Content is king, and everyone is still figuring out the best ways to utilize social media, according to members of a panel at the ’18 Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum that looked at how to further connections on university campuses. Twitter Associate Sports Partnerships Manager David Herman noted schools are spending “significant money” to produce high-end digital content. He believes that content is most valuable when a team is experiencing success. Herman noted Twitter tries to “help our team partners make sure they are taking advantage of those times.” He wants to give universities “all the latest bells and whistles on Twitter to really capture that audience.” Texas A&M Senior Associate AD & Chief Revenue Officer Pat Coyle said his bosses tell him to “be ready, be prepared” so that when success occurs, his team can take advantage of it. He pointed to his school’s football team’s dramatic 7OT win over LSU last month as an example: Coyle: “We really weren’t ready for that.”
THE UNDERDOG STORY: Univ. of Maryland-Baltimore County Digital Media Dir Zach Seidel shared some insight on his rise to fame as the man behind the Twitter account of the first 16-seed to defeat a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Seidel said of his experience after the record win over Virginia in March, “I’m walking back to the locker room and reporters are stopping me. I’m like, ‘Do I look like I’m on the team?’” Seidel estimates UMBC may have received about $33M in free advertising from press coverage in the aftermath of the win. UMBC opened a new basketball arena in February, and Seidel after the game tweeted the venue did not yet have a naming rights partner. He said the school is currently working on a naming deal. Seidel: “I asked them to name the court after me but they wouldn’t do it.”
