How The US Open Won Over TikTok
A culture of "I'll just watch the highlights on social" is at the core of what complicates the modern business of live TV, both in how its marketed and how its audience is measured. The US Open seems to have cracked it however, with a TikTok strategy that went way beyond cutting highlight clips for social, broadening both the event's audience and social relevance.
The Entertainment business looooooooooves sports: they are among only a few things in legacy media that still pulls big live audiences and historically live sports have been a top reason that consumers are willing to pay for TV: Apple's MLS Season Pass saw 1,690% growth in sign-ups the day Messi first played in Miami, for example.
It's no secret however that ESPN is finding its way in the transition to streaming, having been rumored this Summer to be exploring the potential of selling a minority stake while bringing back two former executives to help troubleshoot issues with the business. In the same context, engagement with this week's MTV VMAs exemplifies the opportunity and dilemma of such live TV events: while only 913,000 people watched it live, MTV has reported in recent years that the show garners over 1.4b total minutes consumed across platforms. By comparison, when Kanye West took Taylor Swift’s award at their 2009 show, 9m 18-34 year olds were watching it live.
The US Open's TikTok strategy is an inspiring window into next generation marketing for live entertainment, and what it means to make a live event socially relevant. Here are 6 takeaways from the approach that can be applied to similar future campaigns:
The account felt like it had real personality behind it. As one person noted in the comments, "Who is running this account? It's completely unhinged, chaotic, and incredible."
They celebrated the event beyond the limitations of simply cutting content around the highlights of winning and losing (which might be limited in appeal to Tennis fans) and instead assumed the position of a spectator with a contagious sense of humor. When a ball boy caught a serve and smiled, they celebrated him with a social piece.
The account mastered the unique language of the platform by mashing together random cuts across players, the audience, and key moments that were in line with TikTok's signature high energy (or "core core") creativity.
They highlighted athletes more through the relatable lens of social than the often idolized lens of traditional sports media, zooming in on the fun of players' personality traits.
The account unlocked a natural influencer strategy by highlighting candid moments with celebrity talent in attendance. A post of Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet was among the account's top performing pieces.
The account utilized trending sounds to transcend algorithmic limitations of its genre, enabling pieces to travel across a wider range of TikTok feeds.