JMC 436 - Final Document

Cincinnati Bengals
Public Relations Research Report

Cassandra Sheerin
Arizona State University
December 2, 2022
Table of Contents
Executive Overview ................................................................................................. 2
Bengals Backgrounder .............................................................................................. 4
Communications Audit ........................................................................................... 11
Interview Report ..................................................................................................... 32
Survey Report ......................................................................................................... 36
Target Audience Report.......................................................................................... 45
Final Bi-Weekly Report.......................................................................................... 55
Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 63
Works Cited ............................................................................................................ 65
Appendix A: Interview Transcript .......................................................................... 69
Appendix B: Full Survey Questions and Responses .............................................. 84
Appendix C: Memos ............................................................................................. 111
Memo 1 ................................................................................................................. 112
Memo 2 ................................................................................................................. 117
Memo 3 ................................................................................................................. 122
Memo 4 ................................................................................................................. 128
Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 1

Executive Overview

Executive Overview
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Currently, the team competes in the AFC division of the National Football League. The
Cincinnati Bengals joined the American Football League (AFL) in 1968, but later merged with
NF in 1970. Paul Brown, who had become a prominent name within the industry through his
leadership of the Cleveland Browns, was the founder of the Cincinnati Bengals and first head
coach. Currently, they are owned by son of Paul Brown, Mike Brown. The Bengals have played
in three Super Bowls, however, have not won one. Their most recent appearance in a Super Bowl
was in 2022, where they lost to the L.A. Rams. Prior, Cincinnati hadn’t won a playoff game in
31 years. However, as reigning AFC Champions the Bengals currently rank second in the AFC
North.
Though the Cincinnati Bengals have been extremely successful on the field in recently, they
have also found success through their communication channels. Prior to 2021, the Cincinnati
Bengals struggled to hold the respect of NFL prospects. Historically, the team ranked among the
bottom of the leaderboard and their social media accounts were typically used as a dartboard for
fans seeking a target. However, in 2021, a new social media team sough to revitalize the
Bengals’ social platforms in hopes to connect the players with their target audience.
Reorganization, adding and refocusing their human resources allowed the team to build a
communicative platform on social media that has resonated with fans.
With this in mind, Cincinnati Bengals’ researcher conducted primary and secondary research to
analyze the efficiency and effectiveness to which the Bengals communicate with their target
audience. The comprehensive research within this report includes a client background report, a
communications audit, an interview report, a survey report, a target audience report, as well as
bi-weekly memos that analyzed the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram account. Ultimately, the
researcher aimed to discover if the Bengals get more engagement on social media than their main
competitor, if fan engagement changes on social media based on team performance, and what
communication channels Bengals’ fans most rely on for their team related news.
Primary research targeted Bengals’ fans of all backgrounds, though there was an emphasis on
those who were active social media users. The researcher sought to not only understand how fan
engagement with social media posts shared by the Bengals is affected by the team’s
performance, but also what platforms are preferred on behalf of the Bengals’ target audience.
Secondary research focused primarily on the Cincinnati Bengals’ official Instagram account. The
researcher completed bi-weekly memos over the course of 10 weeks that measured the quantity
of posts, followers as well as the quality of their messaging.
The results of this research allowed the researcher to understand the strengths and weaknesses
within the Cincinnati Bengals’ communication strategy, especially as it relates to their social
media presence. Though the Bengals have a strong team managing their social platforms,
primary research performed by the researcher identified weaknesses within their approach, as
well as threats to their strategy, however also identified opportunities to help the communication
team.

Bengals Backgrounder

Backgrounder
Cincinnati Bengals
1 Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Email: webmaster@bengals.nfl.net
Phone: 513-621-8383
Website: https://www.bengals.com
Social Media Platforms
Facebook: @bengals | https://www.facebook.com/bengals

