#twHEATup's Success Should be Wake-Up Call

Shortly after I wrote my April 21 blog about the first-ever Miami HEAT #twHEATup, I was excited to see the social media voice of the HEAT thought it was informative enough to retweet it herself under the @MiamiHEAT Twitter account.

I also became doubly excited when I saw that of the 311 accounts the team follows, they started following me, which has led to greater interaction between myself and their staff.

Now that a week has passed since South Florida's first-ever team-sponsored tweetup, I reached out to the team to see if they would provide me with details related to the event's success.

With special thanks to Stephanie Hoyos, Internet Services Coordinator for the team, she was able to shed some light on the subject.

For starters, she said the overall response on their social networks has been great and they sold out their inventory of approximately 50 tickets for the $50.00 event, which included a seat in Section 307, a halftime meet-and-greet with the Miami HEAT dancers, and a postgame meet-and-greet with HEAT legend Tim Hardaway.  "We're very happy with the response and we're definitely planning on hosting more #twHEATup events," said Hoyos, which was music to my ears!

Hoyos was kind enough to also provide a photo of an added-value bonus that was included on the front of each envelope the #twHEATup attendees received when they arrived on Friday, April 23:

Inside the 5x7 black envelopes were passes for both meet-and-greet sessions and a Miami HEAT keychain, which was a special gift.  According to Hoyos, the teams' Twitter experts personally handed out the envelopes at the end of the first quarter, which was just in time for the halftime meet-and-greet with the HEAT dancers (and the location and time were printed on the passes).

Then at the end of the game, the #twHEATup attendees had the chance to meet Hardaway, who signed autographs and took pictures, some of which were posted by the team at their Miami Heat Facebook page.  The following picture is from that page:

The only downer, if there was one, is that this meet-and-greet took place shortly after Paul Pierce won Game 3 at the buzzer.  Despite that, it appears the people in this photo and all off the attendees absolutely had fun at the game.

Now that the HEAT have proven a fan tweetup to be a success in the South Florida sports scene and have already indicated they will absolutely do more in the future, the question hopefully isn't IF the Dolphins, Panthers and Marlins will do one, it's WHEN.

Crawling Along: #ChevyPizzaCrawl An Amazing Experience

On Saturday, April 24, I was fortunate enough to be part of an experience known as #ChevyPizzaCrawl.  For those who don't indulge in social media that often, many businesses are starting to partner with one another in unique ways to try and drive their message home in an unobstrusive way.

Earlier this year, Chevrolet partnered with @LionCountry on #ChevyROAR, where several mommy and lifestyle bloggers including @McMommyLive, @TheTinyJEWELBox, @amandastewart and @vicequeenmaria drove around Lion Country Safari in several Chevy vehicles.  The bloggers tweeted during their experience and blogged about it afterwards.

As good as that partnership was, Chevy raised the bar when Stephanie Camargo AKA @midtownchica, who works on Chevrolet's account at the Axis Agency, invited Craig Agranoff AKA @lapp, who handles WorstPizza.com, to create the #ChevyPizzaCrawl.  The first one took place in Palm Beach County and combined five cars with five great restaurants chosen by Craig.  Due to its overwhelming success, Chevy decided to go for Round 2, but this time in Broward County.

Both my wife and I were lucky enough to be chosen in the group of 20 people to participate.  The five vehicles we were invited to test-drive (or ride in when it wasn't our turn to drive) by Ed Morse Sawgrass Chevolet in Sunrise were the Chevy Camaro, Corvette, Equinox, Malibu and Tahoe.

Meanwhile, Craig's itinerary of Pizza would take us to Davie, two stops in Fort Lauderdale, Coconut Creek and Coral Springs.  The word of advice that returning veterans of the first crawl like @jarret23 gave us was simply "PACE YOURSELF - THERE'S FIVE RESTAURANTS!  In exchange for driving and eating, all we were asked to do was tweet using #ChevyPizzaCrawl during the entire event. What a deal!

We started the day in the Camaro, riding over to Antonio's Pizza-Rant in Davie just east of 136 Avenue in the Publix Plaza.  Since it was such a short ride, the driver made a right on State Road 84 and drove down to Weston Road before back-tracking.  The car handled very nicely and, while it's not one I would own at this point in my life, I can see why so many like the Camaro. 

