The 141st Kentucky Derby is this Saturday and NBC Sports is flooding social media with DIY hats, bourbon cocktails, and of course, Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski. You might remember the duo from the Sochi Olympics, and if you do, you should be looking forward to their running commentary from Churchill Downs.
To turn the week into a social event, NBC Sports is focusing on fashion. Go figure. This week, they’ve launched Pinterest boards with Derby lifestyle tips and Weir and Lipinski will take over NBC Sports’ Instagram account for Derby Week. On the big day, Peacock Paddock, the first stop on the Derby’s red carpet, will feature a Vine booth where celebs can show off their looks and instantly share with fans via Twitter. Weir and Lipinski will oversee live Facebook polls on best dressed. There’s also a Derby All Access page where fans can see aggregated social feeds, vote for their favorite horse, and get their own horse names (mine was Sensational Dunce).
What would your #KYDerby horse name be? Find out here: http://t.co/Ue3nl7oOy8 pic.twitter.com/j3XVJYFqzy
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— NBC Sports Network (@NBCSN) April 28, 2015
As a live sporting event the Derby would be a natural social event to begin with. But, unlike the Superbowl, there are lots of ways to get sidetracked: the hats, fashion, and cocktail recipes using the sponsored bourbon.
This week, we’re all from Kentucky. #DerbyWeek#KYDerbypic.twitter.com/M3yAiffYC2
— Woodford Reserve (@WoodfordReserve) April 27, 2015
All of those are easy ways to engage everyone in the living room, and on a day where the NFL Draft, the Yanks and Red Sox play each other, and HBO preps for the fight, they’ll need to pull out all the stops for the Twitterverse.