Cote (c) said that before starting "Tom Vs. Time" his team admired Brady’s ability to connect with his fans TONY FLOREZ
With so much long-form video taking fans closer than ever to their favorite sports stars, it has “never been a better time to be a sports fan,” said Facebook Head of Sports Partnerships, Teams & Athletes Kevin Cote during a panel discussion on Day 1 of the ’18 Intersport Brand Engagement and Content Summit. He pointed to Facebook Watch’s recent series, “Tom Vs. Time,” featuring Patriots QB Tom Brady, saying it was a “touchdown” for the company as it tied into what Facebook Watch wanted for one of its original programs -- an opportunity to shed light on part of an athlete’s private life away from the field. Cote said that before starting the project his team admired Brady’s ability to connect with his fans in a meaningful way, though it still took four years to build a relationship that led to Brady agreeing to let cameras into his home. Cote credited the show for helping sales of Brady’s book, “The TB12 Method,” as well as his TB12 brand apparel. WWE Exec VP/Digital & Social Content Jayar Donlan agreed that long-form shows like Brady’s and HBO’s “Being Serena” are gaining popularity because they give unprecedented access to household names -- a quality that fans value and discuss on social media after episodes air.
USING MULTIPLE PLATFORMS: When it comes to diversifying video content across multiple social platforms, NASCAR Managing Dir of Series Marketing & Content Strategy Evan Parker said his group analyzes each platform individually, editing videos that are shared on multiple platforms to avoid redundancy. Parker: “We get insights from Facebook, Twitter, MVPindex. We’re always testing something. Putting things on social you have to be able to pivot.” When pressed on how much say partners have when it comes to video content, Parker stressed that NASCAR is careful not to leave its audience behind. Parker: “You have to create content for the fans to like before you go all-in on what the partner wants. Building content with the audience in mind is much more important than what will get us the quickest deal.”
