NBA Embraces Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest during Playoffs

It's nearly impossible to find a group as impassioned and knowledgeable as die-hard sports fans. Not only are these individuals religiously tuning in to catch the game, they're also seeking to engage with the program on a heightened level by unlocking premium content through social media channels.  According to a recent Mashable infographic, 80% of sports fans monitor social media sites while watching the game on TV, and even 60% of fans do so while attending live events. With buzzer-beating baskets and game-changing fouls happening at rapid fire speed, there's a beautiful marriage that exists between sports and social media, an entity known for its immediacy.     

Cognizant of this harmonious relationship and the extensive presence of their fans on each network, the NBA is leveraging the power of Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest to unite basketball fanatics around the excitement of the NBA playoffs. The NBA will launch its community-rooted "Hoops around the World" program, and encourage fans to tweet photos of their neighborhood courts using the hashtag #hoops. The @nba Twitter account will retweet its favorite shots, and the stunt will culminate in an interactive world map illustration of all submissions before the finals begin.

The NBA will expand to greater audiences with Tumblr and Pinterest, two platforms not typically exploited by the association. The NBA will devote its Tumblr page, launching next Wednesday, to photos from professional basketball history, including shots from classic match-ups and iconic moments from the game's greatest players (pictured above). The NBA's Pinterest page, expected to launch late next week, has a two-tiered strategy. It will drive fans to the NBA's e-commerce site to browse throwback apparel, and feature funny moments in NBA history, quirky characters, and other storylines that reinforce to fans why the NBA is so fun to follow off the court.  

With TV ratings for the impending NBA playoffs expected to shatter those of previous years, the NBA is rightly vamping up its social media outreach. I'm particularly intrigued by the use of Pinterest to interact with fans because of the site's heavily-skewed female audience. It will be interesting to track engagement on each platform throughout the playoffs and see where the league is seeing the greatest success.

New L.L. Bean Campaign Encourages Outdoor Discovery

Last week, L.L. Bean launched its spring "Discover Something" campaign in celebration of the brand's birthday and 100 years of dedication to helping people discover the great outdoors. The campaign features four long-form thematic videos running both online and in cinema across the country. The spots depict the stories of real L.L. Bean customers and their drastically different yet equally profound experiences with nature.    

Each spot offers an emotional, unpretentious approach to the outdoors that can resonate with consumers of all ages. In one video there's a message of personal discovery, while another illustrates a mother's appreciation for the positive impact that nature has had on her young son. For L.L. Bean customers, it's not as much about the conquest of the hardcore elements as it is about doing anything outside that makes you happy, whether it be collecting leaves in your backyard or climbing your 10th mountain. The spots are not heavily product focused, but instead highlight the value in getting outside and using nature as a playground. 

The campaign represents a departure from L.L. Bean's previous messaging, which is usually quite product-centric. The spots are genuine and beautifully portray the freedom that exists in outdoor discovery. L.L. Bean also invites customers to share stories through social networks about when they too discovered something outside, and for each message the company will donate $1 to their charitable Million Moment Mission. Check out the spots below.