Many would consider the city of Cleveland a football town, or more recently a basketball town.
Throw in a large Ohio State contingent in the northeast region of the state, and it’s easy for the Cleveland Indians to be little more than back-page news.
But even though the team is in last place in the AL Central Division, and despite all-time low attendance numbers at Progressive Field, the Indians organization has found a way to put a positive spin on what has been an otherwise lackluster season.
With the inception of the Tribe Social Deck, the Indians have again become a topic of conversation. The special 10-seat section at Progressive Field is reserved for those who the organization deems to be influential in Cleveland’s social media community and provides a unique opportunity for those invited to network as they take in an Indians home game.
“The Tribe Social Deck is a small part of our overall social media strategy,” said Rob Campbell of the Indians’ PR department. “It provides an excellent opportunity for attendees and the organization to interact face-to-face.”
The section is complete with wireless Internet, as well as a high-definition TV, and encourages those in attendance to use whatever means possible, including Facebook and Twitter, to discuss the Indians. There are little to no restrictions, with nobody on hand attempting to control any message coming from the section. It’s simply in place to increase conversation, Campbell said.
“We have never even had a press release,” Campbell said about the Tribe Social Deck’s goals. “We want it to spread entirely by word of mouth.”
The deck is the only one of its kind throughout Major League Baseball and prior to last weekend’s series against Cincinnati, guests came by invitation only. But in an effort to attract even more Indians’ fans, the organization has opened up the selection process to anybody willing to apply.
Applications can be found and submitted at Indians.com/connect.
