By Ruth Kapelus
One Wednesday last month, the day after the Vegas Golden Knights won the second pre-season game in franchise history, Dan Marrazza opened the team’s official Twitter account and created what would become a signature thread. It began with some gentle snark.
“We won our 2nd game last night,” he wrote. “For those keeping track, that’s more than @Patriots, @dallascowboys or the Washington Pro Football Club.”
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Yes, one user responded, but it was also still 22 fewer than the number of Stanley Cup titles won by the Montreal Canadiens.
Marrazza, the expansion team’s social media lead, responded: “But we’ve also won two MORE times than @CanadiensMTL have won the Stanley Cup since 1993.”
The exchange continued to build momentum, with the Canadiens answering back: “Good for you! You must be very proud of this incredible preseason accomplishment.”
And then, the climax, from Marrazza: “We’re definitely proud! But not as proud as @CanadiensMTL are of how many championships they won when there were only 6 teams in the league.”
That message ricochetted around the National Hockey League’s corner of the social media platform, ultimately earning more than 13,000 shares, and 37,000 likes. It was bold, it was risky, and for a team trying to build a following in the desert, it was another success.
“I definitely had a sense of anxiety and excitement when I sent that tweet — as I do with any tweet that I know is going to get a lot of eyeballs,” Marrazza said. “You’re ready to press that button and you know you’re laying out something big out there, so there’s definitely adrenaline.”
We're definitely proud! But not as proud as @CanadiensMTL are of how many championships they won when there were only 6 teams in the league🙄 https://t.co/FaK14I2XLz
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 20, 2017
The Vegas Golden Knights might be irreverent, but they’re definitely unafraid. And their social media voice is a lot like their city. A little loud, a little brash and a whole lot of fun.
“I get much less nervous now, because I’m pretty confident in what we’re trying to do,” said Marrazza. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t immediately refresh my page a bunch of times as soon as we hit send.”
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While most NHL teams employ self-effacing comedy as an element of their social media — a strategy pioneered by the Los Angeles Kings — the Golden Knights are using humour and wit to create the brand of what’s essentially a start-up business in a highly competitive market.
If the account also reads like it is run by a diehard hockey fan, there is an easy explanation: It is.
Marrazza is a 30-year-old former journalist and self-professed hockey maniac. He is also an Emmy-winning digital reporter and web producer with an expansive sports media resume that includes work with NBC, NHL.com, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and The Hockey News, among others.
He has also managed the social media accounts for four professional hockey teams.
Marrazza, originally from Nutley, N.J., said he was drawn to Las Vegas for the chance to help shape the social media and brand of an expansion team from the ground up. He said he is adjusting quickly to life in the city.
“Vegas is way different than New Jersey, but it’s actually very easy to live here,” he said. “I am someone who sweats super easily and sunburns badly, but I just crank up my AC and wear sunscreen.”
Along with Eric Tosi, the team’s vice-president of communications and content, Marrazza has a mandate to use well-crafted content to engage and grow the fanbase.
The Golden Knights also have active Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat accounts. The goal is to build the brand both in Las Vegas, and around the NHL.
“No other team in the league is doing what the Vegas Golden Knights are,” said Fiona Birch, Founder of Pro Athlete Online, an organization that helps athletes navigate the social media world.
“With entertainment and humour, laughing at themselves and others, they are building a community and strengthening the very perceptions that could have otherwise weakened their brand,” she said. “I hope other teams take note and see when teams and athletes are real they can gain an acceptance on a level otherwise not achievable.”
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The approach can also help address one of the challenges of being the first major professional sports team in Las Vegas, she said.
“Rather than just rely on destination ticket sales – where people are going to Vegas for a conference or holiday and go to see their home team play the Golden Knights – they are breaking ground and using social media to define their brand and build their community,” said Birch.
The Golden Knights have flipped the script. What if instead of talking to fans, you talked with them?
“I’ve always been part of ‘hockey twitter,’ professionally and personally as a fan,” said Marrazza. “Part of my goal with the Golden Knights is to have a conversation with our fans, be funny and fun – but remain authentic. We’re growing together.”
Not every joke lands, but nearly every tweet generates engagement. Good or bad, they are good ways to learn, and to sharpen skills. Marrazza said he reads every response to the team’s official account, and that he tries to respond to at least 100 users every day.
“We don’t follow a template, which is great, because we have so much more room for creativity,” he said. “We decided early on to create our own model – there is no other professional sports team in Vegas to compare us against, and we don’t feel we have to follow the path of other NHL teams either.”
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the Canadian standard-bearers for hockey, with close to 1.7 million followers, compared to about 220,000 for the Golden Knights.
“Twitter users are always looking for that ‘magic moment’, when their favourite player or team ‘likes’ or responds to their tweet, because it creates that connection,’ said Christopher Doyle, director of sports for Twitter Canada. “And it seems that Twitter accounts end up taking on the personality of the team they represent.”
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While the Leafs might have one of the most used hashtags in #TMLTalk, the account rarely responds to fans. The team generally uses the platform to share news, video and contests. That approach seems to be consistent with the front office’s conservative public brand.
“We wanted the brand of our team to reflect the pulse of this city, the energy and excitement,” said Marrazza. “But at the same time, we know we’re in unchartered territory here, and that what we do matters to the stakeholders who have invested in the team. It’s a fine line, and it’s one we walk everyday.”
Marrazza said he and Tosi work closely together, bouncing ideas off each other, basing content on whether something elicits a chuckle or a groan.
“One of the things that the public doesn’t always see is the amount of effort and discussion that go on behind the scenes before a tweet that some may judge as ‘borderline’ is sent out,” Marrazza said. “We want to push the envelope, yes, but we are aware that there is a line. We do our best to toe the line.”
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About Ruth Kapelus: In her day job, Ruth produces content for a healthcare company and has over 10 years experience in the non-profit sector. You can also find her writing about the Toronto Blue Jays in the Daily Hive.
(Photo: Courtesy Dan Marrazza, Vegas Golden Knights)