In 2012, ESPN launched the Hall of Fans, an institution devoted to discovering, elevating, and celebrating greatness in sports fandom. In doing so, we leveraged social media to establish, grow, and promote the institution. The Hall of Fans will be a staple in the sports world for many years to come. 1. Recognize and Reward Your Fans – A core social media principle is to recognize and reward your fans. The ESPN Hall of Fans was established solely on this principle. 2. Developed for Social, Extended Across Platforms – The Hall of Fans is an initiative that started in social media, but ultimately extended across platforms to TV, digital, and radio. There was also a live ceremony at ESPN’s Bristol campus to commemorate the inaugural inductees. 3. Effective Social Promotion – As a year one initiative, ESPN used its own social media platforms to drive the majority of traffic to the Hall of Fans website where fans could submit and/or vote. 4. Designed to Generate Earned Media – The finalists capitalized on social media platforms to enhance their candidacy and drive additional votes, which resulted in earned media for ESPN and the Hall of Fans.
Please see embedded hyperlinks above and visit thehalloffans.com.
