By: Parth Shah, TJ Endebrock, Meaghan McCloskey, Carl Schmid, Chase McCaskill, and Adam White
Welcome to the first #SMSeven of 2017! This week, we have something special in store for you — a Front Office Sports collaboration where our team highlights some of our favorite posts on social. Get ready for some awesome perspectives and insights! Let’s get started below:
1. Duke Blue Devils
Starters vs. Georgia Tech.#HereComesDuke pic.twitter.com/JQnuvX1fq8
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 4, 2017
8 early points for Kennard. 18 games in a row with a 3.
13-8 Duke. 14:45 left in the first.#HereComesDuke pic.twitter.com/z7tehbr1kw
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 5, 2017
Mood.
First double-figure rebound game for the young fella.#HereComesDuke pic.twitter.com/I2i2G4TVv2
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 5, 2017
💯 (101 actually) pic.twitter.com/xCOxG1ijUA
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) January 5, 2017
Three things are constant when you look at the Duke Men’s Basketball twitter feed: #HereComesDuke, ????????, and that iconic Duke blue in their graphics. What jumps out is the subtle transition and flair they’ve added to their graphics & videos to take them to that next level. Rather than a static starting five graphic, they’ve created an eye popping GIF complete with a glitch transition between players. The glitch theme doesn’t stop there as they weave it in to other in-game GIFs to celebrate those big moments and give score updates. The GIFs incorporate great photography, a clean design, and subtle movements to make them more dynamic. Not to be forgotten, in each of the GIFs the player will appear with the iconic Duke blue overlaid as a subtle reminder to the school color that many have come to either love or hate. These subtle changes and consistency all contribute to a quick recognition, but it’s that extra pop & flair that grabs your attention as you scroll your timeline. — Carl Schmid
2. Nebraska Huskers
The Hollywood sign was changed to say Hollyweed today pic.twitter.com/NSWmbgz9aP
— Tommy Chong (@tommychong) January 1, 2017
Good to see they got the Hollywood sign fixed.
It's a movement, you know.
🌽☀️😎 #Calibraska pic.twitter.com/PgkoA1BOye
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) January 5, 2017
On the first day of 2017, the famous “Hollywood” sign in Los Angeles was vandalized to read “Hollyweed.” It did not take long for officials in California to fix the sign, but the Nebraska Huskers saw a big opportunity with their Twitter account.
The Huskers have been pushing California very hard this year for football recruits, which led to recruits and fans coining the term, “Calibraska.” The Huskers Twitter account smartly took advantage of the hype around the vandalized sign and sent out a Tweet of the sign reading “Calibraska,” saying the sign has been fixed. Now, people all over the country are creating their own spoofs of the “Hollywood” sign, but none have capitalized on the publicity quite like the Huskers. — TJ Endebrock
3. MLB Hat Trick/Topps Baseball Card Giveaway
1️⃣, 2️⃣ or 3️⃣? Comment with the correct cap and #MLBCards for a chance to win a 2016 @ToppsCards complete set.
Ready? Don’t blink … GO! pic.twitter.com/gvBaETvdVp
— MLB (@MLB) January 6, 2017
Did you guess hat No. 3? Hope so … #MLBCards pic.twitter.com/uRY3hiDFPh
— MLB (@MLB) January 6, 2017
If you’re going to give away a complete 2016 Topps baseball card set, you have to find a way to add a twist to the contest. MLB is one of the best on Twitter when it comes to engaging baseball fans, and this contest is no different. Their use of Twitter video to bring the classic big screen game to social media is perfect. I love that they added a human element by having a person move the hats around, instead of making it all computerized, and how they used emojis without overdoing it. Before we know it, we’ll be back at the ballpark watching hats move around on the big screen. — Meaghan McCloskey
4. FC Bayern Munich — Odell Beckham Jr. x David Alaba
Ok, your turn now @David_Alaba 😁 @OBJ_3 https://t.co/FOqGYJGp7G
— 🇺🇸 FC Bayern US 🇨🇦 (@FCBayernUS) January 5, 2017
Odell, Odell, Odell. If you didn’t post a dancing Odell GIF in 2016 then did you even post? But seriously, NFL celebrations have always been a staple of the game and with the explosion of GIFs these have become social media gold. Odell’s celebrations have been some of the most recognizable of the past year. With that being said, Bayern Munich (US) showed their American football savvy by challenging their own player David Alaba to do his best ‘Odell.’ The Austrian soccer player, David Alaba, has formed a strong friendship with Odell Beckham as can be seen via recent Instagram posts. Capitalizing on trendy GIFs, the Alaba-Beckham friendship, and Odell’s lowkey passion for European ‘football,’ has earned Bayern Munich (US) a spot in this week’s SM7. But now we wait for the response. It’s your turn, David. — Chase McCaskill
5. Atlanta Hawks
https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/817933966560792576
Season recap:
😍💪👻😑😔👏😎😃😋🙂👌😡😕😨👍😬🤒😢😴🤐😭😟😻❤️😶🙌😾🔥🙀☺😩🙏😋😱👏5️⃣6️⃣
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 8, 2017
It's time! Whats the #HawksHeadline for tonight's victory?
