Achieving Giant Results in 28 Days
NBA Global Games Manchester 2013
A Case Study by UKC Company
The Brief
The NBA Global Games came to Manchester’s Phones 4U Arena in October 2013, with a high-profile match between Oklahoma City Thunder and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The client was keen to generate significant ticket sales from members of the Chinese community.
They needed a new plan.
The Challenge
Before speaking to UKC Company, the client thought that the Chinese community could be reached organically, using normal communication channels. This had not proved to be the case.
By the time they approached UKC Company they had just 28 remaining days in which to achieve ambitious promotional targets, including new audiences reached and ticket sales. They needed specialist insight.
UKC Insight
Just 28 days to reach a highly targeted audience. Tall order. Of course, that’s where UKC Company came in.
Our knowledge of the Chinese market told us a number of things. And it made us confident we could deliver a truly effective campaign.
We knew that NBA is very popular in China, so we figured that there would be significant audience for the event… it was just a matter of reaching it.
We knew that the ‘post-90s’ demographic of young Chinese people are a hugely ‘mobile’ generation; communicating frequently via social media and smartphones.
Finally, we also knew that Chinese people love attending events in social groups. So, if the campaign was going to work well, we needed to find ways of getting them to attend together.
With a little clever thinking, UKC Company developed an innovative social media strategy based around the Chinese social media platform, Weibo.
A Large Community, But Where?
The target audience for the campaign was primarily Chinese international students living in the North West of England and the wider UK, other Chinese residents in the UK, and visiting tourists.
It’s a large community. Just not so easy to get to.
To be effective, we needed to get the NBA message out through the right platform. A platform where our audience could be found. Weibo.
A Strategic Response
With just 28 days results needed to be achieved quickly.
The UKC team swiftly registered the @NBAManchester Weibo account and devised a social media strategy: one that would achieve the right results in a tight timeframe.
24 posts would be sent through the account each day. Posts regularly provided team information and ticket booking details, alongside messages designed to get fans talking about how they would experience the game.
1215 posts went out during the campaign. 587 original messages. 628 replies or ‘retweets’.
The word spread. Momentum built.
Reach Through Influencers Conversion Through Individuals
UKC Company categorised Weibo users into two segments: influencers and individuals.
‘Influencers’ were those users that could give our message flight; the official NBA accounts, Chinese media, bloggers, Chinese basketball associations based in the UK, student societies, and other Chinese organisations in the UK. A strategic ‘retweet’ from these users could reach thousands of people in an instant.
But ‘individuals’ were just as important to the campaign’s success. The target audience, the people most likely to click and book… and invite their friends, too. Weibo users tagged with terms like ‘basketball’, ‘sports’, ‘Manchester’, ‘Salford’, ‘North West’, ‘North England’, ‘Liverpool’, ‘Sheffield’, ‘Leeds’, ‘York’, and ‘Derbyshire’.
Knowing how to reach both segments required UKC’s specialist knowledge of the China market.
Driving Group Booking
Encouraging people to attend the event in groups not only increased the amount of ticket sold, it increased the likelihood of those tickets actually being sold. Peer pressure rules.
UKC created a ‘Let’s Go Together’ campaign; designed to inspire groups of friends and families to arrange ‘NBA parties’…and make a real night of it.
The @NBAManchester account provided details on booking, travel information, and on restaurants close the event’s location. The account even helped to pair up attendees with other people going to the game.
On the night of the event two hashtags, #NBA and #NBAManchester, carried the message even further. Using the hashtags attendees were invited to share their own experiences of the match. Some created digital photo albums, documenting their night. Some had bought premium tickets, so got ‘up front and personal’ with celebs such as Rio Ferdinand. Some had bought new shirts, especially for the players to sign. And many had bought souvenirs from the game. All these experiences, captured digitally, shared through Weibo. A genuine sense of community around the event.
Result : a slam-dunkin’ success!
So, is time really an issue? Not at all. If you have the right insight you can achieve great things. Of course, where you get that insight from is critical.
If it’s time to take your brand into the Chinese market, just imagine what can happen if you speak to the experts. UKC can take you further.
About UKC Company
We’re a full service creative agency. With an emphasis on the service.
We create beautiful designs, we craft digital solutions, and we help brands communicate with their audiences.
Interested in UKC Company? Get in touch now to start the conversation.
