St. Louis Cardinals tap into social media for scouting [Marketing News + Notes]
In the spirit of Major League Baseball's upcoming season, a story in last Friday's Wall Street Journal details the St. Louis Cardinals' "One For The Birds" social media campaign.
The effort is targeted at Cardinals fans, who are being asked to act as "cyber scouts," by sending in information on unheralded players.
This works on so many levels. It's like any other company harnessing its brand evangelists through a user community. How do companies make their products better? By learning about defects, gathering suggestions, etc.
How can the Cardinals make its on-field product better? Not by fan-suggested workout methods. Not by ignoring angry letters sent to the team's general manager. But by harnessing its brand evangelists -- its fans -- who may help them put the best players out there.
One question, though: If even one player were to make it through this process to the Cardinals at some point, and then if the team were to go on and win the World Series with that player on the roster, would the cyber scout who found the player receive a ring? Hmm...
This works on so many levels. It's like any other company harnessing its brand evangelists through a user community. How do companies make their products better? By learning about defects, gathering suggestions, etc.
How can the Cardinals make its on-field product better? Not by fan-suggested workout methods. Not by ignoring angry letters sent to the team's general manager. But by harnessing its brand evangelists -- its fans -- who may help them put the best players out there.
One question, though: If even one player were to make it through this process to the Cardinals at some point, and then if the team were to go on and win the World Series with that player on the roster, would the cyber scout who found the player receive a ring? Hmm...
Comments
What a fantastic idea! Call me crazy but as someone who grew up in St Louis during the reign of the early 80's Cardinals, I was never that big of a Fan. Sorry Whitey, sorry Hub, Sorry Ozzy. The team was great but the sport didn't capture me. Today's multi millionaire athletes, the steroids, the strikes has tarnished the game. I think this can really bring back the connection between the team and the fans. I will be following this to see how it goes.
Posted by: Richard Saling | March 23, 2008 10:49 PM
It really is amazing how such large conglomerates can now interact on a one-to-one level. Social marketing is already such a strong tool, but when placed in the hands of a group that already has a strong following, such as major league teams, the possibilities are endless.
Posted by: Benjamin | April 26, 2008 3:14 AM
It's one of the reasons many media companies have declined: a failure to interact with customers on a one-to-one level.
Posted by: Daniel | May 2, 2008 2:22 PM