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 8, 2017
Hack-A-Howard doesn't stop the @ATLHawks from getting their 6th straight win! #HawksHeadline
— Charles Astin (@JustJumpChuk) January 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/CordaLuke/status/817956101077336064
The basketball team or the social team? At this point, it is hard to tell who is hotter right now. From an incredible tribute to the beloved Korver Kounter (If you shed a tear, you weren’t the only one) to the continuation of their season recap in emojis, Jaryd Wilson and the gang were flying high on Saturday. Known around the NBA, and the digital media world, as one of the best in the business, the Hawks proved it once again. Beyond the tribute and next level emoji usage, their engagement with fans is what stands out the most. As you can see above, they call on their fans to give them a #HawksHeadline in which they Retweet the best ones. Not only is this getting the fans engaged with the brand, it offers up the possibility of a reward in the form of a Retweet that is quick, easy, and memorable for the lucky fan who gets it. -Adam White
6. Illinois Fighting Illini
It's about that time. 😤
I-L-L… 🔶🔷#Illini https://t.co/CQ4vuHpXs1
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 1, 2017
Usual #Illini starters for the first game of 2017. Seventh straight game with this starting five (5-1).
6:06 CT tip on @BigTenNetwork. pic.twitter.com/sUWS9K98RD
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 1, 2017
HUGE!!!! pic.twitter.com/dbCKkP3odd
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 2, 2017
Illinois is another program that is excelling at graphic design and creative content. The social team stays true to the Fighting Illini color scheme and emphasizes the boldness of the Illini orange. They put together a strong hype video for the basketball team, which has become THE way to go for preview content. Followers respond well to visual content that also builds excitement and offers an immersion factor, and almost every D1 program and professional team will use them to set the stage for big games. The lineup graphic that the Illini use is one of my all-time favorites — I love how the panels reveal with subtlety each “locker” one at a time, as if a spotlight is revealing the players that are starting and ready to go. Illinois has a strong basketball history, and the school hopes to get back on track after a few tough seasons. Building from the ground up and strengthening the brand at its core is never a bad idea, especially when trying to keep up with the “cool” factor that many programs now have. — Parth Shah
7. Here’s to 2017 at Front Office Sports
Always great to be included in a list like this! Honored to be a part of it with so many people who have impacted FOS! https://t.co/6nzmAv1HY2
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 28, 2016
Is your New Year's Resolution to write more? We are looking for more writers! Come join the #FOSquad!https://t.co/Ez56mkNlpC
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 6, 2017
New year, new us. Same great content, fresh new look! Check it out and let us know what you think!
🖥: https://t.co/gdH5li2aiv pic.twitter.com/7dnoEPm3HZ
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 4, 2017
None of this would be possible without the great people below, so if you just followed us or have been, give them a follow too! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zqxwMupNtx
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 28, 2016
Front Office Sports has been a tremendous opportunity for all of us, serving as a tremendous resource while offering a platform for our content to help grow the sports business community. As FOS marches forward into 2017, we continue to grow and excel individually and as a group. On social, @frntofficesport offers followers some unique perspectives into different verticals of sports business, and shares quality content, resources, opportunities, and more. If you are interested in pursuing an opportunity in the industry, have some insights you want to share, or just want to join an incredible team, consider applying using the link above! Thanks for joining us for this special #SMSeven — be sure to check out the website’s new, fresh layout and the other amazing pieces that the FOS team is producing!
