NBA Digital Disciple Series: 5 Learnings from the OKC Thunder

30 teams. 7 weeks. 2 bloggers. 1 mission: to share our learnings of how NBA teams uniquely leverage digital tools to build fan community.

As students, or disciples of the game, we'll supply you with the doctrine - 5 takeaways per team - and then raise you one enhancement suggestion for each learning that's highlighted. (One way to make the great even greater) Then, we'll wrap it up, pick a winner, and send you on your way.

Cool?

Thus far, we've covered the NJ Nets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards,Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, LA Clippers, NY Knicks, New Orleans Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, and Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, and Chicago Bulls.

Our full schedule is available here.

It's time for week 4 -- Let's move.

Let's take a look at the digital connections made by the Oklahoma City Thunder (link here).

1. Tweets are News

The Thunder do a good job of positioning their Twitter feed for what it is: a great news source. While this may seem intuitive to many of you, most sites don't position Twitter that way. The team's Twitter feed will find itself under the headline of "Social Media", "Fan Zone", or "Multimedia" on many sites. But the Thunder have approached Twitter from the mind of their consumer. As you can see in this image, Thunder Tweets appears under the headline "NEWS."

As a bonus, it also appears as a main navigation element on the home page.

Plus One: Could the Thunder take this strategy and allow fans to customize what they see beneath "Thunder Tweets?" For example, allow them to pull in just the Official Thunder feed (as it is now) or pull in players, coaches, or media beat writers. The infrastructure is here, now let's see a little personalization...

2. Game Night: Where to Watch the Thunder

Here's another smart and easy thing to add to your site. Linked here and shown below, the Thunder offer you an easy way to figure out who is carrying the game. Just go to the Thunder site, enter in your zip code, and find a spot to watch the game with your friends. And a nice way to partner with restaurants in your network.

Plus One: This is a case ready made for location based marketing. The Thunder are asking fans to look up where to go from their site. Why not also ask them to check in from the location during the game? It's pretty interesting to think about this -- if the Thunder sees you checked in during the game from the sports bar they have a pretty good idea you're a fan. And why not reward those who are the most likely to go to these establishments at game time?

3. Training Camp

Looking around the Thunder site, it was clear to me that the team doesn't start going deep on its storytelling when the season starts. That's special, and as you can see from the image below or by clicking here, the team provides deep access to content from the start of training camp... and a reason for fans to check them out again and again leading up to the season.

Plus One: The pieces are here. Why not stitch them together? I'd love to see the training camp not be done solely as a story on what's happening day-to-day, but rather as a part of a season long focus on the growth of the team. Put a focus on the story that will be told after the season concludes, then cut that down into day-by-day recaps on the Thunder.

4. Fans, Fans, Fans

Another evident thing about the Thunder is the passion of their fan base. That's carried out in two features on the Thunder site: The roar of the crowd after the season ended, and a mini-documentary on a watch party outside of the arena. It's pretty inspiring to think that this energy is so strong even when it is not attached to a big play, or to success in a moment.

Plus One: Why not recognize a fan every game? And not just in the arena -- on the site, on Facebook, and on Twitter? This would be one fan who bleeds Thunder blue and who exemplifies that collective roar you can hear on the features above. Keeping an archive of those features online could become pretty incredible.

5. Teacher of the Game

I love this, and not just because my mom is an elementary school teacher. What I love is the convergence of community programs and game days. The Thunder have 41 home games. And they use those 41 games to recognize 41 teachers who are excelling in their school district. This allows the Thunder to make an impact across the state. It celebrates something they value. And, not to be lost, it positions the Thunder not as a team in OKC but as a team of the state of Oklahoma. Each teacher gets recognition, along with help for their classroom. Here's the link.

Plus One: Could the Thunder use this program to tie the team even deeper to the school districts across the state? The Thunder should allow the winning teacher's school the chance to get a visit from a member of the Thunder the same week of the recognition. That way it isn't just about the teacher traveling to OKC to get recognized but also the Thunder heading to the school to say Thank You and to speak to the children of that program. If you want to get bigger, let the Thunder actually practice at the teacher of the year's school. That'd be nuts!

That's a wrap.

I hope you're enjoying this ride. Check out Peter Robert Casey tomorrow (here) as he drills into the Charlotte Bobcats. And click here to follow me on Twitter.

Andy