Thank you to everyone who read and shared the first part of our 2012 series, looking at what the year ahead could offer from those who work in the industry in Spain and the US.

It was really pleasing to see your own comments on what will be big this year and that the article was published on the website ‘Social Media Today’ where it was shared hundreds of times.

This week we’ve brought together some more great social media and sport people, this time from the UK, to share some of their thoughts on what opportunities they expect the next few months to hold.  They come from a variety of people who cover sports as diverse as Cricket, Football, Rowing and Rugby.

I’d like to thank Mark Segal (ITV), Steven Dent (ECB), Tom Hines (RFU), Chris Hughes (Sine Qua Non International) and Mike Dunphy (MD Media Consultancy) for contributing.  They’re a brilliant group of people who we can all learn a few things from.

Tom Hines (@Hiiino) is Digital Editor at the Rugby Football Union, working on digital and content strategy for the RFU’s online communications. Established and developed the RFU’s presence in social media.

“Let’s start with a safe bet, while the planet’s finest are setting records in east London this summer, the social sphere will generate a record amount of noise around a single sporting event. Sports fans will get unprecedented Olympic access from athletes, journalists and volunteers alike (sorry BOA, but you can’t control 70k of them!).  It will be one of those events that throws so much into the social sphere that what works will quickly find its way into other sports.

More broadly, there are a handful of significant trends set to hit in 2012, but the two that will have most visible impact for fans are Social TV and online Stadium-Based Services.

New devices and software will start to put social media at the heart of the home-viewing experience. I think we can expect broadcasters to roll match specific hash tags at the start of all games and events, instantly creating a way for brands to engage with very focussed groups of sports fans for the duration of an event.

As wifi and 3G coverage improves in stadiums, the sharing of live match experiences through social media will become easier and sponsors and organisers will focus more on harnessing these opportunities. The eager ones will troop off to live events with tablets and promo staff to capture data and social sign-ups. The integration of offline content, like programmes, with social media and online commerce should also make a step change.

Finally, a couple of personal thoughts around social and sport for me in 2012: firstly how, as a Governing Body, the RFU can best use social media to increase participation; and secondly what would an organised F1 assault on social media look like? The sport is ripe for it and 2012 may finally be the year they nail it.”

Steven Dent (@Steven_Dent) is the Social Networking Executive for the England & Wales Cricket Board, looking after all the England team sites on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“2011 saw social media and sport take a massive step forward. More sports stars than ever are jumping on board, realising the power of interacting directly with their fans for the first time in this social media age. I can only see fan engagement growing in significance in 2012. With Facebook’s changes to Pages highlighting more openly the level of engagement or ‘talking about this,’ community managers will start to place more emphasis on increasing their one on one engagement with sports fans. Sport has always had the benefit of passion and emotion to call upon it’s fans, but the next step is listening and responding to those messages to truly be social.

2012 will a be a year where we see increased efforts to transfer engagement from offline to online. The in ground/in stadium audiences, or those following more remotely, will be actively encouraged to involve themselves in online activities in more creative ways using mobile devices and Facebook apps. As a result the amount of touch points fans can have with sports will increase. In turn that will mean an increase in stadium Wifi and interactive locations around sports stadiums to ensure fans get involved. Geo-location and near field communication (NFC) will start to become commonplace for fans as they absorb more of the experiences around sporting events.

With the speed of advances in technology and new social ideas emerging all the time, 2012 is going to be another year where digital media takes a step forward in the prominence of sporting organisations. It’s an exciting year ahead, and I for one can’t wait!”

Mark Segal (@segalmark) is a freelance football journalist writing for a number of national magazines and websites. Formerly football editor of Teletext and ITV Football, he is now production manager  of the ITV website.

“At some point in 2012 you will be able to see live, real-time stats on your television while watching a sporting event. I expect internet-connected TVs to move into the mainstream during the year and a number of companies are already developing products which will immerse a viewer even deeper into the game they are watching. The opportunities are endless with live stats, extra replays and even Twitter streams being available for a user to see while watching the game.

Sports fans will be the big winners in 2012 as clubs look for ever more ingenious ways to reach out to them. Thankfully the days when organisations took to the social media sphere purely to make money are now gone and most realise the medium is a great way of building a more rounded relationship with their supporters. The phrase social media stadium will be heard a lot more as clubs follow the example of the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona in making the voices of their fans heard on matchday.

On a more cautious note I expect more sports stars to get into trouble in 2012 for what they post on Twitter. Social media training should now be essential for those in the public eye, but a more grown-up approach from sporting bodies would also be a welcome development.”

