The Cleveland Cavaliers, with more than 27.5M social media followers (as of Sep 20, 2021), have a passionate fanbase across Cleveland, Akron, and Canton in addition to the US and globally. During the pandemic and 3-month sports timeout, social media became more important than ever to grow their fan base and showcase sponsors. The Cavs’ IG account from March 2020 - Sep 2021 gained more than 2.2M followers and has since surpassed 10M total followers. The team also has a long-standing partnership with marquee sponsor and current jersey patch partner Goodyear since the summer of 2017. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Blinkfire Analytics teamed up to review the team’s social media and sponsorship performance during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons.
COVID-19 presented challenges, unforeseen and unexpected, in the sports and entertainment spaces. From make-goods to new content series, teams looked for ways to continue showcasing sponsors and driving engagement. The Cleveland Cavaliers have used Blinkfire Analytics sponsorship and data platform since 2016. With make-goods, unused inventory, and limited fans in stadiums, the Cavs needed to shift focus to the digital and social space. The digital and social teams worked to keep the quality and standard of their channels high, even with the number of posts increasing.
Because of Blinkfire Analytics’ robust platform, the Cleveland Cavaliers used numerous reports and automated searches to help build the best strategy and execution for Goodyear, focusing on video content and new digital assets.
Benchmarking & Ideation
Using Blinkfire’s Report Builder, the Cavs scoped out the sports landscape and brainstormed how to evolve their digital channels.
New Inventory Opportunities
The Cavs used Blinkfire’s Asset & Scene Report to gauge the Walk-in-Wall’s future valuation for Goodyear (highlighted during player arrivals into the stadium), since the tiremaker replaced Tissot during the 2020-2021 season.
New Content Series
The Wall Series and From Garage to Glory were pivotal pieces of content for Goodyear. One of the social team’s focuses for the season was integrating Goodyear content (outside of the jersey patch) with the Cavs brand.
When the pandemic hit and the world essentially shut down, we had to pivot to more social and digital activations. For some of our partners, this is still a bit of an unknown area. Blinkfire accurately measured the media value and quantified the exposure and engagement. Working with an established entity – a team who understands the ins and outs of the space – was invaluable for us. We could immediately trust their analysis and insights without any second guessing, and confidently share that value with our partners.
Wincy Wong
Director, Corporate Partnership Marketing, Cleveland Cavaliers
