Pop Culture Flashback
UFC and WWE
(Circa 2017)
How UFC Got Social Media Right; WWE taking the fight online via social media and people power - Flashback from September 2017, into 2018 and beyond
The relatively young franchise has taken full advantage of social platforms and sports entertainment powerhouse WWE is gaining ground; WWE now king and queen of combat sports and social media in 2018
News article revamp in progress
Flashback news article shows UFC success with Facebook and other social media platforms; Mirror to WWE online and social media dominance
Octagon ring girls or not; UFC social media packs a punch
UFC's Arianny Celeste, Red Dela Cruz and Brittney Palmer added even more fuel on the fire.
WWE's 'Ravishing Russian' Lana, Mandy Rose and Charlotte Flair lift WWE's game in sports model high stakes
Former WWE Diva's Emma, Summer Rae and Eva Marie will not be overshadowed; WWE women enjoy success after WWE main roster; Paul Heyman's Heyman Hustle 'secret weapon'
WWE women feel The GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling), with Netflix support
Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief Brand Officer, leads by example on social media and at media and business events; Queen of business awards
Heyman Hustle reality television show may air sooner rather than later?; Paul Heyman taking care of loose ends in WWE with Brock Lesnar contract?
WWE male performers find their niche: John Cena, Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin, Kevin Owens, Woken Matt Hardy, Roman Reigns, Titus O'Neil, Finn Balor
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson may be Hollywood's top Box Office across social media platforms
Professional wrestling legends Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and promoter Eric Bischoff cross promote using Facebook Live and Twitter into pop culture and current affairs
Former WWE'ers and UFC'ers keep feuds alive and build buzz via social media; Ken Shamrock pulls no punches in social media
Georges St-Pierre and management use social media buzz to promote speaking engagements outside United States; GSP targets Sydney and Melbourne, Australia
WWE 2K19 shows product promotion via social media channels is no game
WWE Twitter and WWE Universe Twitter; Cross promotions online; WWE Network Twitter
It's the UFC vs sports entertainment powerhouse, the WWE.
As the management and performers have found, every week is Fight Week and every month feels like WrestleMania season, as social media and the Twitterverse turn into an epic Goliath bloodbath as events get promoted, feuds are developed and promoted, and the UFC and WWE performers take on the trolls are win.
UFC Discovers Digital
The success of any given sport in the digital age is about far more than its inherent appeal. Global outreach, effective branding and broadcasting, iconic athletes - there are a host of factors at play determining which sports are more or less popular at any given time. UFC - the world’s largest MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion has benefited from ultra effective use of social media.
To anyone not familiar with MMA, it’s like boxing but you can kick, pin, knee, and choke your opponent. The gloves are minimal, the ring is an octagonal cage, and, if you’ve never seen it before, you might be shocked by the sheer lack of apparent rules. More extreme and multi dimensional than boxing, MMA has grown rapidly over the past two decades; what began as a means to determine the most effective form of martial arts through unrestricted competition has morphed into a sport in its own right, adopting rules and regulations to broaden its mainstream appeal while holding onto its brutality.
Early innovators in the world of MMA, hence UFC, include the likes of Art Davie, Judo Gene LeBell (a mentor of UFC - WWE cross over star, Ronda Rousey), Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Royce Gracie (and numerous other Gracie family members), and Dana White, who is the top brass of the king of mixed martial arts. In Japan Antonio Inoki, Akira Maeda and Bruce Lee all have to get a major mention, but for different reasons, all linked to the rise in the popularity of martial arts and MMA.
UFC social media scores circa 2017
The UFC’s success on social media has been evident in its numbers. For a relatively niche sport to have 20 million followers across its different social media channels, with 80 brand accounts, is seriously impressive given that it has only been around for 24 years. Last year, UFC 200 was one of the most successful events in the competition’s history. According to Forbes, it made ‘over 13 billion impressions, 3.2 million engagements on Facebook, 246 million impressions on Vine, their custom UFC 200 emoji was used over one million times, their Instagram had 4.3 million engagements, and they gained over 270,000 new fans across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during the event.’
UFC multi-platform social media approach and strategy
Part of the secret to UFC’s success has been a willingness to embrace new channels. Shanda Maloney, director of Digital Marketing and Social Media for UFC, said: ‘Keep up on new platforms and understand that your audience is engaged on those platforms. If you are going to have a voice in the space, create content that is unique to that platform/audience. Don’t assume the best practice is to push the same content across every platform.’