Chris Hughes (@chrishughespr) is the Head of PR and Communications at Sine Qua Non International with extensive experience in the motorsport arena. Chris also works with Olympic gold medallist and triple rowing World Champion Zac Purchase.

“For much of the sporting world, 2012 will be the year when social media becomes a naturally integrated element of a wider communications and marketing platform. Sports teams, athletes and event organisers have spent sufficient time exploring and experimenting with social media to know which platforms work best for them and what approach will engage and grow their respective fan bases. There will always be new tools, new apps and renewed focus on a particular area (it’s widely believed that 2012 will be a breakthrough year for mobile), but social media is no longer the shiny new toy that it has been for the last couple of years.

The impact of social media on global sporting events has been witnessed already, from the 2010 Football World Cup to the Ashes to Formula One; social media is now a fundamental, unavoidable part of fan experience and engagement.

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will, however, be the first summer Games to take place with such widespread understanding, adoption and, perhaps most importantly, expectation of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. As a result, London 2012 will be the fastest moving, most openly debated Games in Olympic history, which opens up a raft of opportunities for athletes, as long as the powers-that-be do not interfere.

Willingness to embrace social media during London 2012 is not going to be widespread with confirmation this week that the tens of thousands of Games Maker volunteers will have to conform to stringent social media restrictions. Quite how these restrictions will be monitored across 70,000 volunteers is another matter entirely.

The IOC has at least recognised the importance of social media for athletes with a set of guidelines already established to give athletes an element of “controlled freedom” when it comes to online posts. The stipulation is for first person narrative rather than third person commentary, and there will inevitably be stories of wrist-slapping for contravention of the rules, but it is far better to encourage social use rather than try to impose a blanket ban from the outset.

The influx of Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls to Twitter has already begun and follower numbers are increasing. London 2012 could well give our home heroes the chance to shine online and what an exciting prospect that is. Much like the Games itself, the athletes are looking to establish a legacy for themselves long after the closing ceremony and public engagement through social media will be a key factor in achieving that.”

Mike Dunphy of MD Media (@mdunphy) who works with numerous football clubs and agencies including Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid.  

“The convergence of social, location and mobile will become the opportunity for clubs and associations to engage productively with fans in 2012. Those who still live in the world of “pc websites” will be left further and further behind. Those that are embracing mobile optimised services will now be in a position to have more than enough traffic to commercially exploit in an empathetic manner. However, there are still opportunities for traditional mobile plays in the developing world.

 The most interesting things I am looking at are around taking mobile and social network followers to the next level. Of course there are opportunities to do more with Facebook in the “pc website” world, such as having Facebook stores, but we must not forget the Facebook traffic that is not on the fixed web, maybe over 50% for some brands.”

Some great insights I’m sure you’ll agree.  If you’d like to add your own then please do so in the comments below.

Yesterday saw the International Paralympic Committee release their guidelines on the use of Social Media during the games in London next year.  In a refreshing change to the normal reaction to new technologies, especially those that affect communication, they are encouraging athletes to maximise its use.

What they have come up with is not a list of ‘Do Nots’, though there a few to ensure that the Paralympic partners are covered.  It is mainly around athletes taking responsibility for what they are posting online.

Craig Spence, IPC Media & Communications Senior Manager, said: “The IPC wants to make the London 2012 Paralympics a truly digital Games.

“We want to use the power of social media to spread the Paralympic vision and share the Paralympic experience so that anyone anywhere in the world can be part of these Games.

“In producing the new guidelines we have gone back to the drawing board and also consulted with the IPC Athletes’ Council to ensure their views are represented.

“Many of our athletes are already on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. What these Guidelines aim to do, as well as encouraging them to embrace social media, is also protect the integrity of the Paralympic Games and anyone associated with them.”

You can have a look at the full guidelines here.  I’ve picked out some of the highlights to give you an idea of the restrictions that athletes will have to abide by;

• Encouraged to use Social Media during Games time
• No interviews or stories about other accredited athletes
• No private or confidential informational to be posted
• Cannot add content for commercial and/or advertising purposes
• Only add video/audio taken outside of the venues
• Can film in the accommodation areas
• Any pictures taken tagged with ‘ParalympicSport.tv’ on Facebook and ‘@paralympic’ on Twitter

This is a sensible use of social by the IPC as they recognise that they are not going to get the same global attention as the Olympic Games, that takes place just before it, is going to get.  They need to encourage as much conversation around the Games as possible and having the content being provided by the athletes taking part is a great way to engage the world.

Media often quote athletes from a multitude of sports and having these quotes to use from Paralympic athletes will be ideal for the daily papers and websites covering the sports.  It also gives a great insight into who they are, the stories about them and how they cope with the pressure of competing at the biggest event on the planet.

