With a variety of content coming from a multitude of sources, keeping a team's Instagram feed on brand can be a challenge on game day. Broadcast highlights, on-field video and photography need to come together to create a cohesive look for the feed.
Going into the 2019 season, the Vikings social, design and photography team crafted a unique plan to make everything look unified while provide the best possible experience for the team's Instagram followers.
Each game day, the Vikings Instagram feed took on a branded look with each frame/square blending together. That's extremely difficult to do during a live event while also keeping posts timely.
On game day, the Vikings typically have thee photographers on the field for away games and five photographers contributing content during home games. They have access to NFL broadcast highlights from FOX, CBS, ESPN or NFL Network. They also have 2-3 social videographers shooting with DSLRs. That's a lot of different looks from the differing sources.
The Vikings creative team designed a photoshop template with a host of options for pregame, in-game and postgame posts. Six frames were designed for pregame posts with content ranging from animated quote graphics to game trailers to matchup graphics.
During the game, all of this had to be done on the fly. Working with the social team, the team's senior designer would alter frames for video content or create designs from the team's photographers. Sometimes photo, video and design would all be blended into one frame.
In the end, posts remained timely for fans while delivering the best possible content experience. It also made sure that the maximum amount of team content (photo, video, highlights) were showcased on Instagram, giving fans an inside perspective on game day.
Throughout the course of the season...
In addition to the strong engagement numbers, the posts were well received by the design and social sports communities. It was an ambitious endeavor, but was well worth the additional time and attention paid to design detail.
