Annalisa Bove, Noemi Munoz,
Catherine Nolli, Zach Parrish,
Michelle Sanchez, Torrean
Slaughter
Consumers are interacting on the web.
One million users join MySpace every day. One hundred million videos are
downloaded on YouTube every day. Forty-eight million Americans have
posted social content on the Internet. Facebook and MySpace each have
over 100 million members.1 If these statistics are over three years old, can
you imagine how much user generated content has increased since then?
In today’s society the average consumer spends more time responding to
information from user generated content regardless of how credible the
sources are. Once a consumer takes a part in a public discussion via the
internet, the topic becomes conversational and more appealing as opposed
to reading a corporate blog. Consumers often times trust word of mouth
over what is posted on company websites. Ultimately, social networking is
the ultimate manifestation of user generated content, and as such, holds
more potential for growth than any other form of content on the Web
today.2
1 Sipper, Bill. “The social media evolution; social media offers new marketing options, but requires delicate touch.” Popular
Magazines (March 2009).
http://go.galegroup.com.rlib.pace.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA203270763&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_pace&it=r&p=PPPM&sw=w
2 “User Generated Content, Social Media, and Advertising-An Overview”.” Interactive Advertising Bureau, April 2008,
http://www.iab.net/media/file/2008_ugc_platform.pdf
Catherine Nolli, Michelle Sanchez
What is user generated content?
User generated content refers to any material created and uploaded to the
Internet by non-media professionals, whether it’s a comment left on
Amazon.com, a professional-quality video uploaded to YouTube, or a
student’s profile on Facebook. User generated content sites are creating new
viewing patterns and social interactions, empowering users to be more
creative and developing new business opportunities. It is currently one of
the fastest growing forms of content on the Internet.3 Consumers no longer
want to be sold. They want to be told and they want to be told by their
peers.4
If you look at the impact that user generated content has had in the past five
years, blogs and social networking are at the top of the chain. Blogs are also
rising in popularity because there are tons of sports blogs that fans follow to
get up to date information about their favorite teams.
3 “User Generated Content, Social Media, and Advertising-An Overview”.” Interactive Advertising Bureau, April 2008,
http://www.iab.net/media/file/2008_ugc_platform.pdf
4 Sipper, Bill. “The social media evolution; social media offers new marketing options, but requires delicate touch.” Popular
Magazines (March 2009).
http://go.galegroup.com.rlib.pace.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA203270763&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_pace&it=r&p=PPPM&sw=w
Catherine Nolli, Michelle Sanchez
U.S. User Generated Content
Consumers by Content Type, 20082013 (% of internet users)
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
36%
39.8%
42.5%
44.8%
47.2%
49.2%
41.2%
44.2%
46.9%
49.1%
50.5%
51.8%
Blogs
54%
58%
61%
64%
67%
69%
Wikis
33.9%
36.6%
39%
41%
42.6%
43.9%
User generated
Content consumers
60%
62%
64%
66%
68%
70%5
User generated video
Social networking
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are major social networking sites where
consumers spend a lot of their time. A recent app that is only available on android devices and iPhone’s
and iPad’s, is called Sports Yapper. This app was designed to focus conversations solely on sports unlike
other social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Users chat with other fans during games and they
can share anything that they post to their Facebook or Twitter accounts.
5 “U.S. user-generated content consumers.” Popular Magazines (April 2009).
http://go.galegroup.com.rlib.pace.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA196964724&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_pace&it=r&p=PPPM
Catherine Nolli, Michelle Sanchez
User generated content works.
Consumers and viewers believe that by staying connected they have a stronger loyalty to
companies or organizations that they “follow”. The power of the consumer’s voice has
never been stronger, easier to express, or more frequently listened to. Retailers are taking
advantage of the power of user generated content in the form of reviews on their
products. Users can leave reviews that are made available to everyone on the internet,
which then, can sometimes influence a consumer’s loyalty. If a user finds the information
valuable and worthy, they will be more likely to buy more and stay connected.6
When thinking about making an expensive purchase, the first thing you’ll probably do is
go online and read reviews to see what the best one out there is. You might even talk to
your friends or family to see what they think about certain brands; or you might visit
stores and speak to the staff to see what they recommend and what further knowledge
about the product they can tell you. This research and investigating is part of the user
generated content experience. This is what user generated content is all about; creating
an experience both off and online that the consumer relate to.