For those of you who are planning to go and watch the anticipated Beach Volleyball warm up event at Horse Guards Parade this weekend you may want to get your smart phones out.

In a sponsorship first, I’m pretty sure I’m safe in saying that, we will see the much loved QR code being used on an athlete.  Top British players Zara Dampney and Shauna Mullin have agreed to a lucrative test sponsorship with Betfair where they will be displaying a QR code on their much pictured backsides!

The thought behind it (!) is to test the new found popularity of women’s beach volleyball (was up there with 100m final in popularity for 2012 tickets) with the new use of digital technology.

When the codes are photographed by a smartphone, the user is directed to a registration page to join Betfair, offering consumers a free bet.

The new marketing ploy is being trialed at this week’s London 2012 beach volleyball test tournament at Horse Guards Parade, London, from today (9 August) until 14 August.

Andy Lulham, head of PR at Betfair, said: “There is huge interest in beach volleyball and we want to ensure that our advertising campaign is seen and remembered by as many sports fans as possible.

“As far as we’re aware, this is the first time QR codes have been used in in-play sports advertising, and what better way to test its effectiveness than by putting them on one of the places that is likely to get photographed the most?”  

Be really interesting to see how many click through they get with the QR codes and if was worth the investment.  QR codes so far have had a patchy reception when previously used but this could have a double benefit. For one you can take a photo at the event (could be tricky though) or if you miss that opportunity take a picture of the images that will appear in press, magazines and online.

What are your thoughts, will it work?  Will we see more of this style of advertising?

After my rather lengthy last post here is something a bit more bitesized and with plenty of pictures!  Everyone involved has been releasing their celebration activations around fact that we have only 1 year until the start of London 2012 Games.

Samsung have gone with a YouTube homepage takeover to promote their torch relay, whilst adidas went with a video showing Phillips Idowu, Snoop Dogg and Warren G taking on GB Basketball at 3×3 in London(!) and BA unveiled a ‘One Year To Go’ painted on the underside of one of their planes.

London 2012 itself has come up with a really nice digital creative that will extend past this one day of partying.  Here they have taken to the country v country competition side of sport and used tweets as a way of measuring who is the winner…pretty simple.

You select the country you want to support and tweet a message that then goes towards the grand total for your chosen nationality.  You can then see this as an image of the stadium with the % of each country being shown within it.

So far Brazil is in the lead with 23% of the tweets with the UK running them close in 2nd place with 20% (USA are way behind with only 11%).  It is a really nice way of generating awareness with the #1yeartogo hashtag on all these tweets and a fun engaging way of getting people involved.  With the counter showing 40,000 tweets so far it is proving to be a great success.

Not only is this an great activation..there is more.  If you go to the Global view then you can submit videos and/or images in support of your country.  Adding even more to the depth of the engagement the website is offering.  Its a really good and fun way of celebrating a big day for the UK sport and getting people around the world involved.

Now for the pictures….

Read the full story

The London 2012 Games are now 500 days from becoming a reality. We have already seen a lot of coverage online, in papers and on the TV, but what of the athletes – those super humans who can transform Team GB into a home frenzy in just over 15 months time….?

It is not often that you get a glimpse in the life of an Olympic Gold Medallist, World Record Holder and Member of the Order of the British Empire – let alone one who is embarking on an intensive training regime in order to defend his title at next year’s Olympic Games – but then there are not many Olympians as humble, personable and business savvy as rowing sensation Zac Purchase.

Three years ago, Zac took gold in the Lightweight Double Sculls alongside rowing partner Mark Hunter, one of Team GB’s haul of 19 gold medals at Beijing 2008, beating Greece into second place by almost three seconds. Since then, he has appeared on countless TV shows and made that celebrated trip to Buckingham Palace to collect the MBE from HRH The Prince of Wales.

While rowing remains one of the UK’s most revered and successful sports in the Olympic Games, its stars are some of the country’s untapped success stories. Companies can derive waves of positive exposure from an association with a Team GB gold medallist while intrinsically building an unconscious link between brand and one of the world’s most watched sporting events. Rowing is precisely the sort of clean, untarnished and historic sports we have – and what brand would not want to be seen in that sort of overwhelmingly positive light.

Zac took time out from his hectic schedule to speak to The UK Sports Network.

Zac, we are 500 days away from the London Olympic Games – what does that landmark mean to you as a competing athlete?

“With 500 days to go you can guarantee that the athletes who are serious not just about competing at the London games but winning as well will be training hard. It will be just another day of pushing limits and maximising opportunities. The countdown timer on my website is a constant reminder that I need to be doing all I can on a daily basis to ensure I get the result I’m after. It’s a great reminder that there is a reason for all of the hard work along the way.”

