Your cart

Golden State Warriors Forward Harrison Barnes Shows Social Media Skills with Scavenger Hunt

(Golden State Warriors)
(Golden State Warriors)

The Golden State Warriors have always been one of the more engaging NBA teams when it comes to social media. Perhaps this is because their proximity to the Facebook and Twitter headquarters gives them some positive social vibes. Or maybe their young, up-and-coming roster paired with an energetic fan base is the perfect recipe for social media success. Whatever the reason, they just seem to ‘get it’ and it makes the life of Warriors fans that much more enjoyable.

The most recent example of the Warriors’ social media brilliance actually did not come from their digital marketing department, but rather a player himself. Harrison Barnes, the Warriors’ 21-year-old talented small-forward, came up with the idea to do a city-wide scavenger hunt where he gave clues to fans via his Twitter and Facebook accounts.  The physical prize for fans who solved his riddles and ran all over the city was a signed Harrison Barnes jersey. The actual prize was getting to interact with one of their favorite players on a personal level that many fans do not get to experience.

Post by Harrison Barnes.

Barnes mainly used his Facebook page to interact with fans because it allowed him to write more than 140 characters. This gave him the ability to write more elaborate clues for his scavenger hunters.  He hid a total of nine jerseys around some of his favorite spots in the Bay Area.  Fans had to perform all sorts of different fun tasks such as ordering a “Barnes special with a jersey on the side” at a certain sandwich spot, playing one of Barnes’ friends in one-on-one, and reciting the main line from Wu-Tang Clan’s hit “C.R.E.A.M” (As seen in the video below).

Barnes’ clues were simple, yet fun for fans in the area to accomplish.  The clues he posted on his Facebook page revealed a little bit about himself and made fans use their knowledge of the city. A perfect way for for the fans and Barnes to form a closer tie.
An example of one of these clues was: “Lets do another jersey shall we… Between the ages of 14 and 15 I had my first dunk. I watched my favorite players dunk so much when I was a kid that I put stuff up on my walls to inspire me. This company also prints t-shirts and other inspirational items connecting back to the city they’re from. If you are wondering where they are they’re ironically between 14th and 15th in the heart of “The Town” Ask for the “Sleeveless Special” and get your gift. #hbquest.”
This clue led to this guy winning a jersey:

He also incorporated another player on the Warriors who does his own contests with fans, Steph Curry.

 

Barnes then included another local athlete, Josh Reddick, into his contest. A fun move that is great for building a sense of community amongst the Bay Area athletes.

He sometimes just had fans do random fun things to earn a jersey.

 

The scavenger hunt was a big success overall. The local businesses involved loved being a part of it and the fans obviously enjoyed their opportunity to interact with an outgoing Warriors player. The best part is that Barnes had a good time as well and has started off his promising career by becoming a fan favorite. Hopefully, more players follow his lead and get creative with the opportunities that social media gives an athlete to interact with fans.

 

← Back to SportTechie