Latest News
MogoTXT Increases Services Offered To Athletes
November 08, 2010 | Darren Heitner | Sports Agent Blog
Last year I reported on what was then a brand new site, called MogoTXT. The service seemed like it could be a good fit for many busy athletes, as it allows “text only once, but update fans everywhere” (MogoTXT, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.) convenience. Since my original post on MogoTXT, the site has really ramped up its services, which now include,
1. An ability to insert relevant promotional ads and links at the foot of text messages written by sports stars. Many of these ads will be for the athlete’s own merchandise. For the sports marketing world, the ad system blocks ads that conflict with an athlete’s existing endorsements or the sales guidelines of leagues and players unions.
2. A new payment structure.
1. Real Merchandise (off-field apparel and headwear): 72% of Net Profits to the players and 2% to their favorite charities or foundations. MogoTXT will also pay an additional 6% to the athlete’s union or to other charities.
2. Virtual Goods and Social Games: 50% of Net Profits (to be allocated between Athlete and his Union) and 2% to their favorite charities or foundations.
3. Mobile Advertising: 20% of Adjusted Gross Revenues, 2% to their favorite charities or foundations, and 3$ to athlete’s union or other charities.
3. Free, professional graphic design services and e-commerce stores for athletes and celebrities on MogoTXT, on Facebook and on the athletes’ own websites to enable athletes to market attractive high-quality merchandise to their fans without any upfront costs, financial risks or hassles.
It seems like quite a few big name athletes have signed up for the MogoTXT service. As long as it is something that an athlete and/or his team of advisors are getting behind, it could be a good option to promote one’s personal brand, entertain his fans, and earn some additional off field/court revenue.
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MogoTXT: Andrew Won Andy@mogotxt.com 650.245.6457 MogoTXT: Emily Hanks Emily@mogotxt.com 209.996.5486 Sybase PR: Shahzia Banth sbanth@sybase.com 925.236.5000 |
|
|
Mobile Advertising Solution allows targeted, relevant mobile advertisements into text messages written to MOGOTXT users “MogoTXT is very excited to start using its new mobile advertising solution,” said Andrew Won, Chief Executive Officer of MogoTXT. “In addition to running ad campaigns for our partners, we will use the solution to promote the athlete-branded virtual goods and real merchandise now available to fans on our new MogoTXT website.” MogoTXT’s advertising solution, powered by Sybase 365, is designed to comply with the endorsement obligations of the professional athletes who join and use MogoTXT. The system screens ads based on the endorsement and advertising profiles of each individual participating professional athlete. It will accommodate for each athletes’ exclusive endorsement commitments to ensure that text messages from an athlete associated with a certain brand are not attached to ads for any competing brands. With research indicating growth of the mobile advertising market, tremendous opportunities for retailers and enterprises exists in the mobile channel,” said Cameron Franks, AVP, Sybase 365. “We are very excited to work with MogoTXT to extend the mobile value proposition.” About MogoTXT: San Francisco, California-based MogoTXT, Inc. is a celebrity-focused news and entertainment platform that delivers innovative and engaging online and mobile experiences for both celebrities and fans. MogoTXT lets users sign up to receive text messages from their favorite celebrities, and to follow conversations taking place among celebrities as they are happening. Users can also view high quality photographs and videoclips on MogoTXT, and share what content they like with friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. MogoTXT provides celebrities with an easy and convenient way to reach their fans, along with a superior, rich media presentation. When celebrities text, their messages are instantly displayed on MogoTXT and automatically forwarded to their Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and personal websites. MogoTXT recently added celebrity-branded virtual goods and merchandise to its product and service offerings. For more information, please visit http://www.mogotxt.com. About Sybase 365: Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase, Inc. (an SAP company; NYSE: SAP), is the global leader in enabling mobile information services for mobile operators, financial institutions and enterprises. We provide our customers with the widest offering in SMS, MMS, GRX, IPX interoperability, end-to-end mobile commerce solutions, innovative mCRM, mobile marketing and content delivery services. Sybase 365 processes more than 1.5 billion messages per day, reaching 900 operators and 4.5 billion subscribers around the world. For more information, visit: www.sybase.com/365. Read our blogs: http://blogs.sybase.com. Follow us on Twitter at @Sybase and @SYBASEmCommerce Sybase, and Sybase 365, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sybase, Inc. All other company and product names mentioned may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. ® indicates registration in the United States. Forward Looking Statements Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "p roject," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. |
|
Spreadshirt and MogoTXT Join Forces
October 19, 2010 | San Francisco, CA
Now Any Professional Athlete or Celebrity Can Create A Turnkey Online Merchandise Store at No Cost
Spreadshirt, a leading online platform for creating, buying and selling print-on demand T-Shirts and other apparel and MogoTXT, a celebrity-focused mobile and online news and entertainment platform, today announced that they have joined forces to deliver a powerful, turnkey merchandise sales and revenue generation solution for professional athletes and celebrities.
MogoTXT has a growing roster of professional athletes in major sports such as NFL, NBA, Soccer and MMA on its online and mobile news and entertainment platform. MogoTXT is a licensee of NFL PLAYERS, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. MogoTXT holds group license rights to commercialize text messages written by NFL players, to create and market virtual goods bearing the names and likenesses of all active NFL players, and to create and market real merchandise such as T-Shirts, Hoodies, and Hats bearing the names and likenesses of all active NFL players.
MogoTXT also has a professional in-house, graphic design team that creates professional artwork for athletes and celebrities free of charge. The designs created by MogoTXT’s professional team will be used in celebrity-branded virtual goods and celebrity-branded T-Shirts, Hoodies, Hats and other goods sold on http://mogotxt.com.
MogoTXT has now teamed with Spreadshirt to have them produce celebrity-branded T-Shirts, Hoodies, Hats and other goods ordered by the fans of celebrities on MogoTXT. The Most Favored Nation deal recently struck by Spreadshirt and MogoTXT guarantees that fans who order goods on MogoTXT will receive quality celebrity-branded merchandise at very attractive prices. The celebrities who sell merchandise through MogoTXT will avoid the hassle of selling merchandise on their own. MogoTXT and Spreadshirt will handle everything from creating attractive designs, setting up and maintaining stores, to promoting the items to be sold, and dealing with payment and customer support issues.
Now any NFL player or other professional athlete or celebrity can sell merchandise in an online merchandise store that is powered by MogoTXT’s professionally-created designs and promotional capabilities coupled with Spreadshirt’s advanced print-on-demand, sales and delivery platform.
