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Jay-Z Joins the NJ Nets on the Court of Social Media

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The New Jersey Nets have had a questionable relationship with Twitter, recalling a scenario not too long ago when their teammate, Terrence Williams, tweeted out how he regretted being drafted to the Nets. With this in the past, it appears the Nets are attempting to rekindle their relationship with the social media giant. They are now attempting to use its features a little more…constructively.

The Nets are deemed by many sports fans as “historically bad” at basketball with a record of 5-51. Thus, they are attempting to liven up their fan base and keep the support on the court. In an article on February 23, 2010, the Nets unleashed their newest marketing effort to try and increase their wobbly attendance. They have announced a contest for fans to win tickets to Jay-Z’s concert on March 6th.  In order to be a “fan” and enter the contest, an individual must become a fan of the team on Facebook or must follow them on Twitter.

Once a fan on Facebook, fill out a form before March 1st to be entered into the drawing. As a follower on Twitter, tweet the message “Hey @NetsBasketball I want to win two tickets to the Jay-Z concert at the Izod Center on March 6th. More info: http://bit.ly/jayznets.”

It is clear the Nets are attempting to build a stronger social network to not only increase attendance but also foster an identity for the future. They are attempting to connect better with their fan base and build a lasting brand. With part owner Jay-Z on their side, this strategy might actually work. Let’s just hope Terrence Williams does not tweet out that he’d rather have Lady Gaga tickets…

Rachel Kaylor

Comments

5 responses to “Jay-Z Joins the NJ Nets on the Court of Social Media”

  1. tchayes Avatar
    tchayes

    Great story choice Rachel. I’m interested to see if they make the most of it by actually capitalizing on the newfound followers by growing a strong brand that connects with the fans. Nothing stands out more than a company that goes through the trouble to acquire a huge following, and then does nothing with it but sell, sell, sell until fans tune it out and the brand ends up worse off than it began.

    Ps. Great writing. I love the closing sentence – it reminds me of Debbie Elliott. I’m sure she’d love it if you showed her!

    Reply
  2. Kacy Cox Avatar
    Kacy Cox

    This seems like a great idea for the Nets. As a brand and a team they’ve done very poorly in the past and this will hopefully bring them good publicity. The combination of Jay-Z, Twitter and Facebook should be a good mix. When social media is used correctly it can be very powerful for a business, a brand and in this case, the team. Though they have had bad luck in the past, this new scenario seems like a way for them to rebuild their reputation in a different setting. By using Facebook, which is mainly used by the newer generation they will be able to attract a set of fans that know how to navigate social media quite well. Hopefully, this works out well for the Nets. The idea is good, lets hope the application of it runs smoothly.

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  3. Ari Nateman Avatar
    Ari Nateman

    The NJ Nets are definitely utilizing technology to the fullest. I also agree with you that this endorsement with Jay-Z will help keep the fans they have and get more fans who may not like basketball.

    All of this publicity, facebooking, Tweeting etc won’t however change the fact that the team in the has the worst record any NBA basketball team has had in a while. A lot of fans will be lost, but the Nets are doing pretty much everything they can do in the meantime to survive until the NBA draft.

    Reply
  4. John Nutt Avatar
    John Nutt

    This clearly shows that the Nets are doing everything they can to keep fans interested in the team. This Twitter promotion to me just seems like a cheap promotion to get fans interested because of Jay-Z and his connection to the team. If the Nets want to increase excitement, they need to give away free tickets to every game for the rest of the season on twitter. That way people will hopefully continue to follow the team consistently.

    The Nets need more than just Twitter promotions to revive this dying franchise. The Nets have suffered through years of bad management and coaching. The only thing that will increase attendance is to put together a winning team or just play the Bobcats in every game (2 of 7 wins against the Bobcats).

    Ultimately though, the Nets need to move their franchise elsewhere. With the NY Knicks nearby, the Nets have no hope in surviving in NJ.

    Reply
  5. Matt Rhoney Avatar
    Matt Rhoney

    I would have to say that this is a great marketing strategy for the Nets. Of course they may not be the best basketball team or have the best constructive use of the social media, but having the name of Jay-Z attached to something doesn’t hurt anyone. Constructively using twitter and facebook in order to be considered a “fan” for tickets to see Jay-Z is more than a great way to call attention to the Nets. Its publicity that is seen in a more positive sense and therefore allowing more people to have the chance of becoming a “fan”. However, social media can only go so far for the Nets in this scenario as they would need to continue compiling a winning team with this sort of exposure.

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