If you click on the website that I linked to their name, it has a very old school feel to it.  That's how this place felt.  It had a very cookie-cutter feel to it.  Don't get me wrong - the wait staff was friendly, and I actually enjoyed the combination of cheese, crust and sauce at this place; however, it was very similar to many pizza places I've been in before.  I don't know that I would go out of my way to go there again.

For the trip to @PizzaFusionFTL, my wife and I rode over in the Malibu.  I was surprised at how much I liked this vehicle.  Among other things, the Dual DVD screens in the back were an unexpected feature.  Our driver managed to miss the exit on I-95 that @TheReal_OnStar gave us.  When we turned around and went back north, they sent us up Griffin east to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the words "You have reached your destination" were said.  Of course, we were nowhere near the restaurant yet, as it's up on Sunrise Boulevard at the Federal Highway northern curve.

When we finally got there, the @PizzaFusion crew had four pies waiting for us.  Known for their organic offerings, I enjoyed the slice I had.  Although several didn't like the Honest Tea we were given, I did in fact enjoy the pomegranate.  All told, its their unique menu and organic flair that make this location memorable.

The third stop was @SlicePizzeria, which came highly recommended by @BeahBunnie.  Located in Fort Lauderdale on SE 1st Street just west of Federal Highway and South of Broward Boulevard, I commandeered the Tahoe for my test-drive turn.  As I currently drive a similar car, this was one I really liked.  It handled very well and the "step-bar" that goes down when you first get into the car is a nice touch.

At Slice, the crew there REALLY got into it and raised the game an entire notch.  Most places typically provide pizza and soda as part of the visit.  Slice provided the following: Pizza, Garlic Knots, Sodas, ICEEs, T-Shirts and a half-stamped lunch card.  The pizza itself was delicious, but what I will remember about this place more was how accommodating they were.  As I have many friends who work or live within two blocks of this restaurant, you can rest assured I will let them know about this amazing find.

Stop #4 would be Amici's Restaurant in Coconut Creek, and it was Sara's turn to drive - she chose the Corvette Grand Sport.  I can admit it now - instead of going Broward Blvd to 95 to Hillsboro Blvd, Sara and I figured how many times in our life are we going to be in a Corvette?  We took the LONG way.  Las Olas Blvd to A1A to Commercial Blvd to Bayview Drive to Cypress Creek Road to 95 to Hillsboro. 

The beach was bustling and we did end up getting stopped by the Commercial Blvd. drawbridge.  The car handled like a dream, and we finally made it over to @AmicisPizzeria about 15 minutes after everyone else.  We were actually familiar with this place because a teacher Sara works with orders from there all the time.  They are located in the plaza next to the Publix Plaza at the SW corner of Lyons and Hillsboro.

Amici's seemed to also understand, like Slice, that the way to our hearts was through free stuff.  In addition to the pizza (which was very tasty and had a delicious pizza sauce) and soda, they gave us each free meatballs, free tiramisu, and a bottle of wine to take home with us.  The Aqueduct Race Track sign hanging on the wall in this restaurant, which reminded me of my dad, made me smile the moment I saw it.  I would definitely go back here.

Finally, for stop #5, my wife and I rode in the Equinox over to @SicilianOven of Coral Springs.  I had never even heard of this vehicle until #ChevyPizzaCrawl, but I was most impressed by this one.  Of all five vehicles, the Equinox is the one I could most likely see myself driving in the future.  It seemed like a crossover vehicle and was spacious.

The Siciilian Oven was previously a DiSalvo's restaurant.  Whereas before the place was very nondescript, it is now quite memorable from the wood brick oven to the amazing array of menu items.  Their chicken wings and salad they gave each of us was a nice touch in that I would have never ordered chicken wings here on my own.  They were quite tasty the way they were made.  The Margherita Pizza I had here was probably my favorite pizza of the day.

At the end of stop #5, Stephanie and her team gave out awards and gift certificates for the best tweets, the best photos, best team spirit and other categories.  We then got one more ride in the Equinox and parted our separate ways.

