Madden NFL Shows How to Integrate Player Statistics into Your Marketing Blitz

We all want to be recognized. Whether you're a marketing professional or a professional athlete, the job is to run ads or show ads. operation NFL stadium itineraries – we all want to put our best foot forward. We went to work and we want this work to be noticed.

Again, no one thinks much of the 40s of marketing. You will probably not find any movie breaking their ranking technique. Different jobs attract different attention. That's why the NFL player rates up and down using all measurable parameters imaginable – not just by employers and potential opponents. Each Madden player has his opinion on these measurable items and on the translation of the numbers.

As a sports marketing partner of EA Sports, we have seen how their team effectively amplifies their players' social media strategy. It's no wonder that the creators of Madden 20 and the epic videogame franchise generate as much buzz for their calculations as for the game itself.

The release date of August 2 had been circled on the calendars for months. But it's the announcement of the players' ratings of the game – July 15 for this year's title – which has evolved into a cultural moment. Fans anticipate results revealed as an album drop. Athletes participate in the action. From Aaron Donald to Zach Wood (TBH), the quantitative analysis of NFL player skills becomes a viral moment and a national conversation. The EA Sports team has transformed the company's annual record of NFL players into a huge thrilling event.

What's more interesting is that How the mark has succeeded. The Madden Player Ranking is a draw for the game since 1993, when EA Sports acquired the licensing rights for the NFL teams and players. The players started to study and debate the numbers. The explosion of fantasy football and the more dynamic and realistic video game have transformed armchair quarters into virtual coaches and GMs. As kids playing Madden became real gamers – at a time when social media was starting to change our information and entertainment consumption – the game's topics suddenly became some of his biggest influencers. .

Less blitz marketing and more storm, the phenomenon of player rankings seemed to be a happy accident for EA Sports. But as the Madden popular movement grew, players became more and more involved.

Now, via Twitter and Instagram, athletes have direct access not only to the fans, but also to the game designers themselves. And as we speak of world-class athletes, the dynamics of the competition are profound.

From my time in the University of Nebraska's locker room to the Carolina Panthers, I can personally attest to the athletes competing with each other. all. Players will find every opportunity to draw on the performance of their teammates in the field and on the screen. Basically, it's a fun and friendly competition. Moments like the publication of Madden ratings bring the typical sound of changing rooms and amplify it around the world.

Submit new evidence to consider for my @ MaddenNFL Rated speed. You can not photoshop a video. pic.twitter.com/6h02i6oRqR

– Tom Brady (@TomBrady) July 15, 2019

Last year, offensive midfielder Leonard Fournette of the Jaguars posted a video criticizing the evaluation of his ranking, which sparked a scathing echo directly from EA Sports. This year, Tom Brady's to post Making a mockery of his speed rating took off, garnering over 2 million video views, more than double any Madden account message over the same period. Tellingly, three of the top 10 NFL player tweets in July were reactions to the Madden assessment.

And I understand! At university, the first thing I did when I released the new NCAA football game (please, NCAA, stay informed) was to check my own "Kicking Power" rating. As a kickoff specialist, I am proud to have the strongest leg of the game. If this rating was not in the 90s, I was a little upset. It's funny to look back, but it's the truth.

Due to this annual wave of background, EA Sports has increased its marketing efforts around ratings. A web page featuring comprehensive and sortable ratings and popular rookie features has been created. The trailer for the EA Sports Player Ranking draws great points of view. The coverage of Madden ratings, their publication and the comments of the players cover the Internet, from Bleacher Report to the basement blogs. NFL Network, once known for its flawless approach, broadcasts segments capturing player reactions to their scores, which then generate huge clicks on YouTube. EA Sports now sends a team of editors responsible for gathering feedback, soliciting the opinions of players and adjusting the numbers in season – a powerhouse that soothes the player-influencers, sparks the competition. Fans interest and boosts the credibility of its 175 million users worldwide. . Win-win-win.

Keep in mind: most of these developments came in response to a moment of passion that came from outside the reach of the league or game developer. Fun, personal, real The reactions have gathered a customer base and sown the seed for a growing organic audience and a brand that is now stronger than Ndamukong Suh (c'mon, dude – only 98 assessments ?!).

This cultural phenomenon in its own right? It started with an entertaining product and word of mouth. But EA Sports deserves additional props to take the ball to his neck: exploit social media and press the right buttons to encourage and amplify the message of its most powerful ambassadors – the players. That's how you build a community.

And 175 million can not be wrong.