6 "Leading Retail Analyst Shows Retailers Can Gain Market Share Through Consumer-Generated Product Ratings & Reviews |
Business Wire." Press Release Distribution, Financial Disclosure, Online Newsrooms, PR, Public Relations, Investor Relations,
EDGAR filing, XBRL, Breaking News, Business News, Financial News | Business Wire.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060815005868/en/Leading-Retail-Analyst-Shows-Retailers-Gain-Market
(accessed February 11, 2013).
Catherine Nolli, Noemi Munoz
Amazon understands their customers.
Another way that user generated content works is through its ability to
understand the shopper or consumer. Knowing when and where consumers
look for product or service reviews is important. Perhaps there is a specific time
of day when more customers log on to the internet and start their search.
Knowing what the consumer is interested in will help in suggesting similar
items. Amazon does a great job of using user generated content. When a user
types in a product in the search bar, at the bottom of the Amazon page there is
a list of products that are similar to the one they are currently searching for.
This list contains products that other buyers are currently looking at.7
7 Goldenberg, Jacob, Gal Oestreicher-Singer, and Shachar Reichman. "The Quest for Content:How User-Generated Links can
Facilitate Online Exploration." Journal of Marketing Research XLIX (2012): 452-468.
Catherine Nolli, Noemi Munoz
Facebook has become a key
component for company growth
opportunities.
When Facebook began implementing the new “like” feature, companies knew
that they could use that to their advantage. They began creating Facebook
pages for brands and products. When someone would “like” the page, that
person’s friends were also able to see the information posted by these, brands
and products, in their own newsfeed and be able to go check out the page. This
made people more aware of the brands and products that existed. Facebook has
been such a huge part of the user generated content era. With Facebook having
over one billion active users, news really can spread far and wide.8
8 Jonsson, Anna Maria, and Henrik Ornebring. "User Generated Content and The News." Journalism practise 5, no. 2
(2011): 127-144. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=a15dedee-6498-4a64-815686153a0581bf%40sessionmgr14&hid=14 (accessed February 11, 2013).
Catherine Nolli, Noemi Munoz
Fans can remain loyal to their favorite
players on Twitter.
Twitter is also another dominant place for user generated content. Users can
tweet directly with celebrities or athletes. In this case, we are more concerned
with the athletes because sports is our market. So many athletes have their own
Twitter accounts and are always tweeting before and after games. During
games, fans can use specific hash tags that may get their comments viewed on
screen.
Catherine Nolli, Annalisa Bove
When does user generated content not
work?
While most of the time social media outlets such as Instagram, Facebook,
Sports Yapper and Twitter consistently raise awareness for the New York
Knicks reputation and sales, there are some instances where they would work
against our favor.
Catherine Nolli, Annalisa Bove
User generated content can become
negative on applications such as
Instagram and Sports Yapper.
Instagram is a photo based application where people post pictures and can
receive “likes” or comments on their pictures. Most sports players have an
Instagram account and at times, the photos they post are frowned upon by fans
or anyone else who sees them. When a photo is controversial, fans that follow
the players have the option of commenting on it. Comments can come from
people who either love the photo and want to leave positive feedback, or from
people who don’t like it, in which comments become very negative. Situations
like this can turn into problems.
Unlike Instagram, Sports Yapper is a mobile app that focuses specifically on
people having live conversation about sports games. Sports Yapper attracts
sports fans, fans that are super passionate about the team. Sports Yapper also
has its downfall; fans using this app sometimes make unkind comments to
other fans who are trying to have conversations about the latest games.
Catherine Nolli, Annalisa Bove
Players should be cautious of what
they include in their “tweets.”
Almost every player on the Knicks team has a Twitter account. Twitter being
one of the most popular social media platforms, has always caused disputes.
For example J.R. Smith a popular Knicks player has over 280,000 followers
and “tweets” things such as “I’m a good-looking guy,” Smith says, smiling.
“They’ve got to follow me.”9 Tweets like these can portray J.R. Smith as an
overconfident athlete that may give some fans and other people the wrong
impression about him and the team. That is just one example some players
tweet about players of other teams and about athlete trades.
Anytime a player of a sports team begins to form a bad reputation it reflects on
the whole team and the “brand” of that team. Therefore, while social media has
become a growing epidemic it can sometimes negatively impact a team’s
reputation.
