“Fancred is a sports-focused social network for fans to connect and share content and opinions about their favorite teams and sports. It’s a free app where you can post articles, gifs, photos, comments, and trash talk with other fans.” This excerpt, taken from the Fancred Community Leader Playbook, outlines the company’s goals and vision. The site was founded by Hossein Kash Razzaghi, a Mississippi State University graduate. Razzaghi moved north after graduation and discovered he no longer had a fan base to talk about his beloved Bulldog’s sports with. Together with a small team of co-workers, he launched the Fancred iPhone application in August 2012. Since then, the company has expanded to a website version. So the question is: how did they do it? How, in a digital world dominated by social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, did Fancred break through and receive over 551 ratings on iTunes, averaging 5/5 stars? Simple – they gave the people what they wanted: strictly sports. Fancred’s vision is “to be the single point of access to your life as a sports fan.” Their network allows sports fans to communicate, share, and experience sports with other die-hard fans without having to sift through friend’s newborn baby pictures on Facebook and “OMG I <3 Justin Bieber” tweets on Twitter. Here are some features that have made Fancred such a hit: Accountability – Fancred requires users to register through Facebook, thereby authenticating the user’s identity. This makes individuals accountable for the content that they post and the ways in which they interact with other users. Give Incentive – The “Fancred Score” is a genius tool that the site uses to measure how active users are. However, the score is not based on how many times a user posts; it is used to separate the true fans from the bandwagon fans. A complex algorithm that measures things including knowledge of sports, involvement in team communities (i.e. your presence in each and overall fandom, calculates the score. The Fancred Score tool is successful because it gives competitive people something to vie for, but also inevitably increases users’ presence in the site. Go Straight to the Source – College sports are a huge demographic when it comes to online communities. To help engage them, Fancred has Community Leaders at over 75 colleges across the nation, a number that is expanding every school semester. These Community Leaders are responsible for posting live updates of their school’s games, pictures, and engaging their school’s community in sports-related discussions. In turn, the community leaders receive real-world experience and school credits for an internship. Guerilla Marketing – Awareness. The Internet has grown to colossal size, making it harder for potential users to stumble upon sites. Guerilla Marketing tactics such as writing the site’s URL in giant letters across a classroom chalk board, posting cards all over campus, and, my personal favorite: eccentric displays of Fancred affection in the form of their mascots. Give Users a Goal – Unlike many other new sites that smother users with free shirts and logo-clad items, Fancred has made these items a prize. You cannot buy them; they have to be won. Fancred employees and community leaders hold “caption this picture” and “post the best X, Y, Z” competitions and offer Fancred shirts, stickers, and other coveted “cred-swag” as prizes. From its start as a mobile phone application to its expansion to a website format, Fancred is a company to be admired and studied for its clever growth tactics. Edited by Melanie Ford, Webmaster and Editor-in-Chief 2013-2014
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At the mention of the name “Justin Bieber,” people cringe, shake their heads, roll their eyes, and even laugh. Not exactly the reaction a PR agent hopes for his or her client to provoke. This Canadian wannabe thug has elicited such a wide variety of responses since the launch of his music career in 2009, it’s a wonder he still even has a music career. We might not be able to continue to say that any longer, however, due to the events that have transpired over the past few months. From screaming adoring teenybopper fans to “haters” and condemning critics alike, Justin Bieber has certainly proved to be a controversial pop culture figure. His actions recently have done nothing to improve his image and his PR team has their hands full with the task of salvaging his image. On Jan. 31, Justin Bieber’s plane was held in Teterboro, New Jersey on its way to the Superbowl after authorities detected what seemed to be marijuana odors. After four hours, Bieber, 19, was granted access into the US once there was no sign of drugs or illegal substances. Only one week prior to this incident, on Jan. 23, Bieber was charged with resisting arrest, driving without a valid license and driving under the influence in Miami as detailed on this police affidavit. Bieber plead not guilty after driving nearly twice the legal speed limit. Believe it or not, that’s not all this pop star has been up to. Canada’s sweetheart urinated in a mop bucket in a New York City restaurant, and egged a house causing an estimated $20,000 in damage. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Showing up hours late to concerts, exiting vehicles followed by huge clouds of smoke, getting into fights with the paparazzi, and abusing prescription pills are now actions that characterize Justin’s new reputation. The most unnerving part of this whole ordeal, however, is Bieber’s complete lack of remorse for his actions. Just two days after he was arrested, the happy-go-lucky pop star was photographed enjoying a day at the beach. Even after grabbing a fan inappropriately during a photo op, Bieber provided no comment or apology. This is every PR professional’s worst nightmare. How is Bieber’s agent supposed to get him back in the good graces of society before it’s too late? That may not even be an issue at this point given that there is now a petition circulating to deport Justin Bieber back to Canada. After receiving 100,000 signatures, the Obama administration is now required to officially respond with a statement. As of today, the petition has over 245,000. It reads, “We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongfully represented in the world of pop culture. We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked.” This does not mean Bieber will get deported, it only means the Obama administration is required to announce a response within 30 days. From a public relations standpoint, Bieber needs a complete attitude adjustment if he expects to gain back any of his fan base and supporters. Jeetendr Sehdev, an L.A.-based branding expert, defends Bieber’s actions saying, “The transformation is certainly very deliberate when teen stars are looking to move on to more adult perceptions. That’s just the nature of the business. That kind of marketing is done externally with the fans, and internally, so that entertainment executives see them in another light.” I personally disagree. I believe there is a time and a place to take dramatic risks to transform one’s reputation (Miley Cyrus’ overwhelming success after twerking went viral), but in Justin Bieber’s case, what he’s doing is reckless. There is no PR plan behind his actions, simply his own selfish need to live by the ever-popular motto “YOLO.” In Bieber’s case, however, YOLO-ing seems to include self-destructive life choices like drag racing, abusing drugs, assaulting photographers, and even spitting on fans. In the long run, his need for instant gratification is going to cripple his career and not even the “Beliebers” will be able to forgive him. Edited by Melanie Ford, Webmaster and Editor-in-Chief 2013-2014 |
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