Fan engagement
with stars to make sure their content is as effective as it can be. Arthur Guisasola, strategic partner lead for sport at TikTok, says: “Last year, Burnley FC Women became the first creator football team, receiving bespoke training on producing the best possible content. The same guidance was provided at the TikTok-sponsored Women’s Six Nations, to promote grassroots female rugby players and creators.” TikTok is coming up fast on the rails. Sports is consistently one of its top-performing categories, with the #sports hashtag racking up nearly 100 billion views. In all platforms, the search is on for more authenticity – Guisasola believes TikTok has changed the dynamic. “We include everything from iconic sporting moments and never-before-seen content, to light-hearted commentary, fan
celebrations – and pros giving us a window into their world.” Of course, the social trail leads to youth. “It’s well-documented that traditional sports struggle to engage younger audiences, in particular 18- to 24-year-olds,” says Modha. “We know these demographics are heavy social media users, so by distributing content to platforms popular with them, there’s a good chance of increased engagement.” But O’Hagan insists the element of quality control is still evolving. “Two years ago, it was ‘get the content out there, be the quickest’. Now, it’s much more considered.” For golf’s Open Championship, O’Hagan helps scale up in-play content on Twitter to drive the daily narrative, but longer-form YouTube material is needed for other clients, or short, snappy items on Instagram. “Algorithms have driven different types of content to the appropriate platform. A digital team two years ago would be people sitting on the net, watching the world TV feed, clipping and sending it out. Now, there are video reporters on the ground supplementing it. One size doesn’t fit all any more.”
“Two years ago, it was ‘get the content out there, be the quickest’. Now, it’s much more considered”
26 FEED:XTREME SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
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