Sports Illustrated Jumps on New Social Network
SI is sponsoring Takkle, a networking site that launched on Dec. 11 targeting high schoolers eager to connect with other athletes.
Takkle becomes the exclusive nomination venue for SI‘s long-running “Faces in the Crowd” feature. That segment, which runs weekly, showcases high school, collegiate and adult amateur athletes. Now coaches, players and fans nominate all “Faces in the Crowd” candidates at Takkle.
SI is negotiating with advertisers now to sign a third-party sponsor for its “Faces in the Crowd” nomination process, as part of an integrated ad buy in the flagship magazine.
SI also extends the 50-year-old feature with “Faces in the Crowd Video,” a showcase that will reside on Takkle.com and on SI.com and will get a mention each week in the magazine.
“Takkle’s infrastructure for uploading videos lets us do a lot more with user-generated content and video, which is very popular with folks under 30,” said Jeff Price, president of SI Digital. “The ability for high school athletes to have their performances watched is a great appeal to them.”
Athletes don’t have to have a profile on Takkle.com to be nominated. Mentions in the magazine and a link at SI.com send readers to Takkle to make nominations—a nice boost to Takkle’s traffic.
SI published a special issue celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Faces in the Crowd” earlier this month, with a spread ad for Takkle and editorial mentions. The issue mailed to all SI subscribers, and to 20,000 high school athletic directors to promote the site.
Takkle will do its own promotion with a series of professional athlete appearances beginning in January or February. The New York-based company has access to top athletes such as Tracy McGrady, Freddy Adu and Chase Utley through a partnership with Wasserman Media Group, which represents those athletes. Athlete appearances in about 34 cities and online promotions will drive brand awareness for the site.
Takkle is ad-supported. Its initial advertisers are primarily sports equipment makers and sports camps; the company expects to add at least one national consumer goods brand shortly. Advertisers can target athletes by sport (there are 20), by geography, by age or other demographic details, said Takkle CEO David Birnbaum. Takkle also will develop in-market promotions for advertisers.
Birnbaum won’t say how many high schoolers Takkle expects to draw, but he’s optimistic about the site’s potential.
“Sports is one of the oldest and most powerful social networks,” Birnbaum said. “With half of teenagers actively engaged in high school sports today and the explosive growth of social networking, we believe that TAKKLE will become a dynamic, compelling destination for teens.”
