The autograph and selfie Snapchat -led campaign from The Association of Surfing Professionals – ASP Surf + Snap – is an impressive example of how new platforms are enabling smaller property owners to revolutionise their fan engagement.
Based around star surfer ‘digital autographs’, this campaign saw the organisation link up with last year’s ‘ASP Rookie of the Year’ Nat Young to send ‘autographed’ selfies to fans through Snapchat.
These Snapchat digital autograph sessions saw Nat personally reply to all fan snaps with a unique selfie and signature.
The fans themselves sent the campaign viral by posting the screenshots of their individual autographs on Twitter – thus sharing their Snapchat experience with friends across other social media platforms.
In fact, The ASP’s campaign was nominated for a 2014 Mashie Award in the category of ‘Best Use of Snapchat’ (the winners were announced at a ceremony in New York City 4 November, 2014).
Like the NBA, perhaps the leading sports’ governing body blazing the trail for digital and social engagement, the ASP provides a fantastic example of how property owners can use Snapchat to drive real-time engagement and entertainment.
It not only post snaps of real-time updates of big contests, the world’s best surfers and epic waves, but also on 30 June it ran a Snachat campaign to celebrate International Surfing Day (ASP Snapchat #ISD2014)
To follow the ASP on Snapchat surf fans simply need to look up user ‘aspworldtour’
Indeed, when the ASP set out its initial Snapchat strategy it decided to adopt the mantra ‘Go big or go home’ as it began experimenting with delivering exclusive live content and stories in an unprecedented fashion by finding organic, immediate, fun and creative ways to bring surfing fans closer to the surfers and the events.
The association believes that surfing is well suited to the immediate, yet finite lifespan of Snapchat content because its content is visually appealing and is constantly changing.
When a major swell starts somewhere around the world, the ASP actively contacts one of its athletes to document it live for the fans via Snapchat.
Thus it enables fans to feel more connected to the sport and to feel like they are in a relationship with the pro surfers.
Within two months of launching the The ASP Snapchat account it had attracted more than 9,000 followers.
The organisation adds everyone who follows the ASP, it listens and learns about the fans by viewing their own snaps and responding directly to the followers each day.
Then it uses this knowledge, understanding and relationship to provide the kind of multidimensional social surfing experience they are seeking.
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And it’s not just Snapchat.
The surfing governing body also operates rich engagement initiatives across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.
In fact, like the NBA, the ASP has a wealth of content – particularly spectacular and small film and image-led vignettes of the surfing lifestyle (from elite competition, to amateur rides, waves and lifestyles) that perfectly dovetails with the trend of spectacular social media snippets.
Indeed, when it joined Snapchat as part of a new umbrella ASP World Tour platform last year – which focused on engaging, educational and entertaining digital content – the ASP also reprogrammed its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Obviously, digital and social are revolutionising the communications and marketing industries and savvy, suitable sports bodies, teams, stars and sponsors are using them as an opportunity to connect creatively and personally with their audiences.
Links
ASP Snapchat User
aspworldtour
ASP Website
http://www.aspworldtour.com/
ASP YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/ASPWorldTour
ASP Google +
https://plus.google.com/+aspworldtour/posts
ASP Facebook
ASP Instagram
ASP Twitter
ASP Tumblr
http://aspworldtour.tumblr.com/