“Joining forces with MogoTXT represents an amazing opportunity for Spreadshirt to deliver our value proposition to hundreds and even thousands of professional athletes and celebrities on a much broader and larger scale,” said Mark Venezia Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing North America. “The celebrities who work with MogoTXT will have stores that offer well-designed, high quality merchandise without any upfront costs or financial risk. The agreement reached by Spreadshirt and MogoTXT gives celebrities access to quality merchandise at the lowest possible production cost which enables MogoTXT and its celebrities to provide a great value to fans.”
MogoTXT saw an opportunity to fashion a deal with Spreadshirt, one of the recognized leaders in the print-on-demand business, to provide all athletes and other celebrities with the ability to sell attractive products at great prices to their fans.
“MogoTXT is very pleased to partner with Spreadshirt. Together, we will offer celebrities an unbeatable opportunity without hassles,” said Andrew Won, Chief Executive Officer of MogoTXT. “MogoTXT and Spreadshirt will take care of everything such as store setup, store maintenance, product refreshes, promotions, fulfillment and customer service.
A portion of the text messages posted to MogoTXT’s platform by a celebrity will carry ads for the celebrity’s own merchandise to drive awareness and sales. MogoTXT will also leverage the social network reach of each celebrity to drive awareness and sales.”
MogoTXT will donate a portion of each sale to charities selected by the celebrities. MogoTXT will make additional donations to charities supported by NFL PLAYERS and other charities that MogoTXT supports. MogoTXT and Spreadshirt have also agreed to produce merchandise for selected charitable causes at cost.
About MogoTXT:
San Francisco, California-based MogoTXT, Inc. is a celebrity-focused news and entertainment platform that delivers innovative and engaging online and mobile experiences for both celebrities and fans. MogoTXT lets users sign up to receive personally-written text messages from their favorite celebrities, and to follow conversations taking place among celebrities as the conversations take place. Users can also view high quality photographs and videoclips on MogoTXT, and share what they like or find interesting with their friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. MogoTXT provides celebrities with an easy and convenient way to reach their fans and a superior, rich media presentation. When celebrities text, their messages are instantly displayed on MogoTXT and automatically forwarded to their Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and personal websites. MogoTXT recently added celebrity-branded virtual goods and merchandise to its product and service offerings. For more information, please visit http://mogotxt.com.
About Spreadshirt:
Spreadshirt (http://www.spreadshirt.com) is a leading online platform for creating, buying and selling “me-shirts”, stylish conversation starters that people love to wear. Everyone has ideas and many of them fit on a shirt. We give those ideas the space they deserve: Spreadshirt's customers can let their fantasies run free on over 100 different articles of clothing. They can use their own designs and texts, or use works from other designers. Companies and clubs, artists and bloggers, individuals can also sell their ideas on clothing with Spreadshirt -- in their own free Spreadshirt shop. There are more than 500,000 Spreadshirt shops opened by famous brands, up-and-coming artists, and everyday folks. All they need is some inspiration and 10 minutes. To learn more about Spreadshirt, visit http://www.spreadshirt.com.
About NFL PLAYERS:
Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable retired NFL players, NFL PLAYERS “takes the helmets off” the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs. In addition, under an exclusive agreement between NFL PLAYERS and the NFL, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company’s official website, is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players. NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and internet. For more information, please visit NFLPLAYERS.COM.
Check Out All New MogoTXT.com! See What NFL Stars Are Saying, Browse Thousands of Professional Photos, Shop Athlete-Branded Merchandise & More
October 19, 2010 | San Francisco, CA
MogoTXT, Inc., a celebrity-based global entertainment platform, announced today the launch of their new website that takes social media to a whole new level for celebrities and their fans. MogoTXT’s new website, http://mogotxt.com, unveils many exciting features and famous sports personalities.
MogoTXT is proud to welcome St. Louis Ram running back Steven Jackson to the website. He will be joining a number of top NFL stars on MogoTXT including:
Scott Fujita, linebacker, Cleveland
Alex Mack, center, Cleveland
Terrell Owens, wide receiver, Cincinnati
Percy Harvin, wide receiver, Minnesota
Marques Colston, wide receiver, New Orleans
There are many more NFL players, as well as popular NBA, FIFA and MMA personalities, that are joining the ever-growing list of athletes on MogoTXT.
The MogoTXT platform is designed to provide celebrities direct and immediate connection to their fans on MogoTXT and their followings on Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. With this text-once-reach-all-fans convenience, MogoTXT offers celebrities an easy way to manage their public image, whenever they want, wherever they are.
MogoTXT makes it easy for fans to follow their favorite celebrities, read and hear what they are saying, and see what they are up to. Fans can sign-up for FREE* to receive text messages directly on their cell phone from MogoTXT’s celebrities. Fans can also listen to voice “Shout Outs” that many celebrities leave for their fans on MogoTXT.
MogoTXT provides users with the ultimate multimedia experience. ans can enjoy the comprehensive high-quality editorial coverage of NFL photos from Getty Images on MogoTXT. These images are displayed on Cool Iris walls found on each athlete’s MogoTXT page, and the content is updated regularly to feature photos from the latest NFL games. Fans can also post and share these photos on their own Facebook and Twitter pages.
MogoTXT also has a new Mogo Design Studio that is creating thousands of celebrity-branded logos and emblems that fans can collect and post on their Facebook and Twitter. MogoTXT is currently allowing fans to collect these “celebrity tokens” for free until Halloween!
Fans can now shop for and buy high quality, celebrity-branded merchandise at great prices on MogoTXT. The new online stores will carry a variety of professionally-designed T-Shirts, Hoodies, Hats and other apparel featuring custom celebrity logos and text messages posted to MogoTXT by celebrities. MogoTXT now sells merchandise for top NFL players including Steven Jackson, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rogers, Larry Fitzgerald, Chris Johnson and many others. MogoTXT is offering free shipping on all T-Shirts, Hoodies and Hats from now until Halloween!
*Standard text message rates may rates apply. Please check with your carrier for the terms of your current text-messaging plan.
About MogoTXT:
San Francisco, California-based MogoTXT, Inc. is a celebrity-focused news and entertainment platform that delivers innovative and engaging online and mobile experiences for both celebrities and fans. MogoTXT lets users sign up to receive text messages from their favorite celebrities, and to follow conversations taking place among celebrities as they are happening. Users can also view high quality photographs and videoclips on MogoTXT, and share what content they like with friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. MogoTXT provides celebrities with an easy and convenient way to reach their fans, along with a superior, rich media presentation. When celebrities text, their messages are instantly displayed on MogoTXT and automatically forwarded to their Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and personal websites. MogoTXT recently added celebrity-branded virtual goods and merchandise to its product and service offerings. For more information, please visit http://mogotxt.com.