9 Isola, Frank. “NY Knicks' J.R. Smith a real character on Twitter.” Daily News, February 9, 2013
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/social-media-knicks-turns-tweet-article-1.1259773
Catherine Nolli, Annalisa Bove
How can the New York Knicks make
better use of the internet?
It is without a doubt that sport fans are constantly connecting with each other on various
social media platforms. Iman Shumpert started a movement for the team which is
referred to as the Knickstape. This sums up the diversity of all the team’s players.
Play video.10
Fans quickly caught on to this and in support they keep the movement going by adding
hash tags to their “tweets”, Instagram and Facebook. It is very common to see loyal
Knicks fans posting pictures and status updates during game time. You can even follow
Knickstape on Twitter and many other social media platforms. Another reason fans
continue to spread their opinions on Knicks games and players especially is because often
times players like J.R. Smith and Chris Copeland “retweet” to their followers. It is a
growing form of communication and with so many different social media platforms; fans
can talk about sports whenever they want.
10 YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8r03x51RuY&playnext=1&list=PL1vUhCSQ7pwH7TcoRPPYaf3YkJo_fyo7&feature=results_video
Catherine Nolli, Michelle Sanchez
Hash tags keep fans connected on
social networking platforms.
Hash tags refer to placing a # at the end of a tweet to help categorize
what a tweet is about. You can use hash tags to create a stream about a
certain topic. If someone wants to follow a chat, he or she can just click
on the hash tag and only see the content that contains that specific hash
tag. This helps filter content and make searches more specific. 11
Hash tags were created in 2007. Hash tags are the quickest and easiest
way to search for something and find out about the latest topics people
are discussing on Twitter. Today 11% of tweets include hash tags and
over 190million tweets are posted a day. To find out the most popular
hash tags of the day and what might be trending in certain areas
hashtags.com provides that information. 12
11 Berger, Lauren. “All Work, No Pay.” Crown Publishing Group, 2012.
12 "Social Networking Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
Catherine Nolli, Annalisa Bove
#Knickstape was created by number 21…
#Knickstape was created by number 21 Iman Shumpert . Iman Shumpert
explains this new and widespread hash tag’s meaning by saying it is “a mix
tape of personalities.”13 In his explanation to Knicks Journal he describes how
he came up with this name because so many different types of personalities
tweet about the Knicks and watch the Knicks. He compares it to a musical
music tape where many different artists’ music is combined. Today during
games many fans “tweet” about their feelings toward a game or player and
hash tag #knickstape. Since the #knickstape hash tag has been created many
more fans have been hash tagging the team.
Not only is it a great way to promote the team but it allows people to be a part
of something created by a player that most younger fans would look up to.
Most importantly when more and more people see this hash tag and use it, it
could “trend.” When a hash tag is “trending” it will display on Twitter’s
“trending” newsfeed.
13 “Knicks Journal | New York Knicks Blog: Iman Shumpert Explains Meaning of the "Knickstape"" Knicks Journal | New York
Knicks Blog: Iman Shumpert Explains Meaning of the "Knickstape" N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
Catherine Nolli, Annalisa Bove
As of February 2011, there were over
156,000,000 blogs in existence.
Blogs are no longer just for personal use as they are now being used by major
businesses, universities, and sports teams to help keep customers, students, and
fans up-to-date with content ,building a more social relationship among their
followers.14
In 2012, blogs were the highest among popularity at 69% when compared to social
networking sites at 52%, and wikis at 44%. Blogs have been rated the most popular
since 2008.15
It is estimated that 46% of people read blogs multiple times a day, at least 32% read
blogs once a day and on average ,companies see 55% more visitors when they have a
blog then those that do not. These statistics express the importance in companies
having a blogs and how valuable even the fan created blogs can be to a company.16
14 Lim, S. Ronald. “Beyond Blogging,” Manilla Bulletin Publishing Corporation. http://www.mb.com.ph/node/332247/beyondblogging#.USllpKVVhhB
15 “U.S. user-generated content consumers.” Popular Magazines (April 2009).
http://go.galegroup.com.rlib.pace.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA196964724&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_pace&it=r&p=PPPM
16 Fields, Matthew. “Does Blogging Work? Infographic on Benefits of Blogging for Businesses,” Social Media Chimps.
https://socialmediachimps.com/infographics/blogging-benefits-businesses/
Catherine Nolli, Zach Parrish
Visit the Knicks on Tumblr.