That being said, there is a danger for all brands looking to exploit social media that in trying to have a presence on each one you can spread yourself too thin, and UFC is committed to giving the best possible experience on each channel. The brand is hoping to bring to both its social media output and its wider coverage is real-time statistics. Analysis and insight has become a vital part of all sports broadcasting, and not least in a sport where bouts are often frantic and short-lived. Viewers want more than just the flurry of the fight; they want expert analysis, statistics, and predictions. It's about creating an interesting experience, and one that can be followed in WWE storyline fashion, be it day after day or week after week. Evolution is key in many regards.
Kristin Adams, former UFC social media manager, said: ‘Social media is very important to us moving forward. You can reach anyone, anywhere in the world and we have fans everywhere. The more we grow and go international, the more people we’re going to want to connect with and keep up-to-date on the cool stuff going on with UFC.’
This emphasis on social media is reflected in the online presence of its president, Dana White. With over 4.6 million followers on Twitter, White’s influence online dwarfs that of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter (2.53 million followers) and FA chairman Greg Dyke (little over 1000 followers). White’s output is constant and focuses heavily on multimedia posts, evidence of the president’s savvy understanding of what builds a following.
UFC 215 is set to take place on September 9 in Edmonton. You can bet on that in the build up to and aftermath of the event, the social media output will be made up of inventive and engaging content. During the event, the body will look to provide its fans with to-the-minute statistics and insight to exploit growing second-screen usage among sports fans. UFC has also been presented a major opportunity in the form of its unparalleled star, Conor McGregor, taking on boxing legend Floyd Mayweather in a fight that is predicted to make hundreds of millions of dollars. The fight is unlikely to go the UFC man’s way, nor is it likely to even be a close contest. UFC is accustomed to being the underdog, though, and if its track record is anything to go by, it’ll be well placed to exploit the publicity.
WWE comments on social media
Stephanie McMahon, always one to stay at the forefront of innovation, attended the 2018 CES expo, following the WWE's further entry into the social media realm with Facebook Watch, and testing the waters with VR (Virtual Reality). Mrs McMahon said the experimental deal with NextVR will see the company produce six virtual reality experiences over the next year, putting viewers face-to-face with WWE Superstars, and letting them "feel what it [is] like for 10,000 people to be cheering for you, or booing you".
"Or what it's like to climb into the ring and be standing face-to-face with the Big Show, who's 7ft 5in [2.3m] tall," she added.
WWE Divas become WWE Women's Division; From bra and panties to WrestleMania worthy main events
One previous popular match format and style, known as "Bra and Panties" involved competitors attempting to strip their opponent - the loser being the first to get down to just their underwear. One might agree that the winners were the fans - well, the ones that liked to watch the semi-dresses competitors.
Mrs McMahon believes that era is now over - and it was pressure from fans airing their frustrations online that forced the change.
"What has started in WWE is actually called the 'women's evolution', and it started because of a hashtag," she explains.
That hashtag,
#GiveDivasAChance, began after a women's match lasted just 30 seconds. It was a tipping point.
"Our fans were calling for more enhanced storylines, better character development, more athleticism in matches," Ms McMahon recalls.
The script writers got to work and a new storyline saw Divas renamed, straightforwardly enough, as the Women's Division.
WWE Smackdown ratings from April 2018
According to Nielsen Social, this week’s episode of Smackdown Live brought in 1.422 million total interactions, which is up from 1.330 million last week.
This week’s show had an increase in Facebook and Instagram activity (second and third figures), but saw a drop in Twitter activity (fourth figure). Smackdown was still the top overall ranked show on the night, beating out HGTV’s Fixer Upper and ABC’s Roseanne, which dropped from the top spot to fifth overall.
4/3 WWE Smackdown 1,422 155 1,166 101
3/27 WWE Smackdown 1,330 169 1,052 108
News
From Greco Roman, the Roman Coliseum, street fighting and smoke filled arena's to UFC Fight Week and WrestleMania, WWE Network and global media conglomerates
MMA and pro wrestling may come from primitive like foundations, but things can and do change from necessity. Necessity is the mother of all inventions. The UFC and WWE powers that be and competitors noticed social media taking hold and capturing fans and media attention. Rather than keep fighting it, these two fighting artforms embraced the social media channels and are now the recognized global leaders in social media use for business.
In ring action remains the foundation of UFC and WWE, but social media keeps adding fuel on the fire, be it to ignite and develop feuds and storylines, move merchandise, sell network subscriptions - its all part of the experience, and what an experience it is customers. See you at the matches.
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