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NFL PLAYERS: Christina Francis/Jilane Rodgers Christina.Francis@nflplayers.com / Jilane.Rodgers@nflplayers.com 202.572.7470 / 202.756.9171 MogoTXT: Andrew Won/Emily Hanks andy@mogotxt.com / Emily@mogotxt.com 650. 245.6457 / 209.996.5486 |
 
|
|
MOGOTXT RECEIVES VIRTUAL GOODS, APPAREL AND HEADWEAR LICENSE FROM NFL PLAYERS In November of 2009, MogoTXT was granted a license to attach advertisements to text messages written by participating NFL players. MogoTXT then devoted the first half of 2010 to develop their mobile advertising system which positioned them to harness the power of both mobile advertising and social media in order to sell virtual goods, apparel and headwear on behalf of all NFL Players. To take full advantage of the new rights granted by NFL PLAYERS, MogoTXT negotiated a deal with Spreadshirt, one of the leading print-on-demand, custom apparel companies. This deal provides MogoTXT and every athlete on MogoTXT with the lowest possible production costs and highest possible profit margins on sales of customized apparel and headwear. To make its new service offerings convenient for NFL Players, MogoTXT assembled an in-house team of graphic artists who will create graphic art designs for all NFL Players free of charge. The graphic art created by MogoTXT’s artists will be used as decorative artwork to be printed on T-shirts, hoodies and hats and can also be used as virtual goods to be sold for posting on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. MogoTXT will also set up, manage and periodically refresh NFL Players’ virtual goods and merchandise stores. In sum, MogoTXT has now created a turnkey solution for the creation and sale of athlete-branded virtual goods and real merchandise from which all NFL Players can benefit. Together with its new mobile advertising system and popular foreign language text translation capabilities, MogoTXT has assembled a comprehensive ecosystem for NFL Players and other athletes. The Players of the NFL, NFL PLAYERS and MogoTXT will donate a portion of all sales to selected charities, including charitable initiatives sponsored or supported by athletes and NFL PLAYERS. “NFL PLAYERS is proud to announce our expanded partnership with MogoTXT. Tapping into the growing virtual goods and online merchandising markets is a benefit to our Players and MogoTXT,” said Nicole Pozzi, Senior Licensing Manager of NFL PLAYERS. “MogoTXT is very pleased to build on its great partnership with NFL PLAYERS,” said Andrew Won, Chief Executive Officer of MogoTXT. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with NFL PLAYERS and generate revenues , in which a portion will be devoted to charitable purposes. MogoTXT sees the marketing of athlete-branded virtual goods and apparel as the next major opportunities made possible by the continuing expansion of social media.” Sports fans can read text messages posted by NFL Players, other athletes and sports writers, while perusing thousands of high resolution sports photographs licensed by MogoTXT from Getty Images within Cool Iris rich media walls installed on MogoTXT’s new website at www.mogotxt.com. Some of the initial virtual goods and apparel offered by MogoTXT can also be viewed at www.mogotxt.com. MogoTXT is offering all virtual goods for free from October 14 until October 28, 2010. MogoTXT is also offering free shipping on all apparel and headwear purchased from October 14 until October 28, 2010, subject to the terms and conditions set forth on MogoTXT’s Web site. About NFL PLAYERS: Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable former NFL players, NFL PLAYERS "takes the helmets off" the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs. In addition, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company's official Web site, is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year, NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players. NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and Internet. For more information, please visit NFLPLAYERS.COM. About MogoTXT: San Francisco, California-based MogoTXT, Inc. is a mobile messaging company focused on delivering new, innovative, immersive and entertaining mobile experiences for its users. In addition to offering its mobile and online services in the United States and China, MogoTXT provides sports stars and other celebrities with the convenience of texting just once but automatically updating all of their fans on MogoTXT, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other websites. By enabling sports and celebrities to connect with their fans regardless of where they are, MogoTXT helps aggregate dispersed fans into larger audiences for marketing and other monetization purposes. For more information, please visit MOGOTXT.COM. |
|
NFL Players Association expands SMS microblogging platform
November 27, 2009 | Dan Butcher | MOBILE MARKETER
The New Orleans Saints' Marques Colston will beging microblogging via SMS under the new agreement
The NFL Players Association has agreed to expand the number of National Football League players featured on MogoTXT Inc.’s text-messaging platform.
The deal is designed to position NFL stars to benefit from the emergence of social networking and mobile media. Marques Colston, Percy Harvin, Pierre Thomas, Erik Coleman, Chris Cooley, Jay Feely, Lance Moore, Steve Slaton and Ian Johnson have joined Terrell Owens, Santonio Holmes and other NFL personalities on the MogoTXT platform.
Representing more than 1,800 active and many retired NFL players, the NFL Players Association markets players as personalities, as well as professional athletes.
Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs.
In addition, under an exclusive agreement between the NFLPA and the NFL, NFLplayers.com, the company’s official Web site, is part of the part of the NFL Internet Network.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' Santonio Holmes was one of the first players to sign with MogoTXT
Each year NFLPA negotiates and facilitates marketing opportunities for players. NFLPA activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and the Internet.
MogoTXT is a mobile messaging company focused on delivering immersive and entertaining mobile experiences for its users.
In addition to offering its mobile and online services in the United States and China, MogoTXT provides a platform for sports stars and other celebrities send a single text message to automatically update all of their fans on MogoTXT, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other Web sites.
TO loves texting about TO
By enabling athletes and celebrities to connect with their fans regardless of where they are, MogoTXT helps aggregate dispersed fans into larger audiences for marketing and other monetization purposes.
Under the new partnership, MogoTXT, the NFL Players Association and participating NFL stars will share revenues generated from content created by the SMS microblogging platform.
MogoTXT, the NFL Players Association and participating stars will also donate a significant portion of the revenues to selected charities, including charitable initiatives sponsored or supported by the NFL Players Association and participating NFL stars.
The new partnership has enabled the following NFL players to join MogoTXT’s growing roster of NFL and NBA sports personalities:
Erik Coleman, safety, Atlanta Falcons
Marques Colston, wide receiver, New Orleans Saints
Lance Moore, wide receiver, New Orleans Saints
Pierre Thomas, running back, New Orleans Saints
Chris Cooley, tight end, Washington Redskins
Jay Feely, placekicker, New York Jets
Percy Harvin, wide receiver, Minnesota Vikings
Ian Johnson, running back, Minnesota Vikings
Steve Slaton, running back, Houston Texans
MogoTXT has also added a new group-texting channel to its service that enables fans to see the back-and-forth text-message conversations among Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Pierre Thomas as New Orleans enjoys an undefeated season and proceeds to the NFL playoffs.
