The Masters of Social Media
Published on September 9, 2024, at 4:33 p.m.
by CamiLee Downey.
Every year during the first full week of April, thousands flock to Augusta, Georgia, to watch one of the most exclusive sporting events of the year: the Masters Tournament.
The event’s exclusivity has made the masses wonder, “What is it really like at Augusta National?”
Luckily for the outsiders, the Masters’ social media team made major moves this year to promote the event and its festivities.
A masterful approach
Everyone knows that good social media content is a necessary part of event promotion, and the Masters’ social team has got it down to a science. The tournament has over 1.9 million followers on its Instagram account and over 367,000 on YouTube. While these numbers are high, they are outshined by the tournament’s TikTok.
Between March and April, @themasters on TikTok had over 1 million engagements. This high engagement can be attributed to its posts that used nostalgia mixed with popular TikTok sounds to curate captivating videos spanning from throwback videos to current tournament content.
The TikTok account is not used year-round. Posts start about two weeks out from the tournament’s beginning and continue through to the end of the tournament. This year’s first post was on March 17 and gained over 70,000 likes, but that was only the beginning.
The most viewed post has over 1.6 million views and played into a popular trend surrounding the Twitch streamer Sketch, who went viral over March and April because of his catchphrase, “What’s up brother?”
Using popular sounds and playing into popular trends helped the account connect with its fans. Viewers consistently praised the social team for its masterful use of TikTok.
Connecting across generations
It is no secret that TikTok is generally associated with younger generations. However, the Masters’ account made content that appealed to all ages.
As this year marks the 88th tournament, there is a great deal of history to be remembered, and to highlight this history, the social team created throwback videos that include photos from previous tournaments and made videos highlighting some of the most iconic moments in Masters’ history such as Tiger Woods’ comeback win in 2019.
The account also made appeals to younger audiences by creating videos using Lego characters, which recreated memorable moments from tournaments passed.
Patiently waiting
With 106 videos posted over four weeks, the Masters’ social media team is nothing short of excellent, and the atmosphere of the videos keeps viewers coming back for more.
As this year’s tournament has come to a close, viewers are patiently waiting to see what next year holds for the Masters’ magnetic TikTok account.
