Dec. 6, 2011

BERKELEY - On Saturday, Nov. 12, Cal Athletics hosted a first-ever experience for its social savvy fans. The "Blog from the Fog" Social Suite took place at the last Cal football home game at AT&T Park vs. Oregon State. Eleven individuals from various Cal blogs, as well as those active on the social network Twitter, were invited for a unique experience that included a visit to the field for pregame warm-ups and tickets to enjoy the contest from an AT&T Park luxury suite, giving participants a great view of the game and the ability to blog and tweet from some of the best seats in the house.

The event was created as a way to grow relationships between the athletic department and its social influencers. "We wanted to do something out of the ordinary to show our popular bloggers and social influencers that we appreciate their dedication and the time they put into building a stronger brand for Cal." said Sundeep Dhillon from the Cal Athletics Marketing Office.

"We saw what the [Cleveland] Indians did with their social suite and thought it would be great to try something that hasn't been done in college athletics," said Andy Lempart, strategic communications manager for Cal Athletics. "This event strengthened our social presence and gave us an opportunity to connect on a deeper level with some of our top influencers in the social space. We're committed to engaging with fans and building relationships through all of our social media channels, and the Blog from the Fog was instrumental in reaching our goals"

Social media participants on the field before the Cal-Oregon State game.

While the Cleveland Indians have created a season-long social suite for their fans, Cal is the first college sports team known to host an event of this kind, actively engaging with social media Influencers during a game.

Shaan Franci of GoldenBearLair Blog wrote, "I thought it was a unique event that should set the precedent for other colleges and teams ... Cal Athletics provided a special event for bloggers and a pregame field visit and that meant a lot because I felt like I was appreciated and recognized for my work."

In its recap of the event, California Golden Blogs wrote, "Cal Athletics is pretty committed to expanding their involvement and promotion of social media, and that they hope to have more events."

For details on upcoming social media events and promotions, fans are encouraged to follow @CalAthletics on Twitter, "like" Cal Bears on Facebook, and follow their favorite teams and coaches by visiting http://www.calbears.com/connect.