Via: Buy Real Fans

We have all been hearing about the iPad non-stop for the past couple months. I have no doubt that it is a cool gadget. At first I questioned its practicality and wondered if there is really a need for people to be walking around with yet another device. Well, here is where Apple gets it right, nobody NEEDS the iPad but, as they did with the iPhone, they created an overwhelming WANT with their product demos and commercials etc. They have the power to make us believe our lives will be enhanced with their products. Still, I held off purchasing the iPad because I wasn’t quite ready.

As an avid sports fan, I started to review some of the sports apps available for the iPad and what the big differences would be as compared to the existing iPhone apps. I realized that the iPad is ”next level” and the more I read about it, the more I see it as a game changer in digital media marketing, specifically as it relates to sports. Leagues and teams should be continuously looking to enhance the fan experience and the MLB hits a home run with their iPad app.

At an Apple press event in January, Chad Evans, director of mobile development for MLB.com, demonstrates the league’s new iPad baseball software. The app allows users to interact more with the game, including animated play-by-play action, statistics, and live video. Check out the demo! If you are a Baseball fan, I guarantee that the iPad will quickly be on your wishlist, even if only to play and experience this app.

In an effort to extend their brand visibility in social space, the Cleveland Indians have recognized social media types, that have been active for years in the online space, with an initiative that brings them out from behind their computers and into the bleachers. The Indians, in collaboration with Digital Royalty, a Phoenix based Social Media Strategy agency, have created a plan to leverage the explosion of social media usage in order to increase the reach of their brand. The Tribe Social Deck is phase 1 in this plan. A 10-seat section in left field has been assigned specifically as a space for local bloggers and various social media types who are already an active voice in the Indians online community.

The goal is to support their biggest brand advocates and influencers and give them a new in-game vantage point for creating content and spreading it to their online audiences. Also referred to as a social media press box by Ryan Corazza from ESPN.com, the Cleveland Indians community is active with or without the active participation of the team. So why not get involved? Either way, the rise of social media and availability of publishing tools including blogs, twitter, forums and facebook, have caused businesses to cede control of their brand message. The faster organizations can accept this reality and turn the traditional one way message into an active two way conversion, the more chances there will be to maintain positive brand perceptions in the space.

While there are still a few kinks to be worked out, including giving these bloggers access to Wifi from the Tribe Social Deck ..a definite priority, big props to  the Cleveland Indians for being aggressive in their social media efforts and marching in a direction that fully recognizes the power of this media. Other teams will undoubtedly notice and follow suit with their own creative approaches.