LionDen
04-03-2013, 04:16 AM
http://imageshack.us/a/img221/8678/mcmahond.jpg
Another WrestleMania, another social-media suplex by World Wrestling Entertainment.
Long among the the sports and entertainment world's most digitally progressive brands, WWE is trumpeting this year's online engagement for its showcase event to be deeper and more robust than ever before.
WrestleMania goes down this Sunday at 7 p.m. EST on pay-per-view live from New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. WWE CEO Vince McMahon kicked off the week's social emphasis on TV show Monday Night Raw by finally posting his first tweet (he joined Twitter earlier this month); in it, McMahon promised a "big" announcement to come via the microblogging network before WrestleMania.
Also on tap this week for pro wrestling's digitally minded fans: competitive Facebook gaming, a press conference featuring social integrations, a star-studded cast of social-media "ambassadors," an online-only pre-show, a social hub for fans watching in person and widespread streaming availability for the main event.
Perkins Miller, who's overseeing his first WrestleMania as WWE's new executive vice president of digital operations, says the extensive lineup is fitting for an organization with nearly 12 million Facebook fans and an online presence that could go toe-to-toe with any sports league out there.
"The reason we've been able to have so much success with our fans is that we keep innovating," Miller told Mashable. "WrestleMania is where we get our broadest group of fans gathered around one event. So we asked ourselves: What we can do this year that would be bigger than last year? That's kind of the WWE way."
Here's a bit more about the digital activations we mentioned above:
- A new app called "Superfan Showdown" is accessible via the WWE Facebook page, and lets fans on the social network compete for prizes, perks and status by answering trivia questions, participating in polls and entering other challenges.
- WrestleMania's pre-event press conference (Thursday at 1 p.m. EST) will stream live on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com, as well as allow fans to tweet questions for stars including The Rock and John Cena.
- Celebrities from across the entertainment world will act as "social-media ambassadors" this week and during Sunday's events, tweeting updates, photos and more for their followers. Charlie Sheen, Jimmy Fallon, Larry King, Mike Tyson, Piers Morgan have all signed on.
- A live Sunday pre-show will ramp up the hype in the hour before WrestleMania begins, but is only available for fans who tune in online. The event will stream on YouTube, Facebook, WWE.com, Yahoo and AOL.
- An online "hospitality center" using the Twitter handle @AskWrestleMania will aim to help fans in the New-York area for the event feel at home. Staff will offer personalized responses to questions on topics such as parking and public transportation. MetLife Stadium will also be outfitted with 10 times its normal wireless bandwidth for fans at WrestleMania.
- WrestleMania itself will feature wider streaming availability than ever before. Apple, Android, Windows 8, Kindle Fire, XBox 360 and Samsung Smart TV will all be supported.
mashable
Another WrestleMania, another social-media suplex by World Wrestling Entertainment.
Long among the the sports and entertainment world's most digitally progressive brands, WWE is trumpeting this year's online engagement for its showcase event to be deeper and more robust than ever before.
WrestleMania goes down this Sunday at 7 p.m. EST on pay-per-view live from New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. WWE CEO Vince McMahon kicked off the week's social emphasis on TV show Monday Night Raw by finally posting his first tweet (he joined Twitter earlier this month); in it, McMahon promised a "big" announcement to come via the microblogging network before WrestleMania.
Also on tap this week for pro wrestling's digitally minded fans: competitive Facebook gaming, a press conference featuring social integrations, a star-studded cast of social-media "ambassadors," an online-only pre-show, a social hub for fans watching in person and widespread streaming availability for the main event.
Perkins Miller, who's overseeing his first WrestleMania as WWE's new executive vice president of digital operations, says the extensive lineup is fitting for an organization with nearly 12 million Facebook fans and an online presence that could go toe-to-toe with any sports league out there.
"The reason we've been able to have so much success with our fans is that we keep innovating," Miller told Mashable. "WrestleMania is where we get our broadest group of fans gathered around one event. So we asked ourselves: What we can do this year that would be bigger than last year? That's kind of the WWE way."
Here's a bit more about the digital activations we mentioned above:
- A new app called "Superfan Showdown" is accessible via the WWE Facebook page, and lets fans on the social network compete for prizes, perks and status by answering trivia questions, participating in polls and entering other challenges.
- WrestleMania's pre-event press conference (Thursday at 1 p.m. EST) will stream live on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com, as well as allow fans to tweet questions for stars including The Rock and John Cena.
- Celebrities from across the entertainment world will act as "social-media ambassadors" this week and during Sunday's events, tweeting updates, photos and more for their followers. Charlie Sheen, Jimmy Fallon, Larry King, Mike Tyson, Piers Morgan have all signed on.
- A live Sunday pre-show will ramp up the hype in the hour before WrestleMania begins, but is only available for fans who tune in online. The event will stream on YouTube, Facebook, WWE.com, Yahoo and AOL.
- An online "hospitality center" using the Twitter handle @AskWrestleMania will aim to help fans in the New-York area for the event feel at home. Staff will offer personalized responses to questions on topics such as parking and public transportation. MetLife Stadium will also be outfitted with 10 times its normal wireless bandwidth for fans at WrestleMania.
- WrestleMania itself will feature wider streaming availability than ever before. Apple, Android, Windows 8, Kindle Fire, XBox 360 and Samsung Smart TV will all be supported.
mashable