The San Jose Sharks have built one of the most engaging franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL). They know original short-form digital media distribution to athletes is a winning strategy, so they partnered with Greenfly to mobilize new players and established stars. These advocates have expanded audience reach by sharing non-live digital content on social media. Direct athlete-fan social interactions boost activation and revenue opportunities with digital-first Sharks fanatics.
Distributed 4,400+ unique media assets
By the numbers:
- 20+ Sharks players
- +170% Sharks player Instagram follower growth (vs. other NHL players)*
- +17% Sharks player Instagram interaction rate (vs. other NHL players)*
The virtual 2020 NHL Draft and truncated 2020-21 season tested the Sharks’ strategy. The Greenfly platform enabled the San Jose Sharks digital team to automate the distribution of personalized media galleries to players. And the platform helped them manage and scale content collection from multiple sources. Players even used Greenfly to create their own authentic photos and videos for the club. This activity expanded team coverage and thrilled fans with exclusive access to their remote training camp and season experiences.
“Greenfly improves our ability to share content in two directions, and it also makes it so much faster through automation.”
Patrick Hooper, Director of Integrated Marketing
The bi-directional content exchange helped the team bolster athlete-fan relationships and both team and player brands.
With Greenfly and digital media distribution, the digital team has extended their reach beyond team social channels, met their business goals, and brought “the Teal” closer to Sharks fans everywhere.
Download the full success story.
Sources: Greenfly, Jan 14 – July 26, 2021; *CrowdTangle, a public insights tool owned and operated by Facebook, during NHL Regular Season: Jan 14 – May 14, 2021.
Photo: Courtesy of San Jose Sharks
