Netizency keen to raise the bar for sports fans in Qatar


Armstrong Vas
Doha:  Social Media as a means of communication has proved to be an effective catalyst for change in many Arab countries this year. A new generation of techno-savvy Arab youth is keen to harness the immense potential of Social Media and integrate it into various fields, including sports.
Meet Fadi Khater, a young man with plenty of ideas. Khater designed www.netizency.com which began operations this year. Khater’s aim is to help Qatar create a pool of passionate sports fans and promote the local sports events to the world utilising social channels.
Netizency is a Qatari Company specializing in social brand building and is participating in the ongoing four-day Aspire4Sport 2011 business and sports exhibition.
Powerful, does not begin to describe the impact Social Media has made on our world. Even in its relative infancy, it has already proved itself to be an effective tool in sports to boost fan interaction, forge connections between teams and leagues and their fans, sell tickets and merchandise, and help drive TV viewership.
“Social Media is changing the way sports administrators go about conducting sports business and it is time to bridge the generational gap between the old and the new way of doing sports business using innovative ways,” says Khater, whose company services the entire MENA region.
Social Media has allowed fans to engage and connect with their favourite sports stars much more than they would have in the past.
“Sports is an intrinsic part of what we all share on Social Media ranging from our favourite teams, to games, scores, goals, and news – it is very rare not to find an status update, video, or image about any of the  above in one’s newsfeed every day. Given that sports is something people like to discuss and share on Social Media, it would be very easy for sports brands, events, and organizations to pick up traction on the likes of Facebook and Twitter,” adds the 31-year-old, an alumni of American University of Beirut.
Qatar’s residents are among the most connected internet users in the Middle East said with an overall internet penetration standing at 82 percent, says a recently released Qatar Digital Media Report 2011 published by ictQatar.
Social Media Khater says ‘is an ideal medium for the communication for sports events which Qatar seems to be focused on as part of its 2030 vision’.
“We at Netizency see a need for Qatar to create sports fans, in order for the public to embrace and promote its vision, in addition to filling up its stadia. Since becoming a fan is achieved though addiction, passion, and recurring conversations, we see Social Media as one of the best platforms for creating fans; and hence expect a surge in Social Media adoption amongst the leading Qatari Sports brands, events, and organisations,” adds Khater, who had earlier worked as part of the team at the launch of Eurosport Arabia.
“At Netizency we believe in promoting brands through conversations as opposed to ads.”
“A day will not be far when Qatari clubs and associations will use the innovative combination of live webcast, twitter, Skype chats with fans, live auctions and call-ins to connect to fans,” says Khater, who studied Strategic Decision Making and Taking Marketing Digital at Harvard Business School and London Business School.
The Peninsula

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