On Tumblr, users can either tag a photo, video, or text (such as
“Knickstape”) and have it appear on their personal page. An example of this
can be seen on Knickstape.net, which is one of the many blogs dedicated to
the New York Knicks. This specific blog, however, is more elaborate than an
average Tumblr blog as it contains a 2012 - 2013 game schedule, team
roster, game recaps, and team news. With the creation of these blogs the
New York Knicks get the ultimate exposure through user generated
content. Team photos and videos posted on these blogs also link back to
nba.com/knicks which increases traffic to the New York Knicks home
website.
17 Tumblr. http://www.tumblr.com/
Catherine Nolli, Zach Parrish
The media has gone mobile. What
does this mean for consumers?
"SportsYapper will change the way people watch sports,”- Mark Teixeira,
First baseman for the NY Yankees
• Users spend 82% of the time they
spend on their phones in apps and
only 18% in the web browser.
• 83% of fans check social media
while watching sports on TV
• Apps will dominate traditional ads
simply because consumers don’t
perceive them as advertising but
actually view them as less
intrusive.19
18“In
2013, Mobile Social Lead Shift From Media to Digital,” eMarketer, Accessed, February 19, 2013,
http://www.emarketer.com/Articles/Print.aspx?R=1009677
19
Sunil Gupta, “For Mobile Devices, Think Apps, Not Ads,” The Harvard Business Review (March 2013): 71-75.
Catherine Nolli, Torrean Slaughter
KnicksNow App
The New York Knicks Official App includes the following features:
▫ Exclusive, behind the scenes Knicks coverage from the MSG Training
Center, The Garden, and on the road
▫ Video of one-on-one player interviews, press conferences, off-court
events, practice footage, exclusive player videos, and links to game
highlights on KnicksNow.com
▫ Photo galleries from practices, games, and off the court
▫ Knicks Facebook and Twitter feeds
▫ Interactive Knicks schedule and player cards
▫ Live game scores and stats
▫ Ticket information and links to purchase 20
20 National Basket Association , "The Official Site of the New York Knicks." Last modified 2013. Accessed February 15, 2013.
http://www.nba.com/knicks/.
Catherine Nolli, Torrean Slaughter
Bring the Sports Action to Your Phone.
SportsYapper- an app that unites sports fans, but more
specifically, sports fans who share interests in the same teams,
allowing them to discuss sports topics.
GameOn- an in app experience for SportsYapper
• Invite friends to “Yapp” about live games.
• Receive notifications from friends about live plays.
• Talk to other team fans live, during the game.
Why not Twitter or FB?
• Too much unrelated content.
• SportsYapper is a community of people dedicated to
talking about sports and only sports. 21
21 SportsYapper, "Frequently Asked Questions." Last modified 2012. Accessed February 15, 2013.
http://sportsyapper.com/faq.
Catherine Nolli, Torrean Slaughter
Recommendations
With the mass amount of user content that is generated on social media sites such as
Facebook and Twitter, its harder for sports fans to connect with other sports fans during
games and in general without getting lost in posts about popular TV shows such as Pretty
Little Liars or The X Factor.
How can this benefit us?
• By separating those interested from those less interested in sports, SportsYapper
presents us with a platform to reach our specific target audience without the
intrusion of the irrelevant content created by non-sports fans.
• The average person on Facebook has 245 amount of friends.
• With numerous amounts of friends and posts, there is a very high chance that the
consumer may not see the post, or if they do, it may not be as quick as it could be.
With SportsYapper, everyone user is a sports fan, and more specifically all they talk
about is sports, which will create more sports user generated content that we can
make better use of.22
22 "SportsYapper, a Free App That Connects Friends and Fans While Watching Sports, Officially Launches." PR Newswire . no.
June 21 (2012). http://m.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sportsyapper-a-free-app-that-connects-friends-and-fans-whilewatching-sports-officially-launches-159845725.html (accessed February 17, 2013).
Catherine Nolli, Torrean Slaughter
You talk, they listen.
Social Media platforms such as: Twitter, Facebook, and Mobile Apps are
imperative elements to a successful marketing campaign because they are easy
to use, visited frequently by consumers, and allow dialogue between the
professionals creating a product and their target audience. The amount of users
on Facebook (as well as many other social media websites) is growing rapidly
each day, with 794,564,900 million and a projected 900 million members by
the end of 2012 (How Many Facebook Users Are There 2012).23 Utilization of
these marketing platforms is not only wise, but necessary, for a company to
maximize its advertising potential and profit-making ability.