Sports fans in the U.S. can join any or all of MogoTXT’s public texting groups for free by signing up at http://www.mogotxt.com.
Microblogging via SMS
Mobile Marketer’s Dan Butcher interviewed Andrew Won, CEO of MogoTXT, San Francisco, CA. Here is what he had to say:
What is the strategy behind the partnership between MogoTXT and the NFL Players Association?
The strategy is to help NFL players benefit from the emergence of social media and the advent of the ability of sports stars and other celebrities to build large fan followings on Twitter, Facebook and other social-networking sites.
MogoTXT and [the] NFL Players [Association] have entered into a multi-year agreement to work together to provide both convenience and monetization opportunities for NFL players, [the] NFL Players [Association] and their charities.
It is about helping NFL players, who already use or are thinking about using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other Web sites, to optimize their use of these services and to also build fan followings on MogoTXT at http://mogotxt.com.
MogoTXT provides its services to NFL players free of charge.
MogoTXT also provides NFL players with MogoTXT’s “text only once, but update fans everywhere” convenience.
If an NFL player sends a text message to MogoTXT, MogoTXT can automatically forward that message to all of the player's fans on MogoTXT, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and to the player's own Web site just as if the player took the time to manually type messages on all of these sites.
MogoTXT's "text only once" capability solves the all-too-frequent problem of NFL players and other athletes becoming too busy to blog to fans during critical times like the playoffs, when fan interest happens to be the highest.
The ease with which a short text message can be sent and MogoTXT's ability to deliver the same text message everywhere solves this problem.
By forwarding an NFL player's message to all of his fans regardless of where the fans reside on the Internet, MogoTXT also helps the NFL player aggregate his dispersed fans into a single large audience and helps the player achieve critical mass much sooner for marketing and monetization purposes.
With regard to monetization, MogoTXT is currently in discussions with some major brands and also with mobile advertising networks about featuring ads in conjunction with MogoTXT’s growing portfolio of premium sports content.
What brands will take advantage of the NFL microblogs by sponsoring one or more of them?
The brands that will take advantage of these microblogs are generally the same brands that currently advertise in conjunction with professional football and other major sports.
As part of its partnership with MogoTXT, [the] NFL Players [Association] will be introducing MogoTXT to its partners such as Gatorade, Pepsi, Electronic Arts and Reebok.
Also, MogoTXT will soon start translating the text messages of NFL players into Spanish for Spanish-speaking fans of professional football.
This will create big opportunities for MogoTXT, the NFL players who work with MogoTXT, and [the] NFL Players [Association] with both existing advertisers and new advertisers that want to reach this audience.
MogoTXT will also start to syndicate its content in numerous foreign countries. This will open up opportunities with advertisers in each of these foreign markets.
What is the target demographic?
The same demographic that sports marketers and advertisers currently target.
How does MogoTXT get the word out about its mobile platform (i.e. marketing tactics)? Does MogoTXT run any advertising to promote the platform?
MogoTXT does a number of things to promote itself, but one of the most effective and least costly ways for MogoTXT to promote both MogoTXT and the athletes who work with MogoTXT is by connecting with the fans of each athlete on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and elsewhere.
Our reach grows both organically and every time we add new athletes to MogoTXT.
What I am very happy about is that MogoTXT fits very nicely into the existing social-network and mobile ecosystems.
To be sure, we leverage off and benefit from Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, but we also enhance these services by adding sports stars and great content to these services that would not be present on these sites if MogoTXT did not provide this content.
And the advertisers and ad networks that MogoTXT is speaking with love the premium sports content that MogoTXT is making available for marketing purposes.
It’s great to be positioned to make money for MogoTXT, for NFL players, NBA players (see story) and other sports stars, for [the] NFL Players [Association] and for charities, while also enhancing the other online and mobile properties in the ecosystem.
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NFL PLAYERS: Lara Potter/Jilane Rodgers Lara.Potter@nflplayers.com / Jilane.Rodgers@nflplayers.com 202.572.7460 / 202.572.7504 MogoTXT: Andrew Won andy@mogotxt.com, 650.245.6457 |
|
|
Marques Colston, Percy Harvin, Pierre Thomas, Erik Coleman, Chris Cooley, Jay Feely, Lance Moore, Steve Slaton and Ian Johnson join Terrell Owens, Santonio Holmes and other NFL personalities on the MogoTXT team. Under the new partnership, MogoTXT, NFL PLAYERS and participating NFL stars will share revenues generated from content created by participating NFL stars. MogoTXT, NFL PLAYERS and participating NFL stars will also donate a significant portion of the revenues to selected charities, including charitable initiatives sponsored or supported by NFL PLAYERS and participating NFL stars. The new partnership has enabled the following NFL players to join MogoTXT’s growing roster of NFL and NBA sports personalities: Erik Coleman, safety, Atlanta Marques Colston, wide receiver, New Orleans Chris Cooley, tight end, Washington Jay Feely, placekicker, New York Percy Harvin, wide receiver, Minnesota Ian Johnson, running back, Minnesota Lance Moore, wide receiver, New Orleans Steve Slaton, running back, Houston Pierre Thomas, running back, New Orleans MogoTXT has also added a new group texting channel to its service that enables fans to see the back and forth text message conversations among Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Pierre Thomas as New Orleans enjoys an unprecedented season and proceeds to the NFL playoffs. "This partnership allows MogoTXT to provide fans with aggregated social media updates from their favorite NFL stars and gives players the unique ability to update their various social media profiles with one text," said Keith Gordon, Acting President of NFL PLAYERS. "MogoTXT also offers players the opportunity to monetize their self-generated social media content." "MogoTXT is very pleased to enter into a wonderful partnership with NFL PLAYERS," said Andrew Won, Chief Executive Officer of MogoTXT. "We look forward to working closely with NFL PLAYERS to help NFL PLAYERS and NFL stars generate revenues, including revenues that will be devoted to charitable purposes. We are excited about working together to harness the as-yet untapped revenue potential of social media for the benefit of our company, our partners and charitable causes. We also look forward to reading the entertaining and informative messages that will be written by NFL stars already on our system and those who will soon join us." Sports fans in the U.S. can join any or all of MogoTXT’s public texting groups for free by signing up at www.mogotxt.com. About NFL PLAYERS: Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable retired NFL players, NFL PLAYERS "takes the helmets off" the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs. In addition, under an exclusive agreement between NFL PLAYERS and the NFL, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company’s official Web site is part of the part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players. NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and internet. For more information, please visit NFLPLAYERS.COM. About MogoTXT: San Francisco, California-based MogoTXT, Inc. is a mobile messaging company focused on delivering new, innovative, immersive and entertaining mobile experiences for its users. In addition to offering its mobile and online services in the United States and China, MogoTXT provides sports stars and other celebrities with the convenience of texting just once but automatically updating all of their fans on MogoTXT, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other websites. By enabling sports and celebrities to connect with their fans regardless of where they are, MogoTXT helps aggregate dispersed fans into larger audiences for marketing and other monetization purposes. For more information, please visit MOGOTXT.COM. |
|
MogoTXT adds SMS from Lakers' Farmar, Slam Magazine
May 14th, 2009 | Tzvi Twersky | SLAM ONLINE
Friendster, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter. I was late to the party on all of these social networking sites. My friends had to nudge me and I needed serious convincing that it was worthwhile to sign up. And, by the time I finally did get with it, the fad was over-people had moved onto the next, new device-and I was behind the times again. After Twitter blew up, and I was late to sign up again, I decided that I needed-both for professional and personal reasons-to be ahead of the public in signing up for the next site. I thought the opportunity wouldn't arise for a while, though. But, after seeing SLAM Magazine and a handful of NBA players-Eric Gordon, Shane Battier, LaMarcus Aldridge and Spencer Hawes, just to name a few-sign up for it, this time I think I'm ahead of the curve, and beat the mainstream to the next big thing: MogoTXT.
