@NBA Instagram
The 6th Annual Awards
- Instagram Presence
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
With over 86 million followers on @NBA Instagram, we’ve established a unique brand voice by leveraging Instagram’s vast native tools to foster community and drive engagement. We’ve tapped into Instagram’s array of product features such as Reels, Carousels, Broadcast Channels, Collabs, AR Filters, etc. to bring our audience closer to the game. In doing so, the NBA had a record-breaking year on the platform and continues to innovate in a way that pushes the industry forward.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
Over the course of the submission timeframe (Jan 1, 2023 - Feb 18, 2024), the NBA gained over 10 million new Instagram followers (surpassing 86 million overall). Excellence in engagement is not only defined by the numbers mentioned above but the precedent set by our account in its ability to adapt and evolve as content consumption continues to change. By leveraging the platform’s native tools, @NBA is constantly looking to push the boundaries of what is possible on Instagram, and how to best utilize each tool. Not only is @NBA consistently among the first accounts to test new features and updates (Broadcast channels, Collabs, Polls, “Add Yours,”), but we are able to use them in a way to drive the industry and platform forward. By being quick, accurate, efficient, and bold we discovered and created the best route of delivering content to our audience. The content output on @NBA Instagram could not have been possible without the NBA social teams’ meticulous in-house social content creation and curation process that delivers the best moments from the league. @NBA Instagram has raised the bar for what it means to engage fans and followers on Instagram.
Objective
99% of NBA fans around the world aren’t able to attend games in-person. With that, how do we bring them closer to the game they love? Our strategy has prioritized leveraging platforms like Instagram to meet fans where they are and deliver content that resonates with them. We’ve embraced the addition of Broadcast Channels, comment polls, Reels captions and interactive stickers, Collabs, “Add Yours” capabilities and other features to encourage our audience to interact with our content, share their opinions and converse with the NBA’s global fanbase on the platform. These native tools allow us to bring the game to our fans around the world through multiple content types and touchpoints.
Strategy & Execution
There are three main ways we have been able to meet the modern sports fan where they are at. For one, modern fans are consuming vertical content across all platforms, so we have established a strong Reels presence on the platform. Fans are able to watch pregame routines, real-time highlights and the best mic’d up moments optimized for viewing on mobile. Next, we’ve established a more direct connection with our most engaged fans through Broadcast Channels. . During the 2023 NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals, we provided fans with exclusive content from players - including selfie videos and audio recordings sent directly to fans in our Channel. Lastly, we delivered even more content to our 86+ million followers through the Collabs feature on the platform. We worked closely with NBA teams, players and partners to develop a daily content plan that maximized these collaborative posts. This gave fans unique looks at our players with behind-the-scenes content following games such as speeches from the locker room.
Organizations
- NBA
Links
Credits
Ashley Atwell
Associate Vice President, NBA Social and Emerging Media Lead
NBA
Samantha Linczyc
Associate Manager, NBA Social Content
NBA
Jim Poorten
Senior Manager, NBA Social Content
NBA
Adam Fedorko
Vice President, Social and Digital Content Creation
NBA
Bob Carney
Senior Vice President, Social and Digital Content
NBA
Justin D’Apolito
Director, NBA Social Content
NBA
Jake Freeman
Senior Manager, Social Content - Content Planning
NBA
Adam Brody
Manager, Social and Digital Content Creation
NBA
Anthony Ottomano
Manager, Social and Digital Content Creation
NBA
Maggie O’Rourke
Director, New Media Content Partnerships
NBA
Carly Nevis
Manager, DTC and Vertical Content Creation
NBA
Jenny Fischer
Manager, On-site Content Creation Lead
NBA
Peter Richter
Director, Social and Digital Content Design Lead
NBA
Jerry Jones
Manager, Social and Digital Content Design
NBA
Jay Wallace
Senior Manager, Digital Content Design
NBA
Kevin Esteves
Vice President, Digital Strategy and Analytics
NBA
Yisel Taveras
Manager, Digital Content Analyst
NBA
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