Does being the reigning gold medal holder for the lightweight double sculls add pressure?

“I try to set myself exceptionally high standards when it comes to competing and producing the best race I can on the day. The pressure from the crowd is a welcome relief from the pressure I put myself under. We raced at Beijing as favourites having not been beaten in the 2008 season, so I hope we are learning the best ways to use that adrenaline!”

What does your training regime entail?

“It’s a fairly monotonous regime to be honest, usually 3 sessions per day with a day off every 2 weeks. We have a good mix between endurance and technique on the water mixed up with weights and the dreaded Concept II rowing machine – every rower loathes the solitude of an ergo! We then have to ensure we get the most suitable recovery (usually an afternoon kip!) and also repair our bodies with a good diet and help from Science in Sport’s drinks.”

What does London hosting the Olympic Games mean to you?

“What more can an athlete ask for? Not only the opportunity to race at the most important sporting event in the world, in front of a huge, interested and excited crowd but also to be doing it in your own country, with the crowd singing your national anthem. Beijing was a fantastic experience, but I expect London will, for me, massively exceed the 2008 Games.”

How do you use social media platforms to interact with the public?

“It’s great to give people an insight into what I’m up to on a daily (or even hourly!) basis. My twitter is @ZacPurchase and I try to answer most questions! Facebook (Official Zac Purchase) is great too for sharing pictures and relevant links/articles that I think other people might enjoy as well. Of course my website has more general background information about me and my journey through the sport, as well as ways for anyone to get in touch.”

How different is the world of rowing to other perhaps higher profile sports in terms of public engagement?

“Rowers in general are great. We are, as a breed, happy to spend time talking to people and get to know them. Sometimes in other sports the athletes’ time is so important, and the demands on them are so great that they lose sight of this really key aspect. Public engagement is great fun too; we occasionally get let out of our training centre and allowed into the real world and I tell you, it’s a welcome relief.”

What commercial opportunities does rowing offer to brands?

“Rowing can offer brands a stable and consistent image of sustained successful performance. Rowing in Great Britain has gone from strength to strength over the years and I know that brands love to be associated with sports that provide positive messages like that. Also, with the Olympics just around the corner there is a massively heightened awareness of the sport and the athletes involved with it. Any brand associated with a successful athlete will be synonymous with and part of that success on a world stage.”

You are also a popular public speaker, what does your repertoire consist of?

“I talk to many different types and sizes of audiences and tailor what I’m talking about to each one. It’s great to know a bit about the audience beforehand and try to match up some of my experiences in sport to aims or objectives that they have as a group. Having said that, the ‘human’ side of the story is also quite important and people enjoy hearing about the behind the scenes information and a more personal insight into my experiences at the Beijing Games.”

Does your ‘act’ appeal to a wide range of audiences, or just rowing fanatics?

“I know not a huge number of people have an understanding of the sport, so I try to keep away from any of the technical aspects or any of the day to day drudgery. Rowing fanatics might actually be a little disappointed that I don’t waffle on about it more often.”

What do you think British sports fans can expect from the Games next year?

“Given what the country achieved in Beijing, I know that as long as people keep supporting the athletes we can produce more and more thrilling competition. We are a hugely driven group of people, determined and ambitious. With the right people around us and the right support there is no reason that Great Britain can enjoy a month of win after win after win.”

Thank you to everyone who came to the event at the Design Council in London tonight and those who couldnt make it but managed to watch it on Livestream instead.

Some great stats from the night – in total we had over 120 people attending, the video viewing topped 150 at one stage, over 550 #smwldn_sport tweets sent out and the same again retweeted and the hashtag trended in London during the 2 hour event….. amazing!

We will have more info to share such as the presentations and a good summary of the evening but I wanted to add this before turning my aching body in for the night. A massive thank you must go out to my co-hosts Sophie Brendel (@sophiebr) and Maz Nadjm (@mazi) for their help in making it all possible.

The speakers on the night were immense, as we knew they would be, and am sure would love to hear your feedback and for you to follow them/get to know them better. They were Adam Mountford (@tmsproducer), Tom Hines (@Official_RFU), Luca Massaro (@iamluca), Luura Higginson (@higgo_), Chris Harris/Ben Ladkin (@arsenaldotcom) for the social media showcases.

We also had for the BBC Olympics panel Lewis Wiltshire (@lewiswiltshire), Karen Pickering MBE (@karen_pickering), Jeanette Kwakye (@jnettekwakye) and Jake Humphrey (@jakehumphreyf1) which was hosted by the BBC Director of London 2012 Roger Mosey.

Below is the footage from the evening which I will you will enjoy and take elements of both now and in the future, was some great content and honest, insightful remarks from all.