I applaud Chevy for their innovative way of connecting with a group of people who they knew would tweet and talk about them that day and for the foreseeable future.  In addition, I applaud Craig for making an entire event around pizza tasting across a county.  After all, everyone loves pizza!

In conclusion, it was special day my wife and I won't soon forget, and yes - I DID pace myself!

The TwHEATup Is On!

After writing in this space on April 8 about the San Francisco Giants decision to have a Tweetup at their April 30 game, I mentioned that three of the four local South Florida professional teams were kind enough to let me know they were researching ways to continue increasing their social media activities with their fans in the future.

To that, I wondered aloud as to which South Florida team would be the first to take advantage and hold a TEAM-SPONSORED fan tweetup. (I was reminded two weeks ago some Twitter users staged a small tweetup at a Marlins game late last season but it was not sponsored by the team).

As it turns out, the weight took all of 13 days, as Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel broke the story in her Business of Sports Blog Wednesday afternoon that the @MiamiHEAT (whose Twitter name used to be @MHEAT) were using Game 3 of their NBA First Round Playoff Series against the Boston Celtics to stage the team's first-ever Tweetup.

In fact, they're taking the bold step of branding the event with a special name -  twHEATup.   Kudos to the person in the organization that figured out twHEATup and Tweetup are pronounced the same.

For $50, twHEATup participants will receive:

• Seats in Section 307 (the special twHEATup section for the evening)
• Halftime Meet & Greet with Heat Dancers
• Postgame Meet & Greet with Former Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway

Although parking is not included, the ticket price for this special event is a savings of between 16 to 40 percent off the normal single ticket price.

Hopefully, our friends with the Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers and Miami Dolphins will follow suit with tweetups in the coming weeks and months now that the Heat has stepped up and determined how to package the event.  I said it was brilliant when the San Francsico Giants did this, and I applaud the Heat for taking a chance on something they haven't done before.

The only remaining decision for the twHEATup may be which hashtag attendees should use at the event, as the ad for the event shows #LETSGOHEAT and #BLACKisBACK.

Either way, hopefully this is the start of a new era in South Florida sports.

Know Your Audience

I was sitting at work today when I received an email from a vendor of ours.  The email template letter began with with three words that caused me to tune out everything else:

Dear Valued Client

In this world where new ways to communicate seemingly evolve each day, to receive a letter with this greeting on it tells me two things about whether you truly believe we're a valued client:


1) You chose convenience over thoughtfulness - Rather than spend the extra 10-15 minutes to mail merge with your customers' last names, to simply have everyone listed as "valued client" makes me feel anything but that way.


2) You chose chest-thumping over caring - Half of the letter from this vendor trumpeted every great thing this company has done during his long and storied history.  Unfortunately for them, I didn't read a single, solitary word once they decided to not identify me by name.

 Now, it could just be I'm overly sensitive to greetings because of the thousands of times in my life I have had people misspell my last name in a greeting (which actually doesn't bother me as much as when people start a letter to me Dear Tony!); however, when I get emails from vendors who have taken the time to learn my first and/or last name, i am certainly going to at least open the email and read it.

The bottom line: If you're calling someone a valued client in your greeting, it's as if you don't know them at all.

Role Model

My father Robert would have turned 79 years old today.  Life has been completely different for me these last 13 months.

This photo is probably my all-time favorite of my dad and I.  On this particular day in March of 2005, me, my brother-in-law Ira and my dad made a journey to Dodgertown in Vero Beach to watch a spring training game.  The tree over my left shoulder gave us shade the entire game, and we liked it so much, my dad had no problem joining us for trips in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (the final year Dodgertown was open before the team abandoned Florida for Arizona).

That's the kind of person my dad was.  If I was interested in something, he became interested in it, too.

He was always a Dunkin' Donuts fan even before I started working with them from a PR standpoint - once I did that, he always made it a point to call me and tell me when he was visiting one for a cup of coffee.

He sat through two heartbreaking FSU losses to Miami in 2000 and 2002 in the upper deck despite being afraid of heights. 

He originally began listening to Meat Loaf and Queen because I liked both groups.

