Through the use of Digital Content, Barstool Sports, originally an Internet based blog site, was able to evolve into a content driven media powerhouse.
History of Barstool Sports
Barstool Sports is a sports and men's lifestyle blog founded by Dave Portnoy in 2003. The company first started as a print publication, providing information through newspaper on gambling projections and fantasy sports predictions. However, with the internet boom, Portnoy moved all of Barstool's operations to the internet. From here, Dave Portnoy and other bloggers began covering all aspect of sports through blogging and content creation.Barstool was able to gain a mass following, due to their outlandish antics, crude humor, and authenticity of the brand. Continuously being in the headlines for their controversial topics, Barstool Sports made it a point to stay true to their brand identity through the digital content they were putting out.
Barstool Sports Use of Digital Content
Digital Content is the secret weapon for Barstool to distribute their message to the world. First starting as an online blog, Barstool then explored creating digital content through YouTube Videos. One example of this, is their widely popular Barstool Pizza Reviews, in which Dave Portnoy will rate pizza places, sometimes with celebrity guests.. This was a pivotal time for Bartstool, because they began to take notice of the results from the content they were putting out.
Barstool Sports Expansion Through Digital Content
They also provide digital content on things such as the Daily Run Down, Rough N Rowdy Boxing Events, Sport Interviews, and just simple comedic videos. I personally believe Bartstool encapsulates the meaning of brand authenticity. They started out distributing content for topics they were passionate about. Through the use of various digital content platforms, they were able to distribute their message in more ways than they originally anticipated.
While I am not a huge fan of sports, this story interested me because these men were able to gain a giant following through the use of digital content and their own unique personalities. I also agree that their brand is very authentic compared to others, because they started out small, and built their message up by themselves before becoming a massively popular blog. So while I don't follow sports too closely, I am tempted to start following Barstool Sports because of they are very entertaining to watch.
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