I am talking about it here on SLAMonline because it is a new, better way to follow SLAM, the NBA and individual players-things that everyone on this site are interested in. It provides you with the opportunity to follow Lang's, Ben's and other insiders' thoughts on the sport. So, if you jones for even more basketball info then we give you here, then it's time you check out MogoTXT.
True, MogoTXT is a good way to follow media pundits' thoughts on the game, but it's an even better way to follow NBA players on a close, less filtered, personal level then was previously possible. Andrew Won, founding father of the company, articulates MogoTXT's objective as follows: "MogoTXT's service was created to enable athletes and other celebrities to build fan followings and to easily interact with fans while being protected from harassment. MogoTXT focuses on athletes and celebrities to provide higher signal-to-noise ratio. What athletes and celebrities say is usually newsworthy and this helps minimize the phenomenon of useless information overload that is becoming all too common with other online and mobile services."
Count Spencer Hawes, Sacramento's talented young big man, as one of the athletes who have jumped on MogoTXT's bandwagon. He has been using MogoTXT to update his fans for a while now. "I use MogoTXT generally a couple times a day, sometimes more, depending if I'm doing anything interesting or noteworthy on any given day." Likewise, Houston's Shane Battier utilizes the site daily to "keep my fans, friends, and family in the loop. Sometimes I say something deep, other times, I just talk about little random details of life. There are no agendas, no spins, it's just what I'm feeling at the moment."
Twitter had an amazing 2009, with players and reporters signing up for the service in droves. But the players on MogoTXT think it offers more than Twitter, lacks some of its drawbacks and will be the place to interact in 2010.
"I prefer MogoTXT because of the interaction aspect," says a MogoTXTing Battier. "My fans can MogoTXT me questions and I can respond directly to their questions. That is not able to happen using Twitter."
MogoTXT is also simpler to use than other services and more secure, too. As Won says: "MogoTXT's services were designed to be more secure than other services. [Not to mention that] the messages on MogoTXT are displayed in plain English (and also in plain Mandarin) without the confusing Ô@johndoe' symbols and syntax seen on competing services. Lastly, MogoTXT is building rich media sites for many of its athletes. These sites enable athletes to distribute content to their fans' cell phones."
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland's quiet giant and MogoTXT supporter, put it the best. "I prefer MogoTXT because it's simpler and easier to use than Twitter."
Now you may visit MogoTXT's site and think it's hard to use. But, truth is, if we could figure it out, and NBA players with precious free moments can figure it out, then you can figure it out, too. Like Shane Battier told me, "Even my dad, who is not the most savvy tech guy, uses MogoTXT."
In a few simple steps, here is a brief tutorial of how to sign up for and use MogoTXT both on the web and on your cell phone:
- Fans can join any or all of MogoTXT's public texting groups for free by signing up here on the web or from their cell phone by just texting MOGO and their first and last names to 43526.
- Once there, you can join SLAM's english page, Mandarin page or an NBA player's page by just clicking on "Join Channel." Once you have done that, consider yourself an active MogoTXTer.
- Sending messages from the website (to a player or anyone else) is a breeze: When you're in your Inbox, click on "New Message", select your recipients from your contacts and press Send. Once the other person receives the message, just wait and watch.
- You can also send and receive messages from your cell. There are two ways to do so: The easiest way is to reply to an existing conversation. If you've just received a message via MogoTXT, just reply to the text message and your reply will go to the same recipients as the message that you're replying to. If you want to start a new conversation from your phone, you can send commands to the MogoTXT phone number.
Whether you're at home surfing the internet or on the go with your cell, this as close as the average fan can get to being in the NBA.
Eric Gordon, one of the L's bright young stars and the man behind SLAM's Rookie Diary, also saw the merits of MogoTXT and joined the service. "I usually posts multiple times a week," Gordon now says, "but as it's been picking up some momentum lately, I'm trying to send out messages once a day."
As the site gains momentum, people are going to get swept up into it like they were Facebook and Twitter. The only difference? This time, I'm gonna have beaten 'em to it!
MogoTXT adds SMS from Lakers' Farmar, Slam Magazine
May 8th, 2009 | Dan Butcher | Mobile Marketer
Timed to coincide with the second-round NBA playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets, MogoTXT Inc. has added content to its SMS alerts.
MogoTXT has launched a new service that allows NBA fans in the U.S. and in China to receive free English or Mandarin-translated text messages written by Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers and by the editors and writers of Slam Magazine. MogoTXT also added Mandarin-language pages to its Web site at http://www.mogotxt.com that feature Mr. Farmar.
"Working with MogoTXT enables Slam to quickly and easily reach its target audience in China with SMS mobile alerts," said Andrew Won, CEO of MogoTXT, San Mateo, CA. "Slam is a magazine devoted to basketball, and MogoTXT provides Slam with instant access to the fastest growing basketball market in the world.
"Jordan is very popular and the cachet of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers is a big plus as well," he said.
MogoTXT also handles the translation of content into Mandarin for its partners.
"MogoTXT can provide immediate reach into China for just about any advertiser, and MogoTXT's ability to match ads to relevant content will increase as MogoTXT continues to add more sports and celebrity content," Mr. Won said.
