The COVID-19 pandemic completely changed the way we experience basketball. And this year’s NBA season was unlike any other. To lower the spread of the virus, players had to compete in the NBA “bubble” in Orlando, Fla. They were separated from their families for months and couldn’t play with an audience. The unexpected beginning of this year’s season matches perfectly with its finale. The Los Angles Lakers and Miami Heat faced off in a nail-biting match-up for the NBA Championship. In the end, LeBron James and Anthony Davis successfully led the Lakers to their 17th Championship title. BrandGraph, IZEA’s social intelligence platform, recorded a spike in social media content and engagement for the Los Angeles Lakers as fans continue to celebrate their monumental win.
Also trending this week on BrandGraph were brands like the Tampa Bay Rays and Universal Studios Japan. BrandGraph tracks and records the performance of these brands across social media platforms. See what got these brands trending by taking a closer look at the Top Trending Brands for this week:
Trending Brands for the Week of October 5, 2020
- Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers)
- Tampa Bay Rays (@raysbaseball)
- Universal Studios Japan (@universal_studios_japan)
- Atlanta Braves (@braves)
- Los Angeles Kings(@lakings)
The Lakers had a rough start to 2020. The unexpected death of former Laker’s shooting guard Kobe Bryant completely rocked the organization and the basketball community as a whole. The Lakers were determined to honor Bryant’s life and career by performing strongly in the 2020 Playoffs. And they did just that. They swept through their competition in the Western Conference and held their ground against the Miami Heat. Social media is blowing up with fans celebrating the Lakers win. Rapper and LA native Snoop Dogg even posted himself getting a Laker’s tattoo to commemorate the victory.
Top Content for The Los Angeles Lakers
The Tampa Bay Rays are also trending on social media. On Oct 9, 2020, they defeated their longtime rival, the New York Yankees, in the ALDS. The Rays now compete against the Houston Astros in the ALCS with hopes to advance to the World Series. 2020 has been a big year for Tampa in the sport’s world. Just a couple weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Lighting were trending on BrandGraph after winning their second Stanley Cup. Now Tampa natives and fans are crossing their fingers for the Rays to bring home another major championship title to their city.
Top Content for The Tampa Bay Rays
Universal Studios Japan is trending after sharing renderings for their latest project, Super Nintendo World. Lovers of the Super Mario franchise are freaking out on social media following the release of these images. Super Nintendo World will feature various lands from the video games and character-themed shops. The park is expected to open in 2021. Fans are already making plans to get to Japan so they can be the first to experience Super Nintendo World.
Top Content for Universal Studios Japan
The Atlanta Braves are trending after destroying the Miami Marlins in the NLDS. The Braves are now competing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. Fans are not only impressed by the Brave’s performance this season but also surprised. On social media, fans share their hopes for the Braves to keep their momentum and advance to the World Series. It has been 25 years since the Braves last held a World Series title.
Top Content for The Atlanta Braves
The Los Angeles Kings are trending this week on social media after acquiring Lias Andersson from the New York Rangers. Fans are a little skeptical about the trade and worry if Andersson strong enough fit for the organization. The Kings are also trending after Justin Williams announces his retirement from the NHL. Williams played with the Kings from 2009-2015. He helped the Kings win their first-ever Stanley Cup and play a significant role in securing their second championship win in 2014.
Top Content for The Los Angeles Kings
BrandGraph Trends is designed to help marketers identify, compare, and contrast momentum among brands, topics, and concepts in social media. Powered by IZEA’s proprietary content classification engine, BrandGraph Trends allows marketers to benchmark any keyword against a brand or groups of brands in a general industry or specific category.
Those interested in learning more about BrandGraph Trends can request a product demonstration at izea.com/brandgraph/get-a-demo