23 "How Many Facebook Users Are There 2012." How Many Are There. 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2012.
http://www.howmanyarethere.org/how-many-facebook-users-are-there-2012/
Catherine Nolli, Michelle Sanchez
Bibliography
Books
Berger, Lauren. “All Work, No Pay.” Crown Publishing Group, 2012.
Databases
Goldenberg, Jacob, Gal Oestreicher-Singer, and Shachar Reichman. "The Quest for Content:How User-Generated Links can
Facilitate Online Exploration." Journal of Marketing Research XLIX (2012): 452-468.
“In 2013, Mobile Social Lead Shift From Media to Digital,” eMarketer, Accessed, February 19, 2013,
http://www.emarketer.com/Articles/Print.aspx?R=1009677
Jonsson, Anna Maria, and Henrik Ornebring. "User Generated Content and The News." Journalism practise 5, no. 2 (2011): 127144. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=a15dedee-6498-4a64-815686153a0581bf%40sessionmgr14&hid=14 (accessed February 11, 2013).
Sipper, Bill. “The social media evolution; social media offers new marketing options, but requires delicate touch.” Popular
Magazines (March 2009).
http://go.galegroup.com.rlib.pace.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA203270763&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_pace&it=r&p=PPPM&sw=w
"Social Networking Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
Sunil Gupta, “For Mobile Devices, Think Apps, Not Ads,” The Harvard Business Review (March 2013): 71-75.
“User Generated Content, Social Media, and Advertising-An Overview”.” Interactive Advertising Bureau, April 2008,
http://www.iab.net/media/file/2008_ugc_platform.pdf
“U.S. user-generated content consumers.” Popular Magazines (April 2009).
http://go.galegroup.com.rlib.pace.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA196964724&v=2.1&u=nysl_me_pace&it=r&p=PPPM
Catherine Nolli
Bibliography
Websites
Fields, Matthew. “Does Blogging Work? Infographic on Benefits of Blogging for Businesses,” Social Media Chimps.
https://socialmediachimps.com/infographics/blogging-benefits-businesses/
"How Many Facebook Users Are There 2012." How Many Are There. 15 Feb. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2012.
http://www.howmanyarethere.org/how-many-facebook-users-are-there-2012/
Isola, Frank. “NY Knicks' J.R. Smith a real character on Twitter.” Daily News, February 9, 2013
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/social-media-knicks-turns-tweet-article-1.1259773
"Knicks Journal | New York Knicks Blog: Iman Shumpert Explains Meaning of the "Knickstape"" Knicks Journal | New York
Knicks Blog: Iman Shumpert Explains Meaning of the "Knickstape" N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2013.
“Knickstape: Iman Shumpert explaining what Knickstape really mean,” YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8r03x51RuY&playnext=1&list=PL1vUhCSQ7pwH7TcoRPPYaf3YkJo_fyo7&feature=results_video
"Leading Retail Analyst Shows Retailers Can Gain Market Share Through Consumer-Generated Product Ratings & Reviews |
Business Wire." Press Release Distribution, Financial Disclosure, Online Newsrooms, PR, Public Relations, Investor Relations,
EDGAR filing, XBRL, Breaking News, Business News, Financial News | Business Wire.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060815005868/en/Leading-Retail-Analyst-Shows-Retailers-Gain-Market
(accessed February 11, 2013).
Lim, S. Ronald. “Beyond Blogging,” Manilla Bulletin Publishing Corporation. http://www.mb.com.ph/node/332247/beyondblogging#.USllpKVVhhB
Catherine Nolli
Bibliography
Websites (continued)
National Basket Association , "The Official Site of the New York Knicks." Last modified 2013. Accessed February 15,
2013.
http://www.nba.com/knicks/.
SportsYapper, "Frequently Asked Questions." Last modified 2012. Accessed February 15, 2013.
http://sportsyapper.com/faq.
"SportsYapper, a Free App That Connects Friends and Fans While Watching Sports, Officially Launches." PR
Newswire . no. June 21 (2012). http://m.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sportsyapper-a-free-app-that-connectsfriends-and-fans-while-watching-sports-officially-launches-159845725.html (accessed February 17, 2013).
Tumblr. http://www.tumblr.com/
YouTube. http://youtube.com/
Catherine Nolli