zu launches social site StampsConnect for CFL team Calgary Stampeders

zu develops new social media fan ‘supersite’ for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders. Launched this week in preparation for the Stampeders 09 season-opener, StampsConnect is the first website of its kind in the CFL. StampsConnect aggregates content from the most popular social media websites and gives fans the ability to join the conversation and contribute to the growth of the site.

zu wanted to create a rich interactive experience to engage Stampeders fans; the site is a virtual real-time shrine that fans can explore, contribute to and share with friends around the world. Fan generated videos and photos are automatically pulled from personal YouTube and Flickr accounts into StampsConnect when tagged with ‘calstampeders’. New videos and photos uploaded by fans ensure that the content is always fresh and engaging.

Fans can log into StampsConnect using Facebook to comment on videos and photos; they can also post comments on their Facebook profile which ultimately acts as a self-promoting vehicle for the site. Fans can also use the ‘real-time chat’ feature on the Twitter page—among a number of other cool features including News, Blogs, Polls, Ticket Specials, and Promotions that link StampsConnect to the official Stampeders.com website.

“Sports fans are very passionate and love to show their loyalty to their favorite team,” says zu CEO, Ryan Lejbak. “Over the past year, social networking has become mainstream with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr leading the popularity contest for sports fans. Both deeply engaged and casual fans are using these sites to connect with other fans already. What StampsConnect does is collect all of that great fan generated content and displays it in one place, allowing fans to interact with each other and contribute to the growth and success of the website.”

Trevor Turnbull, zu Account Executive adds: “We wanted to create a site that embraced the fact that millions of people are already actively using these popular social websites. So, rather than creating another exclusive ‘social network’ that requires fans to create a profile and upload their content that already exists on their personal social accounts, we implemented a ‘pull’ strategy that brings in content from popular social sites people are already familiar with and actively using.”

“We are extremely excited about this social media initiative,” says Mike Petrie, Director of Communication for the Calgary Stampeders. “StampsConnect allows the Calgary Stampeders to increase fan engagement by integrating a variety of interactive social media strategies and techniques. zu has helped us give our fans a platform to express their passion and connect with the team, players and Outrider cheerleaders in a way not possible before. Although Stampeders.com will still be the main resource of exclusive Calgary Stampeder content, we will utilize StampsConnect to provide fans with unique, behind-the-scenes content that will make it a really fun place to see the lighter side of the team, players and Outrider cheerleaders. Our fans are a major part of our success—on and off the field. We value their opinion and believe StampsConnect will help us further engage with the best fans in the CFL.”

Join the fun here:
StampsConnect
Calgary Stampeders Official Website
Calgary Stampeders Official Twitter Page
Calgary Stampeders Official Facebook Fanpage
Calgary Stampeder Outriders Official Twitter Page
Calgary Stampeder Outriders Official Facebook Fanpage