Getting Social with Super Bowl XLVI

ByAndrea Rickett

Social Super Bowl XLVIAre you ready for some football?  Ready or not this year’s Super Bowl could be the most social event yet.  It may not be the ritual you’re used to but the social media buzz has gotten louder and louder for the most epic game day in America.  Twitter, Facebook and Google+ are taking advantage of social media networks to attract more followers and gain feedback on the event.

NBC has also agreed to stream the game live and it can be viewed online at NBCSports.com or NFL.com.  Both sites will start hosting pre-game coverage at 2pm EST, and kickoff is at 6:30pm EST.  You can watch the game on any laptop, desktop PC, or tablet.  Mobile phones are not supported unless Verizon is your provider – they are the exclusive NFL partner for mobile.

The official Facebook Fan Page for the Super Bowl Host Committee is Facebook.com/IndySuperbowl2012 .

Twitter has become the sports media gateway to logistical information, stats, commentary, and pre-game updates.  Here are a few peeps you should follow and hashtag pre and post game:

Google’s kicking game day off with a set of football-focused features and services to help you get your game on.  The largest search engine in the world launched a site through Inside Search called Game Day with Google, your digital playbook for the game, literally!

To manage the madness of the world’s largest sporting event, the city of Indianapolis has the first-ever social media command center.  The social media war room utilizes more than a mile of Ethernet cable and more than 150 square feet of networked screen space, wow!  Techies, strategists, and analysts will manage the digital fan conversations on Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms.

USA Today and Facebook joined forces to create the official Super Bowl Ad Meter site.  For the first time ever, consumers everywhere will have a voice in deciding the winner of the Ad Meter and will be able to see how people ranked the ads and share their favorites with friends.

USA Today and Facebook Ad MeterNBC is also hosting a post-game Google+ Hangout to dissect the Super Bowl’s ads.  You can also find the 30-second spots on YouTube’s Ad Blitz and Hulu’s AdZone.   Kudos in advance to Super Bowl XLVI for going social and making fans feel like they’re a part of the experience and have a voice.  Do you think the game will raise the bar and more brands will start to see the need for an agressive social media marketing campaign like this?  Game on!

Editor’s Note:  Angel Soria is an Internet Marketing Consultant, entrepreneur, columnist for the Tulare Kings Hispanic Times, and currently obtaining her Executive MBA at Fresno State.  To see how your business scores online, visit www.fresnolocalinternetmarketing.com and enter your name and email address in the boxes provided.  Follow her @talk2angelsoria.