The WTA Tour today announced it has engaged social media startup Vixlet, becoming the first sports league or circuit to do so. Vixlet creates social media interactions for brands outside the traditional outlets of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, though users can sign in using those mediums as well. Vixlet calls what it creates “passion based networks,” meaning the social media revolves around one brand, in this case women’s tennis. “In the new world of passion based networks you enter a passion point -- say tennis -- through a branded world that provides trust and authenticity to tennis like WTA,” Vixlet co-Founder & Exec Vice Chair Krishna Gopala wrote in an e-mail. “So as a tennis fan you would go to a WTA app or WTA branded site ... or a widget -- touch or click and boom…..you are in the new world of Vixlet.” What will be there once a fan clicks the link has not been fully set, with the WTA saying in a release
that, “The platform will be unveiled later this year through an integrated web and mobile app with support for multiple languages, including English and Chinese.” The WTA is the second pro sports organization this month to sign onto Vixlet, following the Dolphins on April 15. The Dolphins' Vixlet platform will debut in July with the club’s revamped mobile app, and include exclusive content, a personalized events calendar and e-ticketing services. Vixlet includes on its advisory board Jed Hughes, the well-known sports recruiter at Korn Ferry, and former Reebok President Paul Harrington.
