The Innovative Ducks a Little Like Social Media?

Have you watched the Oregon Ducks play football this year?  If not, you’re really missing out.  As I watch how innovative Coach Kelly and the Oregon Ducks are on the field I can’t help but think of the comparisons with social media.  Some of the traditional football fans and writers complain that they’re offense is gimmicky, that it’s more like a video game than ‘real’ football.  Does that sound familiar?

In talking with some people who have been in the traditional media business for years they sound a lot like the football purists who would rather see three yards and a cloud of dust rather than the fast paced excitement that the Oregon Ducks provide every Saturday.

A couple years from now more and more college football teams will be running a similar offense that the Oregon Ducks run.  You’ll look back to this season and the tremendous success the Ducks have had and point to now, as when the landscape of the college game changed.

There was a point a couple years ago, when people were saying the same things about social media, it’s a gimmick, where do people find the time, I don’t need to know when my friends are going to the bathroom or going to bed.  It’s a fad.  Look at it now.  When used properly, can anybody outside of those just being truly stubborn, deny the effect that social media can have and does have on marketing today?

The Ducks and their video game offense are one win away from a BCS Title game and a 17 million dollar payout.  Groupon and their gimmick, has an offer from Google for 6 billion dollars.  In this economy, that’s pretty good.

The Ducks aren’t in the position they’re in just because of their fast paced offense. They execute the plays.  They have perhaps the country’s best special teams and a pretty good defense to boot.  So just like the Ducks, being on Facebbok and Twitter alone can’t take you to the Promised Land; you must execute your posts and tweets.  Your special teams and defense in your marketing plan must work hand in hand, cooperating with each facet of your marketing strategy.

On the football field as well as in marketing, change happens.  Change is a byproduct of creating an advantage over your competitor.  If you’re a football purist and dismiss the Ducks for their innovative offense you’re missing out on something fun to watch, and 70 years ago probably would have been against the forward pass.

If you’re in traditional media or a small business owner and scoff at social media as a REAL marketing tool for businesses, you need to view it for what it is.  If you’re not involved out of “hoping it will go away,” then you too are missing out on the fun.

Change in inevitable, the Oregon offense is going to change and morph over the next couple of years and so too will social media.  With change more times than not, you’re better off enjoying it than hiding from it.   Go Ducks!