More social media at Progressive Field

The Cleveland Indians announced the launch of the club’s social media strategy for the 2011 Major League Baseball Season. In 2011, the Tribe will build upon a successful social media foothold established in 2010 to further engage fans and promote the Indians brand, the game of baseball, Progressive Field and the City of Cleveland.

Quickly becoming one of “MLB’s most Twitter-friendly teams” according to ESPN the Magazine, the Indians plan to offer increased access to members of the organization in 2011 via social media platforms and interactive events. The Tribe’s strategic plan also includes a physical enhancement at Progressive Field to capitalize on the Tribe’s social media success in 2010 and the launch of a new innovative social media ticket offer.

“Social media affords us the ability to create deeper connections with our fans and span generations,” said Indians President Mark Shapiro. “Its popularity – 600 million Facebook users overall worldwide and 300,000 new Twitter users per day – represents a fundamental shift in the way people interact and acquire information. We are incredibly cognizant of social media’s growth and have developed a comprehensive social media strategy to address it.”

New for 2011 will be the Indians Social Suite, an entire suite at Progressive Field catering to social media users. The Indians Social Suite replaces the first-ever social media-only section in professional sports, the Tribe Social Deck. Invitations to the Indians Social Suite are distributed on a game-by-game basis and fans may apply online at www.indians.com/connect.

“An interactive and engaging social media presence is something we strongly believe in because it is integral to the Indians brand,” said Shapiro.

In addition to the Indians Social Suite, the Indians today launched a new social media ticket offer for 2011. Available only via Facebook and Twitter, fans will have the opportunity to share the ticket special via social media to receive an even deeper discount. Stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Finally, the Indians will partner with Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) to enhance fan experiences at Progressive Field by utilizing the award-winning MLB.com At Bat 11 application. At Bat 11 will include an interactive map of Progressive Field and the ability for fans to check-in to receive discounts, among other features.

The Indians offer fans the ability to follow many different Twitter users, including the club’s official @Indians account, yet the organization offers several unique users to follow based on a fan’s individual preferences:

CLEVELAND INDIANS TWITTER USERS

Cleveland Indians
@Indians

Mark Shapiro
@MarkShapiro

Chris Antonetti
@IndiansGM

Manny Acta
@mactriber_11

Indians Radio Network
@IndiansRadio

Media Relations
@tribeinsider

Public Relations
@tribetalk

Slider
@Sliderthemascot

TWITTER USERS ON INDIANS ACTIVE ROSTER

Chris Perez
@ChrisPerez54

Matt LaPorta
@Gator4God

Trevor Crowe
@tcrowe4

Shelley Duncan
@shelldunc

Chad Durbin
@chaddurbin37