China Marketing Team
UKC Company
0161 236 6411
Achieving Giant Results in 28 Days
NBA Global Games Manchester 2013
A Case Study by UKC Company
The Brief
The NBA Global Games came to Manchester’s Phones 4U Arena in October 2013, with a high-profile match between Oklahoma City Thunder and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The client was keen to generate significant ticket sales from members of the Chinese community.
They needed a new plan.
The Challenge
Before speaking to UKC Company, the client thought that the Chinese community could be reached organically, using normal communication channels. This had not proved to be the case.
By the time they approached UKC Company they had just 28 remaining days in which to achieve ambitious promotional targets, including new audiences reached and ticket sales. They needed specialist insight.
UKC Insight
Just 28 days to reach a highly targeted audience. Tall order. Of course, that’s where UKC Company came in.
Our knowledge of the Chinese market told us a number of things. And it made us confident we could deliver a truly effective campaign.
We knew that NBA is very popular in China, so we figured that there would be significant audience for the event… it was just a matter of reaching it.
We knew that the ‘post-90s’ demographic of young Chinese people are a hugely ‘mobile’ generation; communicating frequently via social media and smartphones.
Finally, we also knew that Chinese people love attending events in social groups. So, if the campaign was going to work well, we needed to find ways of getting them to attend together.
With a little clever thinking, UKC Company developed an innovative social media strategy based around the Chinese social media platform, Weibo.
A Large Community, But Where?
The target audience for the campaign was primarily Chinese international students living in the North West of England and the wider UK, other Chinese residents in the UK, and visiting tourists.
It’s a large community. Just not so easy to get to.
To be effective, we needed to get the NBA message out through the right platform. A platform where our audience could be found. Weibo.
A Strategic Response
With just 28 days results needed to be achieved quickly.
The UKC team swiftly registered the @NBAManchester Weibo account and devised a social media strategy: one that would achieve the right results in a tight timeframe.
24 posts would be sent through the account each day. Posts regularly provided team information and ticket booking details, alongside messages designed to get fans talking about how they would experience the game.
1215 posts went out during the campaign. 587 original messages. 628 replies or ‘retweets’.
The word spread. Momentum built.
Reach Through Influencers Conversion Through Individuals
UKC Company categorised Weibo users into two segments: influencers and individuals.
‘Influencers’ were those users that could give our message flight; the official NBA accounts, Chinese media, bloggers, Chinese basketball associations based in the UK, student societies, and other Chinese organisations in the UK. A strategic ‘retweet’ from these users could reach thousands of people in an instant.
But ‘individuals’ were just as important to the campaign’s success. The target audience, the people most likely to click and book… and invite their friends, too. Weibo users tagged with terms like ‘basketball’, ‘sports’, ‘Manchester’, ‘Salford’, ‘North West’, ‘North England’, ‘Liverpool’, ‘Sheffield’, ‘Leeds’, ‘York’, and ‘Derbyshire’.
Knowing how to reach both segments required UKC’s specialist knowledge of the China market.
Driving Group Booking
Encouraging people to attend the event in groups not only increased the amount of ticket sold, it increased the likelihood of those tickets actually being sold. Peer pressure rules.
UKC created a ‘Let’s Go Together’ campaign; designed to inspire groups of friends and families to arrange ‘NBA parties’…and make a real night of it.
The @NBAManchester account provided details on booking, travel information, and on restaurants close the event’s location. The account even helped to pair up attendees with other people going to the game.
On the night of the event two hashtags, #NBA and #NBAManchester, carried the message even further. Using the hashtags attendees were invited to share their own experiences of the match. Some created digital photo albums, documenting their night. Some had bought premium tickets, so got ‘up front and personal’ with celebs such as Rio Ferdinand. Some had bought new shirts, especially for the players to sign. And many had bought souvenirs from the game. All these experiences, captured digitally, shared through Weibo. A genuine sense of community around the event.
Result : a slam-dunkin’ success!
So, is time really an issue? Not at all. If you have the right insight you can achieve great things. Of course, where you get that insight from is critical.
If it’s time to take your brand into the Chinese market, just imagine what can happen if you speak to the experts. UKC can take you further.
About UKC Company
We’re a full service creative agency. With an emphasis on the service.
We create beautiful designs, we craft digital solutions, and we help brands communicate with their audiences.
Interested in UKC Company? Get in touch now to start the conversation.
China Marketing Team
UKC Company
0161 236 6411