Michael Jordan may have helped the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA titles… but he’s hurting their Social Media Engagement!

By: Aarun Rumbaugh
Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan, the NBA’s best player yet, was a machine. Averaging 30 points per game in his career, and bringing 6 National titles to the Chicago Bulls, this phenomenon is praised in Chicago almost as a god of basketball.

Through all the mix of him being a great basketball player, do Bulls fans actually realize some of the set-backs he has brought to the Bulls? Let’s dive in…

Screenshot 2014-04-18 23.28.54

Despite currently being in the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls PTAT% (People talking about them) on Facebook is still only at 2.5%. The average PTAT% for teams in the playoffs is 6.18%.

Why is it that the Chicago Bulls PTAT is so low? One main reason may be that Chicago’s fan base is not loyal and true fans to the Chicago Bulls, but they are to Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan Affinity

69% of Bulls fans also like Michael Jordan. Most of these fans are dormant. This doesn’t help the Bulls at all. In fact, it’s very difficult to engage these fans with their current team. If the only reason a fan liked the Bulls was because of Michael Jordan, then they’re prone to not have actual team engagement.

The Bulls need to find a way to engage their fans. Should the Bulls post more pictures of Michael Jordan on their newsfeed? These posts may drive engagement, but still won’t be valuable content to the Bulls organization. I think the Bulls need to compare their current team with team’s back in the 80’s and 90’s era. This will drive engagement with both current Bulls fans and those dormant Michael Jordan fans.

Even without the difficulties of having a star like Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls large fan base makes it difficult to drive engagement:

Ptat 1

Have past All-Star players brought down NBA teams engagement? This may prove it has.

Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other organizations that have many locations. He has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs because of his partnership with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Companies like GoDaddy, Fiverr, onlinejobs.ph, 7 Figure Agency, and Vendasta partner with him to create training and certifications. Dennis created the Dollar a Day Strategy for local service businesses to enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring. He's coaching young adult agency owners who serve plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians in conjunction with leaders in these industries. Mr. Yu believes that there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers need to be certified and licensed. His Content Factory training and dashboards are used by thousands of practitioners.