He began using the internet in 2000 while I was still in Tallahassee so he could email me, watch music videos on YouTube and get sports news from ESPN, long past the average age of people who use computers.

He even let me explain Twitter to him, and understood it enough that when I showed him I was quoted in a Sarah Talalay article eight days before he died, he laughed (because the quote was about his short height) and told me he was proud of me.

I miss him the most in the mornings on the way to work - I used to call him religious at 8am to talk about sports, life and whatever else was on his mind or mine.

In short, my dad was my role model and I always try to do everything for my children that he did for me.  I'm happy that my son had a great relationship with him and that he got to spend one year getting to play with my daughter.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. Enjoy the donut!

Proud Papa

Today was my father's unveiling.  It was nice to see so many friends and relatives come out and make it a point even 13 months after his funeral to be part of this solemn occasion.

Sometimes there's things your children do that you will remember for a day or two but quickly forget due to other great memories.

My son did something at the unveiling that 20 years from now I'll remember and still be as proud of him then as I was of him at the ceremony.

When my mother asked if anyone wanted to say any words about my dad AKA Robert AKA Bobby AKA Bob AKA Grandpa, my son raised his hand and walked over to the shiny new headstone which showed my dad was a beloved Son, Father, Grandfather and friend to all.

My son looked down at the headstone and said he misses his grandpa and he will always think of him whenever he watches a New York Jets game.

Then, he did the thing I'll never forget.

He sang Take Me Out To The Ball Game, and even as a six-year-old, not only did he get all of the lyrics right, he changed up home team to "Tigers", my dad's favorite baseball team.

When he concluded, the people that were there with us clapped while I welled up with pride.  Thought my son only knew my dad for five years, they were a great five years.  My son lost his grandpa at the exact same age I lost my grandpa (my dad's father).  The difference is, while I wasn't close to my dad's father, my son enjoyed hanging out with my dad.

When we left the cemetery and got into my wife's car, I told my son how proud I was of him.  He smiled and asked me if I could hand him his Nintendo DSI.

Kids!

A Giant Step

First and foremost, I'm back.

I can't believe I haven't blogged since January 2009. I thought about deleting that entry after reading it over, but I figured that would be wrong.

Why did I stop blogging? Many reasons. My father passed away in March of 2009 and I went into a funk. When I'm at work, ideas come to me without much problem, but at home, the few times I tried to blog, I just couldn't come up with anything to say.

Then it hit me - I'm overthinking.

Some of my friends (@carrieimpactpr, @agustinap) challenged me to get it going once again. One of my friends (@jarret23) started his blog a week ago and has cranked out about one entry a day and is doing great coming up with ideas.

So I decided it's important for me to do this for myself and not get hung up on whether I have the perfect topic.

Which brings me to the San Francisco Giants and their April 30 Tweetup.

Surfing the internet this past weekend, I stumbled across the ad to the right. For $20 on April 30 in San Francisco, a fan would receive:

• Panel discussion with social media experts (which, it turns out, one of whom is one of the Twitter co-founders)
• First 1,000 fans receive official "Follow Us" Tweetup T-Shirt
• Private pre-game Tweetup Party
• Seats in the special Tweetup section
• Partial Proceeds go to a local non-profit

When I saw this, the first thought that came to mind: BRILLIANT.

Finally, a sports team came up with a way to marry two things that benefit them in the long run: Putting a fair value on a package that would cause them to make money, and reaching out to a community of passionate fans who probably follow the Giants online, like I do with the #Rays.

The full details: http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/ticketing/special_events/tweetup.jsp

What struck me as interesting about this is that Sarah Talalay, the talented Sports Business Writer from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel writer, wrote a front-page sports story about our four local South Florida sports teams in March 2009, and the only team at that time with any true social media presence was the Miami Heat.

It's 13 months later, and when I reached out to all four sports teams (@MHEAT, @Marlins411, @MiamiDolphins, @FlaPanthers), three of them were kind enough to let me know they are researching ways to continue increasing their social media activities with their fans.

The bottom line: Anything that makes people feel part of a community and creates goodwill between a sports team and its fans is greatly appreciated.

The race is on - which South Florida team will be the first to take advantage?