Like every event hosted on by social media behemoth World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Sunday's SummerSlam in Los Angeles will include a host of digital integrations. But this year's smack-down will also add features that WWE has never used before.
"I think the biggest core social activation here is with our new social hub," Perkins Miller, WWE's executive vice-president of digital, told Mashable.
See also: How Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Lays the Smackdown on Social Media
The new home for all things SummerSlam and social, accessed via the WWE.com homepage, will include aggregated sections for photos, videos and other posts on a variety of networks by WWE fans and stars. Another section will feature live chats among fans and stars, while people following along online will be able to filter content according to their preferences. Consider it a one-stop shop for WWE's massive social following.
The social hub won't be the only treat in store for digitally savvy SummerSlam fans. WWE will also use Google Glass for the first time, with SummerSlam host and wrestler The Miz wearing the augmented reality device during pre-Slam events this week, as well as ringside for some matches. He'll stream video and post photos directly to the social hub, giving followers a close-up view of the action.
Other digital integrations this week include a press conference on Tuesday live-streaming on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com; a host of celebrity "social-media ambassadors" posting about SummerSlam to their own networks; a Twitter-centered ticket contest; and a Pinterest contest for fans to win other prizes.
The raft of digital activations is a huge reason why Miller said WWE has expanded SummerSlam from a simple one-night event to a multi-day online and offline celebration leading up to the big day.
"Literally just six or seven years ago, this was just one three-hour event," Miller told Mashable. "But now we've seen how we can use social media as the glue that connects all of these things for our fans who can't be in Los Angeles as well as the fans who are there. It creates a unified experience we weren't able to have before."
Image: Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images
"I think the biggest core social activation here is with our new social hub," Perkins Miller, WWE's executive vice-president of digital, told Mashable.
See also: How Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Lays the Smackdown on Social Media
The new home for all things SummerSlam and social, accessed via the WWE.com homepage, will include aggregated sections for photos, videos and other posts on a variety of networks by WWE fans and stars. Another section will feature live chats among fans and stars, while people following along online will be able to filter content according to their preferences. Consider it a one-stop shop for WWE's massive social following.
The social hub won't be the only treat in store for digitally savvy SummerSlam fans. WWE will also use Google Glass for the first time, with SummerSlam host and wrestler The Miz wearing the augmented reality device during pre-Slam events this week, as well as ringside for some matches. He'll stream video and post photos directly to the social hub, giving followers a close-up view of the action.
Other digital integrations this week include a press conference on Tuesday live-streaming on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com; a host of celebrity "social-media ambassadors" posting about SummerSlam to their own networks; a Twitter-centered ticket contest; and a Pinterest contest for fans to win other prizes.
The raft of digital activations is a huge reason why Miller said WWE has expanded SummerSlam from a simple one-night event to a multi-day online and offline celebration leading up to the big day.
"Literally just six or seven years ago, this was just one three-hour event," Miller told Mashable. "But now we've seen how we can use social media as the glue that connects all of these things for our fans who can't be in Los Angeles as well as the fans who are there. It creates a unified experience we weren't able to have before."
Image: Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images