The Hollywood Reporter‘s list of the 50 Most Influential Influencers has landed. Shoutout to Bretman Rock, Kristy Scott, and Keith Lee, some of my personal faves who made the list.
A peek into today’s edition:
- Inside the New York Liberty‘s digital strategy
- Tech Byte: Nintendo unveils new device
- Tesla showcases new self-driving cars and robots
Inside the Digital Playbook of the New York Liberty
Meet Keia Cole, the Chief Digital Officer at BSE Global. Cole leads digital and tech across the brand’s properties, including the New York Liberty, Brooklyn Nets, and Barclays Center.
As we dive into the WNBA Finals, Boardroom talked to Cole about how the Liberty excels across its digital strategies and leverages its social platforms to engage fans and grow the sport.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
MICHELAI GRAHAM: Can you share the vision behind the Liberty’s overall digital strategy and how it aligns with growing the WNBA brand?
KEIA COLE: There’s clearly a lot going into not only growing the teams’ fan bases, but also their digital presences. One thing is that the New York Liberty has a highly engaged fan base. Our overall digital strategy is building on the engagement of that fan base. We are delivering a high-quality product on the court, from basketball to selling the overall entertainment and experience. We’ve really thought about the technology and digital experience being consistent with that, similar to most digital strategies. We want to deliver personalized experiences that bring the fans closer to the team. One way to do that is by making data-driven decisions and being willing to experiment and try new things.
MG: How is the Liberty using technology to enhance the fan experience in-arena, particularly during the Finals?
KC: This past season, we talked about a number of things we had the opportunity to do since we emerged from last season’s success and continue to support growth. One of those was delivering a redesigned mobile app for fans. We partnered with Deloitte Digital to design an app custom-built for the Liberty. We really thought about who our fans were in that process rather than just using a standard template that worked for other teams.
As our fans come back to it, we’ve significantly increased downloads. We’ve had triple-digit growth in monthly active users because of this refreshed app, which includes the integration of Storyteller, allowing us to put vertical content in the app and curate it specifically for our fans. Fans can pick out key moments and go back and relive those. So they don’t have to search Instagram to find their favorite moments from the last couple of weeks.
We also launched a loyalty program for our season ticket members available in the app called My Brooklyn Rewards. We are one of the first teams to have our own streaming product for local games. We partner directly with the NBA and WNBA on that, and that’s Liberty Live, so our locally broadcasted games can be streamed on our branded streaming service this year.
MG: Can you highlight any other physical or emerging technologies the Liberty is exploring to boost fan engagement?
KC: During the opening video, everybody lights up their phones. We trained the fans to engage, and while it’s not entirely sophisticated, it does make the arena look cool and amazing. People know you’re here for the opening when everyone lights it up, and everybody comes together in that moment. We’ve also been using PixMob technology. We had the light-up bracelets for Game 1 of the finals, coordinating the light show with the fans throughout the game.
We also use tech to enhance the fan experience. Barclays Center has many bells and whistles, including Liberty-specific theater lighting for the game.
MG: What role does social media play in amplifying the Liberty’s presence?
KC: Social media plays a critical role. Whether that’s storytelling around the players or building awareness of upcoming games, social media creates a connection to the in-venue experience. I think we do a great job of helping fans understand the vibe and experience they can expect. It also creates a community among the fans. I’ve never seen a more supportive comment section, especially during the Finals. Social media does a really good job of bringing fans closer to the team, giving behind-the-scenes looks at players, like the tunnel outfits or their trip to Six Flags during the Olympic break.
MG: Which platform are your fans most active on?
KC: There’s a lot of engagement on Instagram and TikTok. But the W itself has a very strong community on X and Threads. I think there’s a lot of good conversation happening there. We are also pretty active on YouTube. That’s where we post our post-game interviews. Liberty Unlocked is a long-form content series that we have, and that lives on YouTube. We want fans to engage with us there too.
MG: What are some of your biggest challenges when it comes to creating seamless digital experiences during high-profile events like the WNBA Finals?
KC: I think about this throughout the season, too. The Finals are a really important series, but they are a continuation of the work that we’ve been doing. One is just ensuring we take the opportunity to learn from our fans. Sometimes, the teams move quickly, and we need to collect data. Are we understanding our fans? Are we getting feedback from them? So, making sure that we’re doing that at the appropriate touchpoints is key.
MG: What digital innovations do you foresee becoming a bigger part of the WNBA experience in the next five to 10 years?
KC: I think how people consume content will continue evolving. I think that’s already happening today, and the definition of what it means to catch a game is different for different segments of our fan base. To maintain and continue to grow the fan base, we’ll need to meet fans where they are and really provide ways to engage or gain content on their terms. So, what that looks like will depend on our ability to be nimble and ready to adapt to those changes.
Nintendo launched a $100 smart alarm clock dubbed Alarmo, which has motion sensors that match your movements. Nintendo Switch Online members in the US and Canada will get first dibs on buying the little red clocks, which will feature scenes, music, and sounds inspired by Super Mario, Zelda, and other Nintendo classics.
- Tesla (finally) unveiled its self-driving Robotaxi, a 20-seat Robovan, and a new fleet of Optimus robots at its much-anticipated We, Robot event on Thursday. Elon Musk said the company hopes to start producing the Robotaxi, priced around $30,000, before 2027. The new Optimus robot will cost between $20,000 and $30,000 and be available by the end of 2025. The event was Tesla’s first product unveiling since showcasing the Cybertruck in 2019.
- After 147 years, the Wimbledon Championship will switch from human line judges to an electronic line-calling system in 2025. This marks the third Grand Slam to integrate the tech, with Roland-Garros still being the last to use human line judges.
- OpenAI secured another media partnership, this time with Hearst, to bring content from the brand’s more than 60 local newspapers and magazines to OpenAI products, including ChatGPT. OpenAI has struck similar strategic content deals with Axel Springer, the Associated Press, News Corp, the Financial Times, and Vox Media.
- US TikTokers often flock to the platform for news updates. Still, the Pew Research Center found that they prefer to get their information from creators and influencers instead of legacy media outlets and traditional journalists on TikTok. Pew reported that 52% of US TikTok users get news from the platform, up from 22% in 2020.
- Ticketmaster debuted an enhanced ticket experience in Apple Wallet, including a venue map, parking details, recommended Apple Music playlists, local weather, and more. The new experience will launch with the Los Angeles Football Club on Oct. 19, followed by the Miami Heat in 2025.
- Think before you click. McAfee released its annual Celebrity Hacker Hotlist highlighting the top 10 celebrities used for AI online scams. Scarlett Johansson, Kylie Jenner, and Taylor Swift topped the list of most exploited celebrity names in hacks, including deepfakes, malware, crypto scams, and more.
Bitcoin Core Developer Peter Todd told CNN that he’s not the pseudonymous Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto after HBO released its Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery documentary claiming he is. I’ve always been skeptical about who Nakamoto is. After much speculation over the years, I’m going to bet that the real Bitcoin creator is a group of developers and not just a single individual.
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