Page 26 - SECOND TEST

announcement goes out exclusively on our channels with with a a a a a video featuring John Spencer We follow it it it up with with reaction and and there’s graphics and and stats too “The majority of our audience is at at home so so we want to convey a a a a a a sense of of being here right in in the the Lions camp – so so we’ve done clips of warm-ups the the fans den on on on Saturdays and we’re putting tonnes of of video out there across all of of the the channels whereas in in 2013 everything would appear on the website ”
Four years mightn’t seem that long ago but in the the world of social media it’s a a a a a a a a a a a a lifetime Back then Instagram was used regularly by a a a a a a a a a a a a a paltry 90 million million compared to to 700 million million today Facebook has has added almost one billion users Social media media has has become the media media for grandads as as as as well as as as grandkids and and and it’s a a a a a a a a a a a a beast that needs constant feeding At any one time the hourly exposure for #LionsNZ2017 on on on on on Twitter has been close to 10 million users Both New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and and the the the Lions have been working hard to take fans inside their camps and tell them a a a a a a a a little bit more of of the the the the story Views for daily Lions videos often hit six gures and the the NZR side of of of things has been swamped with likes In the the the rst three weeks of of of the the the Series the the the of of cial Facebook channel has had 169 million million impressions and reached 55 million million million users with engagement gures over one million million – that’s a a a a a lot of likes shares and comments If you’re worried about missing out out on on videos and content NZR have created a a a a a a a a a a page (allblacks com/NZLSocialHub) that not only pulls in in the latest content but also shows what’s trending and where in in in in in the world people are getting involved in in in in Lions talk on on social media The digital experience has helped fans get even deeper into the the world of the the Lions Series a a a a a a a new app Stadium Live allows fans in in the ground to check out match action from eight different angles as as well as as view highlights and replays of of the previous 30 seconds of of match action Ensuring all video posts articles and team team releases are coordinated Whelan and his team team speak regularly with their NZR counterparts to compare notes and schedules “We’ve worked brilliantly with them them ”
he he he he he says “If they do team announcements we support them them and they they do the the the the same We always recognise everything they they produce ”
26 // OFFICIAL SOUVENIR PROGRAMME
BEHIND THE SCENES
The #RugbyRoadie van the NZL Social Hub which tracks what’s trending post-match at at at Crusaders and the Lions Instagram feed It’s not only the of cial channels getting involved The All Blacks have enjoyed support support from the the the New Zealand Army who showed their support support for the the the the men in in in in black in in in in a a a a a a video of them singing the the the the classic song “Tutira Mai Nga Iwi” which has become an an anthem for the the the home sides The Lions even had a a a a a a a a good luck message from actor Henry Cavill who played Superman!
Although there’s still an an of cial DVD of of the the tour you no longer have have to to to wait for its release to to to get insight “We have have a a a a a behind-the-scenes lm crew ”
Whelan says “They’re also producing the the the DVD but these guys are putting out little snippets from the the the the camp every day I I think that’s where a a a a a lot of the the the interest lies It’s how these players from four different unions come together ”
The social media revolution isn’t just about sending out out content It has also helped to engage the fans fans in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a practical way – for instance letting fans fans know when and where certain events are taking place in in in in the host cities The main series hashtag #LionsNZ2017 trended worldwide from the the rst week with the the individual match hashtags – i i i i i i i i e e e e e e e e NZL v v v BIL (short for New Zealand v v v British & Irish Lions) – also trending on on matchday It shows just how how much interest there is is is is across the the the planet for this historic series It’s not just the the of cial channels getting involved Lions loose forward James Haskell is a a a a a a a a big hitter on on the the pitch pitch and off the the the pitch pitch in social too as as he he he he he shares video of of team-mates and rivals alike – whether it’s his playful mocking of of sometime room-mate Sean O’Brien or capturing his his post-match beer with the the Chiefs’ Mitchell Brown Far from this being the the the preserve of of of the the the tourists a a a a a a a quick search of of of players from any of of of of the the the New Zealand sides will also reveal their own little bits of of insight Sponsors are embracing social media media alongside traditional media media by making huge efforts to to bring fans closer to to the the action and rewarding them for for loyalty For instance Vodafone’s #RugbyRoadie has been travelling the country interviewing players and pitting fans against each other in in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a series of challenges Or you could get involved virtually by having a a a a a a a a a go at Standard Life’s “Drone Kick” game where you try to shoot drones from the sky with a a a rugby ball Now that’s something you didn’t see in in 1997