PLANO, Texas – Learfield Sports and digital marketing firm Think Social announced today a dedicated partnership to develop sponsorship-driven social media assets to increase the level of fan engagement among the collegiate marketer’s more than 50 properties nationwide. Oregon State University piloted the program and will continue to lead the way among Learfield Sports’ partner schools.
The corporate partnership provides Think Social entry to Learfield Sports’ athletic departments where the company holds exclusive multimedia rights. Think Social, which specializes in social media sports marketing, will be positioned to help drive the growth of the respective collegiate Facebook pages by creating distinct sponsorship-driven social media engagement campaigns to enhance fan experience and participation.
“In order to really connect with today’s fans, we need to offer compelling and engaging experiences on the platforms where they spend a majority of their time,” said Joe Ferreira, Learfield Sports’ chief content officer directing all digital initiatives for the company. “Think Social is perfectly primed to help us offer solutions for our collegiate athletic partners looking to bolster how they communicate with their fans in the digital space. Oregon State’s progressive stance in social media and monetization has led to great connections between Beaver fans and multiple brand partners.”
Oregon State Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis added, “We needed to engage with our fans in a more sophisticated way using social media, but also streamline the process. Think Social’s impact has been dramatic and we have seen our numbers increase steadily to now rank among the top schools in the country for followers.”
Concurrent with the Think Social agreement, Learfield Sports officially sets in motion its Preferred Solutions Provider (PSP) Program established by its content group including its digital division. Learfield Sports’ Digital, on the heels of introducing the Big Ten Connect app as its first product to market, unveils its plans to provide school partners and local properties a preferred list of corporate partners including platform vendors, app developers and content partners recommended and “approved” by Ferreira and his team.
“The launch of PSP is important to us, and with Think Social as a key initial partner, it was time to formally introduce it,” said Ferreira. “Learfield Sports Digital is here to provide the ultimate support to our school properties, and we know the digital space in particular is much easier to navigate if we identify in advance the players and companies we already endorse. This also sends a clear signal to the market that Learfield is the right path for technology partners to approach our properties and brands. We are confident this is yet another way we can elevate and refine how we do business with our collegiate partners.”
Think Social’s Managing Partner Jim Hanchett added, “We’re very excited about our relationship with Learfield, and we consider it a privilege to be a part of the Preferred Solutions Provider (PSP) Program. Learfield Sports, and specifically Joe Ferreira and his team, are identifying exciting and emerging opportunities in the digital space, and we’re grateful to be able to work with such great people on these initiatives. We recognize the tremendous opportunity before us, and we look forward to maximizing our partnership as we work together to bring additional value to the market place.”
Learfield Sports, which manages multimedia rights for more than 50 collegiate institutions and associations, also titles the prestigious Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup. The company’s multimedia rights encompass numerous content distribution platforms to deliver the passion of college athletics across radio, television and digital networks to fans globally. Learfield Sports’ exclusive sports programming reaches more than 50 million television households nationally and delivers nearly 17,000 hours of radio programming on more than 1,000 radio stations. For more about the company, its collegiate portfolio and 40-year history, visit www.learfieldsports.com.
Think Social is a digital marketing firm specializing in social media marketing strategy including the development of social media assets, promotions, and engagement activities. In addition to being an expert in collegiate and professional social media sports marketing, the firm also specializes in the development and implementation of custom social media marketing plans. To learn more about Think Social and its capabilities, visit www.thinksocialads.com.