CASE STUDY: SEATTLE KRAKEN
Seattle Kraken partnered with Influencer prior to their inaugural NHL season to document and share content with players and staff. Savannah Hollis, the Kraken’s Senior Manager, Social Media, shares how Influencer has improved operational efficiency, enabled unprecedented brand growth, and how she expects Influencer will help drive revenue growth moving forward.
“Your players are your most valuable influencers.
If they are engaged online, they hold the power to sway people to root for your team and fans are more inclined to follow your platforms, games and even spend money on merchandise, etc.”
Savannah Hollis, Sr. Manager, Social Media
Q&A
Why did the Seattle Kraken partner with Influencer?
Prior to my time in Seattle, I worked for a number of teams who did not have a content sharing platform. There was no efficient process for where folks could go to download photos, videos, etc. It was a frustrating process for players, staff and me.
Coming to Seattle, we wanted to streamline the process of getting content into the hands of our players, talent & personnel.
Influencer was recommended to us by other teams and our Hockey Operations staff.
When we dug in and began testing the product, we were really happy with how easy it was to use. Another selling point was that Influencer was a part of the Teamworks family, which really simplified the onboarding process.
What has been your overall experience with Influencer and its operational impact?
The ease of use is unbelievably helpful during the season. Onboarding players, staff, personnel, etc. is a fairly simple process and the app is extremely intuitive.
We’ve been able to limit round the clock requests and avoid players sharing low-quality content. We’ve also been able to set the expectation that content will be available within a 48-hour window or sooner.
The analytics also helped us understand the types of content players download the most. We’re using this to ensure we’re uploading the most relevant content to their interests.
Overall, we’ve been pleased with the platform and the support. They’ve taken the time to help us however they can so our team can be successful.
“At the end of the day, we want our players to have access to content that they care about and feel comfortable posting and help build our brand in a more authentic way”
How have your players reacted to the Influencer app?
Our players seem to be pretty happy with the app and how timely we are with uploading content for them to download. We’re finding that more of our young players have used either Influencer or other content sharing platforms from previous teams and understand how to use it efficiently.
Can you share a specific story of how Influencer helped a player?
When Matty Beniers joined our team after wrapping up at the Frozen Four, we really focused on capturing a lot of key moments for him (e.g., first time in Seattle, first ride on the team plane, arrival shots, rookie lap, first point/goal, photos with family, etc.). We were able to share those with him through the platform and he was able to not only post to his social media, but also share those memories with family and friends. Being able to look back on moments like this go a long way.
How did Influencer drive ROI through brand building?
One of the things I’ve learned throughout my time in the industry is that your players are your most valuable influencers. If they are engaged online, they hold the power to sway people to root for your team and fans are more inclined to follow your platforms, games and even spend money on merchandise, etc.
At the end of the day, we want our players to have access to content that they care about and feel comfortable posting and help build our brand in a more authentic way.
If someone asked you to quantify the value of Influencer, what would you say?
Is priceless an option? Haha. In all seriousness, it’s hard to put a number on a tool that has become an integral part of our daily routine across the organization. I would say it’s 100% worth the cost and is a tool we hope to use for a long time.