"MogoTXT already has SMS connectivity to China, so there are no short code clearance and integration headaches," he said.
MogoTXT's core demographic is currently sports fans 16 to 45 in age. Brands will be able to target broader demographics as MogoTXT adds more varied content.
MogoTXT will soon add Mandarin-language pages to its Web site that feature Slam Magazine.
NBA fans in China can now read what Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers writes about each playoff game against the Houston Rockets and compare Mr. Farmar's comments to what the Rockets' Shane Battier texts (see story).
NBA fans in China can also read what the editors and writers of Slam Magazine post about the NBA playoffs and about upcoming issues of Slam.
Since its launch in 1994, Slam Magazine has focused exclusively on the sport of basketball and has a circulation of more than 500,000 worldwide.
In addition to articles written by well-regarded professional writers, Slam Magazine also features diaries written by active basketball players.
Among the players that have written diaries for Slam Magazine in the recent past are LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and MogoTXT's very own Eric Gordon of the L.A. Clippers.
U.S. fans can join any or all of MogoTXT's public texting groups for free by signing up at http://www.mogotxt.com or by texting keyword MOGO and their first and last names to short code 43526.
Chinese fans can also sign up at http://www.mogotxt.com or by texting keyword j jordan or j shane to short codee 1066 9588 1919 for messages in Mandarin from Jordan Farmar and/or Shane Battier, respectively.
MogoTXT will soon launch texting groups for other NBA stars, Major League Baseball players, soccer stars, NFL players and celebrities.
MogoTXT's TV ads in China have not started yet and will not start to run until about May 15th because of clearance requirements in China
"But even without any TV ads or much in the way of publicity in China, over 70 percent of our traffic now comes from China," Mr. Won said. "This seems to be happening by word of mouth, and it is very, very gratifying when people start to beat a path to your proverbial door.
"I give all of the credit for our success in China to Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets, who is one of the most recognized and popular NBA players in China," he said.
"It certainly does not hurt that the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and currently hold a one game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
At press time, the Lakers-Rockets series is tied at one game apiece. Game 3 is tonight at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.
"I wouldn't be at all surprised if all of China is watching the current Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers series," Mr. Won said. "I think this is the best that the Houston Rockets have played since Yao Ming joined the team."
NBA players Twitter-Like Service for Chinese Fans
April 21st, 2009 | NBA In China
Timed to coincide with the second-round NBA playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets, MogoTXT Inc. has added content to its SMS alerts.
MogoTXT has launched a new service that allows NBA fans in the U.S. and in China to receive free English or Mandarin-translated text messages written by Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers and by the editors and writers of Slam Magazine. MogoTXT also added Mandarin-language pages to its Web site at http://www.mogotxt.com that feature Mr. Farmar.
"Working with MogoTXT enables Slam to quickly and easily reach its target audience in China with SMS mobile alerts," said Andrew Won, CEO of MogoTXT, San Mateo, CA. "Slam is a magazine devoted to basketball, and MogoTXT provides Slam with instant access to the fastest growing basketball market in the world.
"Jordan is very popular and the cachet of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers is a big plus as well," he said.
MogoTXT also handles the translation of content into Mandarin for its partners.
"MogoTXT can provide immediate reach into China for just about any advertiser, and MogoTXT's ability to match ads to relevant content will increase as MogoTXT continues to add more sports and celebrity content," Mr. Won said.
"MogoTXT already has SMS connectivity to China, so there are no short code clearance and integration headaches," he said.
MogoTXT's core demographic is currently sports fans 16 to 45 in age. Brands will be able to target broader demographics as MogoTXT adds more varied content.
MogoTXT will soon add Mandarin-language pages to its Web site that feature Slam Magazine.
NBA fans in China can now read what Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers writes about each playoff game against the Houston Rockets and compare Mr. Farmar's comments to what the Rockets' Shane Battier texts (see story).
NBA fans in China can also read what the editors and writers of Slam Magazine post about the NBA playoffs and about upcoming issues of Slam.
Since its launch in 1994, Slam Magazine has focused exclusively on the sport of basketball and has a circulation of more than 500,000 worldwide.
In addition to articles written by well-regarded professional writers, Slam Magazine also features diaries written by active basketball players.
Among the players that have written diaries for Slam Magazine in the recent past are LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and MogoTXT's very own Eric Gordon of the L.A. Clippers.
U.S. fans can join any or all of MogoTXT's public texting groups for free by signing up at http://www.mogotxt.com or by texting keyword MOGO and their first and last names to short code 43526.
Chinese fans can also sign up at http://www.mogotxt.com or by texting keyword j jordan or j shane to short codee 1066 9588 1919 for messages in Mandarin from Jordan Farmar and/or Shane Battier, respectively.
MogoTXT will soon launch texting groups for other NBA stars, Major League Baseball players, soccer stars, NFL players and celebrities.
MogoTXT's TV ads in China have not started yet and will not start to run until about May 15th because of clearance requirements in China
"But even without any TV ads or much in the way of publicity in China, over 70 percent of our traffic now comes from China," Mr. Won said. "This seems to be happening by word of mouth, and it is very, very gratifying when people start to beat a path to your proverbial door.
"I give all of the credit for our success in China to Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets, who is one of the most recognized and popular NBA players in China," he said.
"It certainly does not hurt that the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, and currently hold a one game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
At press time, the Lakers-Rockets series is tied at one game apiece. Game 3 is tonight at 9:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.
"I wouldn't be at all surprised if all of China is watching the current Houston Rockets versus Los Angeles Lakers series," Mr. Won said. "I think this is the best that the Houston Rockets have played since Yao Ming joined the team."
April 21st, 2009 | MogoTXT
MogoTXT Launches an Unprecedented Free Service that
Translates Shane Battier's NBA Mobile Alerts into
Mandarin and Delivers these Messages to
Chinese Sports Fans.
Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets will be a guest star on
Battier's mobile channel, and post messages for Rockets fans.
MogoTXT also launches an English and Mandarin rich media
mobile site devoted to Battier of the Houston Rockets.
San Mateo, Calif., April 21, 2009--MogoTXT, Inc. announced today that it
just launched a brand new and unprecedented service that allows NBA fans
in the U.S. and China to receive free text messages that are written by NBA
players either in English or translated into Mandarin.
MogoTXT is launching this new service with Yao Ming and Shane Battier of
the Houston Rockets, who are two of the most popular and well-known NBA
players in China and whose public text messages to fans will be the very first
translated into Mandarin by MogoTXT. MogoTXT has also added Mandarin
versions of Battier's personal pages on www.mogotxt.com, and modified
its website to enable Chinese users to sign up for MogoTXT's free service.
