The battle of hockey supremacy in Southern California heads out to the baseball diamond in Los Angeles as part of the NHL’s Stadium Series next week. The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings face off not only in a battle of Southern California, but also in a clash of two top-10 teams on January 25th at Dodger Stadium. While an outdoor hockey game in Southern California pretty much sells itself (Can you actually play ice hockey outside in LA?), the Ducks and the Kings have been active in promoting the game via social media. From Twitter contests, to Instagram updates, both teams have successfully used social media as a platform for creating significant hype around the game.
Winter is coming: pic.twitter.com/D52zsX4T36
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 15, 2014
Social Media
The Kings have marketed their #LAKingsPride trend in the days leading to the outdoor faceoff, offering their fans a chance to win tickets to the game if they submit a picture with the Stadium Series truck at their recent FanFest. They also continued their annual tradition of “Dodgers Pride Night,” sporting retro baseball jerseys during on-ice warm ups. This is the fourth year for the “Dodgers Pride Night,” but their was no better way to get Los Angeles fans excited for the Stadium Series at Dodgers Stadium.
PHOTO: @dewyy8, @dustinbrown23 & the @LAKings wore @Dodgers jerseys during warm-ups Monday night. #StadiumSeries pic.twitter.com/zoUCpfA5IS — NHLPA (@NHLPA) January 14, 2014
Both the Ducks and Kings have been prominent on Instagram, updating fans with pictures on the progress on the construction of the rink and media opportunities involving players and coaches. Even the LA Dodgers are consistently tweeting updates regarding the game and the stadium.
The #StadiumSeries: an unprecedented event for Southern California: http://t.co/vHqDofDVxG pic.twitter.com/Yb1DxbvFc0
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 14, 2014
Overall, The Kings/Ducks Outdoor Game is a unique opportunity for the fans in Los Angeles to experience hockey like never before. Here are several ways in which the Ducks and Kings can utilize social media sell their outdoor matchup even more:
1. Celebrity “Face Off”
Los Angeles is the land of Hollywood’s hottest stars. The Kings and Ducks need to take advantage of their proximity to celebrities in order to create a buzz around the game beforehand through social media. The Kings and Ducks should look to the celebrities that have supported them in the past to further promote their outdoor matchup as their most important face off yet.
Both should involve celebrities by having celebrities “face off” against one another in a competition of team pride via Instagram and Twitter. For example, Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg), Brian Baumgartner (@BBBaumgartner), and Milo Ventimiglia (@MiloVentimiglia) are all Ducks fans that can compete against notable Kings fans Matthew Perry (@MatthewPerry), Colin Hanks (@ColinHanks), and Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) in a competition of best hockey style. Let’s see which Hollywood celebrities are true hockey fans by having them post pictures or videos to Instagram and Twitter showing off their styles and skills. Having celebrities involved creates significant hype around the city and captivates a much wider audience.
2. Involve the Players
As sports fans, we love any behind-the-scenes access we can get into the lives of our favorite professional athletes. There’s no better example of this than the incredible success of HBO’s “NHL 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic,” and there’s no reason the Ducks and Kings can’t do this too, albeit on a smaller scale. They can utilize social media to give fans access into the lives of their favorite hometown players. And not only that, but it can come from the players themselves.
Let the Kings and Ducks players have fun with this, too. Have the players take Instagram videos or Vines to promote how they are getting ready for the big outdoor matchup. Ducks forward Dustin Penner (who also played for the Kings) has over 92,000 followers, and is known for his willingness to make fun of himself and others via Twitter. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick has over 178,000 followers, and after his Stanley Cup Parade speech two years ago, we’ve wanted to be his friend ever since.
The Kings and Ducks should make an effort to put it in the hands of the players themselves. Both teams feature veteran talent, but more importantly young up-and-coming superstars, who can use social media to let fans get a glimpse into their personal lives by deciding how they want to show themselves getting ready for the big game with the fans through Vine or Instagram videos. Let the players take us into their lives – for under 15 seconds – and see how they’re preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
3. Fan Contest
Lastly, it’s crucial to make the fans feel involved, and social media is the perfect way to bridge the gap between fans and the organizations. It also lets fans be creative, with a convenient way to connect with their favorite teams and players.
The Kings are well known for their social media presence and fan interactions, and as the Ducks ramp up their fan interactions leading up to the game, a social media contest pitting their fans against one another in a battle of SoCal hockey fan supremacy would surely create a buzz around the city. One idea is to challenge Kings fans versus Ducks fans in a competition to see who can come up with the most creative way to prepare for an outdoor hockey game in L.A. They can even poke fun at the colder climate outdoor games with a #BeachClassic trend and show how Southern Californians get excited for outdoor hockey. Just as the players will show how they are prepping for the Outdoor Game, let the fans feel connected to their teams through social media in a creative competition.
The Kings vs. Ducks matchup at Dodgers Stadium provides a truly unique experience for an outdoor hockey game. To create a buzz around the city of L.A. before the puck drops, the Kings and Ducks should utilize multiple social media platforms to make everyone feel involved. From celebrities, to the players, to the fans, let everyone feel connected to the first outdoor hockey game in Southern California through social media.
How do you think the Kings and Ducks should use social media to hype up the game to L.A. hockey fans?