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Making the connection

Business | Sport | Technology

Social networking has been one of this decade’s most influential technological developments and its penetration into all realms of daily life has demanded companies sit up and take notice. Never before has the public been so influential in the future development of brands.

The rise of online networking platforms such as Twitter, which is in essence a contrived form of the longer established art of blogging, has given rise to the increasingly prevalent concept of citizen journalism; members of the public – the consumers themselves – breaking new stories or passing judgement on companies to an opinion-hungry open-eared audience. It is no wonder that companies are starting to adopt the web as their communications tool of choice. And this is equally true in the sporting world where fans want to become an active participant rather than a passive viewer.

Look at mass participation events such as marathons and triathlons. They are not just about the challenge to achieve goals and to reach aspirations, but they are genuinely about taking part, being a participant, being involved. That’s the crux of social networking and where sports internationally need to look at how to involve their fans.

Formula 1 has long been perceived as a cordoned off, heavily guarded sport which appears more often than not to keep the fans out rather than invite them in. Recently though some teams, and even drivers, have looked to break down these barriers that separate them from the fans, finally recognising them as the lifeblood of the sport.

Jenson Button, or for the purposes of this entry @The_Real_JB, recently tweeted from a rain-hit practice session during the Japanese Grand Prix to give his followers a unique insight into an admittedly quiet afternoon at the race track. Similarly McLaren’s @thefifthdriver gives a glimpse behind the scenes of their team, while Toyota has also ventured online this season with a fan blog and ezine.

Those involved in sports, whether motor racing, football, tennis or golf, have to fully immerse themselves in the internet. Yes, some web tools will be shorter lived than others, but that’s missing the point – if you are not getting involved now you will always be playing catch-up and surely the essence of sport is to stay one step ahead of your competitors if you are going to win.

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