N.E. Patriots President Urges Social Media Use For Businesses
SHAUN TOLSON
Joe Kraft, president of the New England Patriots and CEO of the Kraft Group, speaking at a recent breakfast meeting of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Business should consider the advantages of social media and an enhanced presence on the web, according to Jonathan Kraft, .
Kraft spoke in Worcester this morning at a meeting of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce's Breakfast Club. The event was held at the Crowne Plaza downtown and drew more than 400 attendees.
"It allows you to have a one-on-one relationship, a one-on-one connection with your fans," Kraft said of social media and interactive web sites, explaining that the team's web site was launched almost immediately after the Kraft family purchased the Patriots in 1994.
From its beginnings, that web site provided fans with insider access that they couldn't get on nightly television sports recaps or in the next day's sports pages.
"It lets the affinity between the fan and the team build up," he said. "It's a no-brainer."
According to Kraft, that same strategy can reap benefits for businesses outside the realm of professional sports, as well.
"If you're a consumer-based or business-to-business company, digital media in general presents huge opportunities. It's worth people sitting down, thinking about how it can work for them and creating something that will set them apart from their competitors."
Aside from its NFL franchise, the Kraft Group operates Rand-Whitney, a corrugated box business in Worcester, and Kraft said a similar commitment to web site development has helped to set it apart from its competitors.
Kraft also said Worcester has come a long way in a relatively short period of time.
"Six, seven or eight years ago, there wasn't the leadership that exists today," he said. "We're going to continue investing in the city. Seven years ago, I don't think I could've said that."
This morning's Breakfast Club event also honored a handful of local organizations and individuals within the business community. Those recipients were: The Willows of Worcester for its new retirement community; Timothy P. Crimmins Jr., the new president of Flagship Bank; Pagano Media for its 25th anniversary; Leah Lamson, the new editor of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette; Children's Friend Inc. for its 160th anniversary; Melinda J. Boone, the new superintendent of Worcester Public Schools; the Worcester Music Festival for celebrating its 150th anniversary and the Crowne Plaza Hotel for its recent renovations.
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