Per Duke Sports Information:
DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke Men’s Basketball program took the next step in its social media innovation on Monday with the debut of its new @DukeMBB accounts, a multi-faceted initiative that will allow fans and recruits to engage with the program’s industry-leading social media content.
Four letters. One voice. Welcome to the new social media home of Duke Basketball.#HereComesDuke pic.twitter.com/wEvnGNcY7f
— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 17, 2016
You can now find the official @DukeMBB accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
The @DukeMBB accounts represent a merger of the program’s information-based @Duke_MBB accounts with its multimedia-focused @DukeBluePlanet accounts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
The program’s first permanent official presence on Snapchat will be launched in mid-November under the handle @DukeMBB.
Duke Men’s Basketball currently reaches over 15 million fans every month across its main social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The program averages 30 million monthly impressions with its shareable and innovative content and is the most-followed college athletics program in the nation on both Twitter and Instagram.
“Social media is immensely important,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “That’s how people follow you, especially people who are really good basketball fans. Social media is also a huge part of recruiting because that’s one of the primary ways to showcase your program. We’ve come up with some really unique ways of doing that and we’re always trying to improve in that regard.”
Fueled on a daily basis by a coalition of Duke Basketball support staff members, the @DukeMBB team will utilize its exclusive access to the program to tell the story of Duke Basketball through exclusive, up-to-the-minute content.
The Duke Blue Planet brand will be incorporated into the @DukeMBB initiative, transitioning into a series that will offer a first-person perspective on what it means to be part of the Duke Men’s Basketball program.
“This is such an outward-facing piece of the Duke Basketball program and we’re thrilled to consolidate our official social media accounts into @DukeMBB and create the leading social media destination that powers the program,” Jon Jackson, senior associate director of athletics, said. “Fans can expect the same great content that Duke Blue Planet has produced over the years, while receiving timely and breaking news that was previously delivered via the @Duke_MBB accounts. Simply, this is the right thing to do in order to create brand consistency and a ‘one stop shopping’ experience for our passionate fans and followers. We are anticipating a terrific rollout on Oct. 17 and cannot wait to see this take Duke Basketball social media content to an even higher level.”
The group rolled out a number of initiatives in the summer of 2016, including:
- Short-form content: Summer Grind series, Freshman Intro series, summer workout highlight videos
- Long-form content: Fall Focus series, USA Basketball training camp content, Devils Life written campaign
Add to those measures the ability to provide behind-the-scenes photos and breaking news, and the @DukeMBB accounts will offer a unique user experience that will make Duke Basketball more accessible to fans and recruits than ever before.
“The Duke Basketball program has always been known for its innovative and entrepreneurial spirit,” Mike Cragg, deputy director of athletics and men’s basketball administrator, said. “This newly formed social media model is yet another example of being cutting edge and capturing our program for fans and recruits to enjoy like no other. Personally, I can’t wait to see it unfold as our creative team has proven to be the best in the business through our previous social and digital efforts.”
Users who liked/followed either Facebook or Instagram account will be automatically switched over to the @DukeMBB accounts, while Twitter followers of @Duke_MBB (note the underscore) will need to ensure that they update their accounts to follow @DukeMBB. YouTube users can now find the program’s content under the username Duke Basketball.
#GoDuke