NBA partner, Fujian Peak Group, LTD, China's largest basketball footwear
company, has agreed to support Battier's mobile channel in the U.S. and in
China in a variety of ways, including the insertion of MogoTXT promotions
into Peak's television commercials that feature Battier and which are aired
twice during every telecast of Houston Rockets games in China.
MogoTXT and Battier will, in turn, help Peak advertise and market its athletic
shoes and apparel in China and also help build awareness of the Peak brand
in the United States as Peak prepares to enter the U.S. market. Battier is a
major endorser of Peak's athletic shoes, together with Jason Kidd of the
Dallas Mavericks, Ron Artest of the Houston Rockets and Sasha Vujacic of the
Los Angeles Lakers.
MogoTXT, Inc. also announced today that it launched its first rich media
mobile site dedicated to Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets. This is the
first of many rich media mobile sites that MogoTXT will launch and operate to
promote its athletes, and enable future content downloads and other mobile
commerce involving these athletes.
MogoTXT now spans the Web, SMS and WAP to deliver a seamless,
immersive and rich mobile experience for its users. Battier's fans will be able
to access Battier's media mobile site by clicking on links to this site inserted
into Battier's text messages to his fans.
Consistent with MogoTXT's launch of its Mandarin-translated text messaging
service, Battier's rich media mobile site will display content in both English
and Mandarin. Battier's rich media mobile site will also feature the products
and branding of NBA partner, Fujian Peak Group, LTD, China's largest
basketball footwear company.
MogoTXT's expansion into China is just its first step to capitalize on the
increasing globalization of sports manifest in 27% of NBA players and 28% of
MLB players being foreign born. MogoTXT will enable sports fans in other
countries to receive mobile alerts from their favorite players in the U.S.,
including those from their own countries.
In addition to Battier of the Houston Rockets, the following NBA players are
also posting public mobile alerts for fans on MogoTXT:
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers
Jordan Farmar, Los Angeles Lakers
Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers
Spencer Hawes, Sacramento Kings
The text messages written by these star athletes are informative and
entertaining. The messages are personally written by the players, and
contain wit, humor, insights, and nuggets of fun personal information about
whom they personally admire, what they like to do off the court, and their
charitable works. Now with the NBA playoffs pending, the players' text
messages provide fans with a sense of what it is like to be in the playoffs and
insights about the pending matchups.
MogoTXT will soon expand its translation service and rich media mobile
capabilities to these other star athletes.
U.S. fans can join any or all of MogoTXT's public texting groups for free by
signing up at www.mogotxt.com or by just texting MOGO and their first
and last names to 43526 with their cell phones.
Chinese fans can also sign up at www.mogotxt.com or by texting j shane
for messages in Mandarin or j battier for messages in English to 1066 9588
1919.
MogoTXT will soon launch texting groups for other NBA stars, Major League
Baseball players, Soccer stars, NFL players and celebrities.
About MogoTXT
San Mateo, California-based MogoTXT, Inc. is a mobile messaging company
focused on delivering new, innovative, immersive, rich and entertaining
mobile experiences for its users.
Media Contact:
Andrew Won
Chief Executive Officer
(650) 245-6457
andy@mogotxt.com
April 8th, 2009 | MyFoxHouston.com
Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier is such a golf fanatic that he had a green jacket made for him to wear while he watches the Masters Golf Tournament on television this weekend.
He also said he once took a fast-break charge from Shaquille o'Neal and decided he did it once and will never do it again.
Anecdotes like that from Battier are free for the taking if you sign up with a new web service called mogotxt.com.
Battier told FOX 26 Sports he and four other NBA players are offering their thoughts through posts and messages on mogotxt.com and they are Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, Portland Trailblazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Sacramento Kings center Spencer Hawes and L.A. Clippers guard Eric Gordon.
"Myself, along with four other NBA players, started a new company called MogoTXT," Battier said. "Go to the website mogotxt.com and sign up."
"You can get a personal update as to what I am doing every single day. I go on it every single day and let my fans know what I am doing, what I'm thinking about everything,About life, about the match-ups we play that night, about playing Kobe Bryant. Whatever you can think of, I'm putting out there."
Battier believes his service is better than the one that is getting world-wide attention these days.
"Mogotxt(.com) is similar to Twitter but I think it's a little more personal," Battier said. "You can actually sign up for whoever you want updates from. You can leave me messages. I have a bunch of people who want to ask me questions. It's a great way to get a hold of me. I'm on there every day and I answer a lot of my questions."
"It's all free. All you need is a cell phone or an e-mail address and you can get daily updates.
Mogotxt.com is owned by MogoTXT, Inc. based in San Mateo, Calif. The company's CEO is Andrew Won.
Won echoes Battier's thoughts about their company and takes it one step further.
"We believe it's a more safe and sane way for people to communicate with each other," Won said.
The five NBA players taking part in the company were chosen for what Won called very good reasons.
"It's a little bit like picking your own basketball team," Won said. "You want guys who are young,understand the impact of cell phones and are already blogging and texting."
"Shane is one of the smartest people I have ever met."
Battier's teammate, Yao Ming, is one of the most famous athletes in the world and mogotxt.com plans to take advantage of that.
"We are about to expand our lines to China," Battier said. "We know the Rockets are really popular in China. So it's going to be a great expansion to talk to our friends and Rockets fans in China."
"We are trying to get Yao to do a celebrity mogotxt(.com) where he can come in and we go back and forth and talk about different things."
Won said focusing on the NBA is just the first phase for his company. He said the company has lined up athletes in other sports such as Major League Baseball, the National Football League,the English Premier League and European soccer.
Won also said his company will also offer the ability to translate messages from foreign athletes working in the United States so fans in their home countries can follow them.
"We only rolled out our option three weeks ago," Battier said. "We think it's the next big thing."
Jason Thompson ate at Subway before practice.
Shaquille O'Neal wants to cheat on his diet and go to Dairy Queen.
It is mostly mundane. It is information squeezed into 140 characters and shared on a site - Twitter - that has started its own language. But tweeters - as users are called - are showing they have an appetite for even the most trivial of updates.
Many experts agree that Twitter, along with social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, has become a brilliant way for athletes to connect directly with their fans in a way never afforded before.
It's that link that has many sports organizations pushing their athletes toward these sites, all the while keeping a watchful eye on what information is being made public.
