Tim McGarry's Blog (18)

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One of the more exciting…

The NFL have long played second fiddle when it comes to US professional sports leagues on Facebook.  The NBA, with more than 9.6 million followers, dwarfs the NFL's following of 3.4 million.  Still, the NFL is finding creative ways to promote its…

One of the many great talks from last week's Digital Fan Marketing Summit in NYC came from Nick Grudin, who works with Strategic Partner Development at Facebook.  In a panel discussing 'Curating Community for Fun and Profit,' Nick highlighted…

Later today,…

It is estimated that social media accounts for 22 percent of time spent online (Source).  With so many people in the social space, it is imperative that…

It seems likely that there will be a lockout in the NBA for at least part of this coming season.  The league recently announced that they will not be hosting their annual Las Vegas summer league.  The NBA has also canceled its summer internship program, another indication that the league may be preparing…

Facebook has long been a powerful social networking platform, but it is also quickly becoming a valuable retail platform.  Scott Galloway of L2 ThinkTank says, “40% of Facebook users follow a brand and 15% of those fans intend to make a purchase from that brand within 60 days.”  As more brands establish their social media presence, it is only natural that they look for…

The Cleveland Indians are predicted to finish below .500 and miss the playoffs this season.  They are a young team who are expected to encounter plenty of growing pains (Source).  Despite this, the team is still making…

QR codes offer a unique and interactive way to enhance the in-game experience for sports fans.  Given that 28% of US mobile owners have smartphones, and that the smartphone market grew by 75% in 2010 (Source), it makes sense that teams utilize the functionality of these devices through QR codes. 

For those unfamiliar with QR codes, they are high-density,…

It’s that time of year again.  Later this week, millions across the country will tune in to follow the 2011 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament; and not all fans will simply watch the games on TV.  In fact, according to a recent study by Harris Interactive, 23% of American adults will be using some form of social media to follow this year’s NCAA tournament.  Of the 23% using social media, 50% will use social networking sites…

Last week, in one the biggest NBA trades this season, the New York Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets.  This trade changed the face of both franchises in many ways.  In particular, it has been interesting to see how social media fans of…

Bryan Srabian, Social Media Director for the San Francisco Giants, leads one of the most innovative social media marketing campaigns in the sports industry.  This video from the Twitter blog highlights some of the ways in which the Giants utilized Twitter during the 2010…

Facebook recently revealed a new layout for its business pages.  Overall, the business page will now look more like the individual profiles.  This is huge…

Personal branding is incredibly important for professional athletes.  The value of one’s brand influences marketability, popularity, and sponsorship opportunities.

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Having 3 Million Facebook Fans is Nice, But What's Next?

Yesterday, I wrote about the value of Facebook games.  I’d like to again thank Peter Stringer for taking time to answer a few questions for me.  The post…

Facebook has become a valuable gaming platform.  Social-game developers such as Zynga (responsible for the Facebook games “FarmVille” and “FrontierVille”) are seeing incredible market growth.  In fact, Zynga was recently valued at $5.5 billion, surpassing industry powerhouse Electronic Arts (Bloomberg article).…

Super Bowl XLV clearly demonstrated the value of social media marketing.  There was significant social media buzz before, during, and after the big game.  In fact, compared to last year, online discussion increased 9% in the 12 hours following the game (…