ABOUT THIS ENTRY

In 2021, the Minnesota Vikings looked for new ways to bring fans into the behind-the-scenes world of professional football - without leaving their home. The result was Vikings Cam - a player-driven unscripted series that asks teammates a question, riddle or reaction to the day's events.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

While many teams have successful series that feature their athletes, they are almost always scripted or prompted. Additionally, they require someone to be behind the camera shooting, which takes away from the players authenticity in their answers.

Vikings Cam solved all of those issues and set a new bar for unscripted content. Not only does the absence of a cameraperson allow for players to express themselves, but they are more likely to be humorous and continue participating each week.

Players were excited to see their reactions published online and often asked when they could expect to see them live. This buy-in was critical to the widespread success and fan engagement of the series.

Objective: Competition on social media platforms has never been greater - especially after a year where everyone was stuck at home. On the Vikings social platforms, the content has to be compelling enough to grab the attention of the audience immediately.

Looking to stand out in this crowded space, the Minnesota Vikings Entertainment Network (VEN) ideated on what would be

a) fresh and interesting content

b) offer a behind-the scenes look at Vikings players that showcases their personality, and

c) a series that could be accomplished abiding by updated NFL COVID-19 protocols.

The result was Vikings Cam - a player-driven unscripted series that asks teammates a question, riddle or reaction to the day's events.

Strategy & Execution:

• Utilize behind-the-scenes content that gives the audience a look into the personalities of Vikings players
• Challenge the status quo of scripted player reactions
• Leverage player interest in participating in an unscripted reaction series
• Showcase team dynamics: see players interacting with one another without their helmets on
• Utilize in-house social media production talent vs working with an outside agency
• Shoot, edit and publish content within the same day
• In-person interviews are the norm with sports teams, but with current COVID restrictions in place, VEN had to think outside the box. How could the team capture the players in their natural element, while maintaining distance?

Each week, the social team would ideate on a riddles and execute the experience for the players.

The Social Content Producer would create the riddle prompt, go out to the practice field and attach it to a camera located right off the field that was permanently set to record. The players became used to seeing the camera and prompt and quickly started participating.

Once the last player had left the field, the Producer would upload the content and quickly edit it into digestible social content that would be dispersed on social media platforms later that night.

Results: What started as a solve for in-person interviews soon became a content series that could completely stand on its own with the help of a host. Vikings Cam videos consistently perform as the top content on the Vikings' social channels every week. From the beginning, players were invested in the show - a rare thing to happen in professional sports. Not only do the players regularly comment and share, but the riddles pose questions that drive up engagement for fans that follow along.

Social Media Impact

In total, Vikings Cam riddle videos generated 7m+ video views and 14m+ impressions across Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.

Facebook

Interactions: 33,228
Engagement rate: .5%
Content impressions: 7.5 M
Video views: 2.34 M

Instagram

Interactions: 568,090
Engagement rate: 1.27%
Content impressions: 7.46 M
Video views: 3.88 M

One of the exciting parts of Vikings Cam is the endless opportunities it presents for the future. Although this year focused on riddles, the theme has the ability to change in future season to allow for fresh content and player interest to continue. There's no question that this will become a staple content piece for the Vikings Entertainment Network and quite possibly generate partnership revenue in future years.

Production

Minnesota Vikings

Credits

Alex Wehrli
Social Content Producer
Minnesota Vikings

Scott Kegley
Executive Director, Digital & Innovation
Minnesota Vikings

Zach Royse
Senior Manager, Social Media
Minnesota Vikings

Laney Austin
Manager, Social Strategy & Business Impact
Minnesota Vikings

Kim Ippolito
Coordinator, Digital & Social Content
Minnesota Vikings