sides of the fence on this one, but interested to hear your views on the advantages to a personal website as compared to the new Facebook Fan Pages. If you want to have the discussion offline, let me know.
By Hugh Beaumont on Mar 9, 2009 | Reply
Sure, for one there is no differentiation from MP’s FB page than anyone else’s - there is no brand impression that can be developed using FB. His image on FB is no different than a grandmother from Fargo, and that is a problem on multiple levels.
-Second there is a huge drop-off in organization of content on FB then how you can develop that strategy with your own site.
-Third why would i want my lead online presence to be a FB site where some joker has posted “MB likes to do bongs”. One of the main reasons of having an official site is ownership of content - you give up too much to have a FB page as your lead solution.
-How can Speedo be integrated in FB with a $25K sponsorship for online? I can think of many ways at an official site: ads, content, section sponsorship, online game, videos, photos, widgets, branding, branding, branding. On FB you’ve got really two opps and almost zero branding. Really goes back to content structuring.
-Curious why there is zero info on what MP does on his FB page? He wasn’t in two other Olympics, no records list, no training info, there is so much missing content from him and his sport and charitable causes and his sponsors it’s almost sad really.
-Where do you sell merchandise on FB? Where do you have FC memberships on FB? More lost revenue channels. (Yes i realize it’s different for who the athlete is - but we’re talking MP right and not Cooley from the Redskins - FB is costing MP revenue channels)
-MP not having a true official site is really one of the true missed marketing opps by any athlete in history. Kournikova took a payday and did zip for a decade with her site. Beckham never had a site during his heyday at Man U, MJ’s site was a pure joke while he played, Michelle Kwan’s lack of online presence is probably a bigger miss than even Phelps during her heyday (can you say rabid woman and young girl figure skating fans online). Michelle Wie’s PR problems could easily be handled with an official site vs. the coming soon copyright 2006 teaser she has from the great minds of WMG. Agassi - the king of tennis and marketing never had a site while he played (thank god he got rid of Perry Rogers).
-For sure Twit, MS, and FB are part of the athlete online solution, but as a compliment - no way it’s the main aspect of an online strategy.
-I realize you are not MP’s agent, but his blunders online are a case study for what not to do. Amazing how Usain Bolt really followed the MP model to an even greater degree (forget the non-updated content for all of 08 leading up and during the olympics that was MP’s strategy, Bolt didn’t even have a site at all until months after the “MP Olypmics” and then he posts a coming soon page. Bolt’s reps and reps at his main sponsor Puma should be fired for that miss. The race is on will Bolt or Wie do something first…terrible. Amazing how people get jobs with athlete rep agencies.
But yea that is just some initial examples, there are many others for why an athlete should have an official site (there are really 11 cagetories of reasons why). I’m sure this post is much too long as is.
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