Amar’e Stoudemire is pushing the boundaries as a social media entrepreneur, becoming the first celebrity to reward his fans by using group buying. Since the 20th of May, Stoudemire has offered group buys on playoff tickets for Game 3 and Game 4 in Phoenix, AZ on his Facebook page. This is a very creative way to not only reward fans, but to create a viral effect within the social media community and beyond. “
“As an agency that specializes in talent management and online direct marketing, we needed a unique solution to offer the products and experiences Amar’e believes in to his fans. This initiative puts Amar’e at the forefront of celebrity direct marketing,” said Anthony Rodriguez, CEO, Lineage Interactive.
Stoudemire has created a partnership with Atcost.com and Razorgator Tickets in order to sell tickets to fans at a discount. Using Atcost.com, fans can buy the tickets without ever leaving Stoudemire’s page. In addition, fans who share the deal with friends and family get an instant discount. The more you promote the deal, the more money you save on the actual purchase. Atcost is the only group buying platform that offers this ability.
“Group buying is about bringing people together for a collective benefit. Celebrities like Amar’e have vast fan bases that they can directly engage through social media. AtCost’s new partnership with Razorgator Tickets and Amar’e represents a new paradigm in group buying. This is the perfect way to leverage online fan bases to provide value to everyone,” said Michael Reinstein, CEO, AtCost.com
Social media and social networking have almost become standard for any marketing campaign. This is true for major brands and corporations as well as individuals and artists. The focus is to connect directly with your fans and potential customers in hopes of leveraging that community for profit. Most campaigns seem to forget that customers need incentives in order to be active within the community and/or move forward in the sales funnel.
This group buying technique fits perfectly, providing fans with an incentive to spread the word about what they’re purchasing. “Viral” as it relates to social media is a tired buzz word, but it’s still a major component in achieving success. Giving back to your community is also extremely important and Amar’e seems to understand this completely when he says, “I chose to partner with AtCost.com and Razorgator Tickets because they can offer my fans the best experience possible. I thought this would be a great way to give back to the fans that have supported the team all season and get them out for Games 3 and 4. I also look forward to using this new technology to offer my fans additional group buying opportunities.”