"I wanted to be different than any other player," said O'Neal, who has become the face of Twitter's athlete movement with 520,000 followers. "I don't promote being me. Everyone knows who I am, how much money I make. I just let them know, 'Hey, I'm on the corner if you want to come and say hi.' "
O'Neal said the main reason he joined Twitter was because another user was pretending to be him. Now he is one of many professional athletes offering daily - sometimes hourly - tweets, some of which have forced news outlets to pay close attention.
Lance Armstrong broke news on Twitter in February, announcing that his one-of-a-kind bike had been stolen in Sacramento after the first day of the Tour of California. Armstrong posted a picture and offered a reward through the site. The bike was later found.
And just before having surgery last month on a broken collarbone, Armstrong posted a picture of himself in his hospital bed.
Nothing is too big or too small to share when it comes to social sites, said Robert Tuchman, president of the New York-based sports marketing firm TSE Sports and Entertainment.
"I think it's a tremendous asset to these athletes," Tuchman said. "It's really for the first time a way for athletes to communicate with fans directly and not through the media. (They can be) really honest and really themselves on these sites."
But for many athletes, it took some time to realize people would ingest these random updates. Thompson, a rookie out of Rider, was hesitant to join Twitter prior to O'Neal leading the way. Thompson wasn't sure if anyone would care what he was doing on a daily basis.
When Kings marketing personnel printed out O'Neal's Twitter page and the reaction to it, Thompson was in.
"I think that's when it clicked for Jason," said Mitch Germann, the Kings' vice president of business communications.
Thompson is now one of the Kings' most active users. Fellow rookie Donte Greene has since joined and, most recently, Francisco Garc'a is doing updates in Spanish.
Spencer Hawes uses a recently launched site called MogoTXT, which features athletes and celebrities and sends mobile alerts directly to fans.
"I think it's a great time to be a fan, because you can get closer to your favorite athlete than you ever have been able to," Germann said. "Twitter is a great example of that. Twitter is a great marking tool for the organization. The closer fans feel to the players, the more likely they will come to games to follow them."
Germann said the organization monitors what its athletes are posting and they have parameters as to what is acceptable. He said he makes sure athletes are aware that what they write is a reflection of their personal brand as well as the franchise.
Those parameters include paying attention to what businesses the players are promoting. Thompson saying he ate at Subway is encouraged because the sandwich chain is a Kings sponsor. Tweeting about a Whopper from Burger King, which is not a sponsor, would be less welcomed.
"We monitor what's being said throughout the community, including fans, too," Germann said. "Because it's a great way to learn what our fans are saying and how we can do better. We want to monitor Twitter as a customer service tool as well. If someone Twitters that the people in front of them (at a game) are too loud, we can use that to respond on the spot. We can send an usher down."
Another benefit to athletes being on social networking sites is they can build an audience before someone else poses as them.
Clippers forward-center Zach Randolph learned last week that someone had impersonated him on Twitter and posted: "i want out y'all. any ideas? lets marbury this (bleep) up."
Agents and general managers were called in before discovering it was a ruse. Similar problems arose on MySpace when the site first became popular.
It's no longer just the players joining in. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban found a new way to get fined by the NBA after posting critical comments about officials.
After being docked $25,000, Cuban tweeted: "can't say no one makes money from twitter now. the nba does."
With Twitter regularly making the news and continuing to grow exponentially, Tuchman, the sports marketing expert, said he sees social networking sites as a permanent fixture.
"I think it's not only a trend for athletes, but a trend for the way people connect," Tuchman said. "It's the town center. It's just going to grow and there will be more tools available. I don't see it as something that will taper off. It may morph into something else."
So, for now, athletes are enjoying the ride with the fans following them.
Jason Richardson of the Phoenix Suns said he's found Twitter to be useful and fun.
"Most of the time, you don't really get to connect with the fans," Richardson said. "You only get to them through the media. So with this, you can let loose a little bit, be yourself. You tell them what you're doing every day. Crack a joke on somebody about your teammates."
March 11th, 2009 | MobileMarketer.com
A number of NBA players have agreed to post daily text messages that fans can sign up to receive on their mobile phones or computers.
Mobile messaging company MogoTXT Inc. launched the mobile blog. The initial group of
NBA stars on the MogoTXT platform are Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets, LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trailblazers, Jordan Farmar of the Los Angeles Lakers, Eric Gordon of the Los Angeles Clippers and Spencer Hawes of the Sacramento Kings. Read more on MobileMarketer.com
March 10th, 2009 | CNET.com
MogoTXT, a company that wants to become the place for celebrities and sports superstars to connect with each other, announced Tuesday that it has launched a new microblogging tool. According to the company, five players have already signed up for the service including Shane Battier, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jordan Farmar, Eric Gordon, and Spencer Hawes. The real attraction for celebrities, the company's CEO says, is that MogoTXT allows the stars to share in the revenues of their following. In other words, the more users they can attract to the service to follow their micro-blog updates, the more money they can make off MogoTXT. Read more at CNET.com
Fans Can Follow Sports Stars And Celebrities Knowing That They Are The Real Deal
Sports Stars and Celebrities Can Now Build Their Mobile Audiences Without Losing Control of Their Audiences
Sports Stars And Celebrities Can Build Their Mobile Audiences And Offer Targeted Marketing Opportunities To Advertisers
San Mateo, Calif., March 10, 2009--MogoTXT, Inc. announced today that a number of NBA players have agreed to post daily text messages that fans can sign up to receive on their cell phones or computers. The initial group of NBA stars on MogoTXT are:
Shane Battier, Houston Rockets
LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trailblazers
Jordan Farmar, Los Angeles Lakers
Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers
Spencer Hawes, Sacramento Kings
The text messages written by these star athletes are fresh, authentic and unlike anything that is currently available. The messages arrive much faster than traditional news stories -- often right after a game. These athletes will reach out and share their daily lives with fans who follow them on MogoTXT.
Fans can join any or all of MogoTXT's public texting groups for free by signing up at www.mogotxt.com or by just texting MOGO and their first and last names to 43526 with their cell phones. Fans will not have to wonder about whether the athletes and celebrities they are following on MogoTXT are the real deals or imposters. Fans can write messages to the athletes and celebrities they follow.
Sports stars and celebrities will be able to build their mobile audiences on MogoTXT in a manner that will provide very attractive and well-targeted advertising opportunities for major brands. Sports stars and celebrities will be able to build their mobile audiences with assurance that their mobile audiences will not be improperly used by the company that hosts their mobile groups.
MogoTXT will soon launch texting groups for other NBA stars, Major League Baseball players, and celebrities.
About MogoTXT
San Mateo, California-based MogoTXT, Inc. is a mobile messaging company.
Media Contact:
Andrew Won
Chief Executive Officer
(650) 245-6457
andy@mogotxt.com