Instagram: @bengals | https://www.instagram.com/bengals/
LinkedIn: Cincinnati Bengals | https://www.linkedin.com/company/cincinnati-bengals/
Reddit: r/bengals | https://www.reddit.com/r/bengals/
Snapchat: @officialbengals | https://www.snapchat.com/add/officialbengals
Twitter: @bengals | https://twitter.com/Bengals
YouTube: Cincinnati Bengals | https://www.youtube.com/Bengals
Client Description
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football franchise based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Bengals currently compete in the north division of the American Football Conference (AFC)
of the National Football League (NFL). Their home stadium is Paycor Stadium, formally known
as Paul Brown Stadium, located in downtown Cincinnati. The former name of the Bengal’s home
field comes from founder and first head coach, Paul Brown (Augustyn, 2022). The Bengals
franchise is currently owned Brown’s son, Mike, who assumed ownership in 1991 (Forbes,
2022). The Bengals have played in three Super Bowl Championships – in 1982, 1989 and 2022
(Augustyn, 2022) The team’s mascot is a Bengal tiger that wears a Cincinnati No. 1 jersey. Its
name, “Who Dey,” comes from the team’s chant started decades ago (McCarriston, 2022).
Currently, the Bengals are led by head coach Zac Taylor, who is currently coaching his fourth
season with Cincinnati (Cincinnati Bengals, 2022).
Mission
According to Bengal’s Director of Strategy and Engagement, Elizabeth Blackburn, the Bengals
vision statement reads as follows:
The Bengals strive to be a championship football team with a culture built on high
standards and competitive hunger. We connect players, fans and partners into one team to
create an enduring legacy in Cincinnati. This purpose grounds our work across every
aspect of the organization (Blackburn, 2021, p. 4)
History
The Cincinnati Bengals joined the American Football League (AFL) in 1968 (Augustyn, 2022).
Paul Brown, who had become one of the most respected coaches in the game through his

leadership for the Cleveland Browns organization, was one of the Bengal’s franchise owners and
its first head coach. Cincinnati was a member of the AFL for just two seasons before the league
merged with the NFL in 1970 (Augustyn, 2022). The Bengals played at the University of
Cincinnati’s Nipper Stadium until Riverfront Stadium, shared with the Cincinnati Reds, opened
in 1970 (Suess, 2022). In 2000, Paul Brown Stadium, now called Paycor Stadium, was built as
the Bengal’s home field. The Bengals have played in three Super Bowls, in 1982 and 1989 they
were defeated by the San Francisco 49ers, and the most recent was 2022, when they lost to the
L.A. Rams. Prior to the most recent Super Bowl, Cincinnati hadn’t won a playoff game in 31
years.
The most recent notable era in Bengals history began in 2003 when Marvin Lewis was named
head coach. Lewis led the Bengals to the playoffs five times in six years (2009, 2011-2015), but
lost in the first round each year (Suess, 2022). Currently, the Bengals are led by head coach Zac
Taylor, as well as their well-known quarter back Joe Burrow. In Burrow’s first full season with
the Cincinnati Bengals, he broke their playoff losing streak and led them to their first Super
Bowl in 33 years (Augustyn, 2022).
Executive Team Members
Mike Brown Owner/President

Katie Blackburn Executive Vice President
Brian Sells Chief Marketing Officer
Johanna Kappner Chief Financial Officer
PJ Combs Director of Media Relations
Emily Parker Director of Communications
The information above was found on the official Cincinnati Bengals website (Bengals, 2022).
The Sports Industry
Forbes Sports Money editor, Michael Ozanian describes the sports industry as “one of the fastest
growing industries in the US, it is intertwined with virtually every aspect of the economy – from
the media and apparel to food and advertising,” he adds that, “sports is everywhere, accompanied
by the sound of a cash register ringing incessantly,” (Gillentine, Crow, & Harriss, 2022, p. 1)
Ozanian is correct, the sports industry is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the
United States and the world (Gillentine, Crow, & Harriss, 2022). The global sports market is
expected to grow from $354.96 billion in 2021 to $501.43 billion in 2022 at a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 41.3%. This growth is mainly due to companies rearranging their
operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact. The market is expected to reach $707.84
billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 9% (Research and Markets, 2022). The sports market consists of
sports services and related goods by entities such as organizations, sole traders and partnerships.
The sports industry is made up of a large number of diverse players across vastly different
markets; some sell goods and apparel, while others are media distributors club franchises or
leagues (Torrens University Australia, 2022). Further, the National Football League (NFL) is the
most profitable sports league in the United States. The NFL was founded in 1920 in Canton,

Ohio as the American Professional Football Association and later took on its current name. The
total revenue of all 32 NFL teams has constantly increased over the last 15 years (Statista, 2022).
In 2021, the 32 teams of the NFL generated a revenue of 17.19 billion U.S. dollars. The NFL has
different revenue streams, such as sponsorships, media (broadcast and digital), partnerships,
ticket sales and concessions. In 2020, NFL regular season ticketing revenue made up about
1.25% of the league’s total revenue. NFL and team sponsorship was forecast to generate 1.62
billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Television rights are also a major stream of revenue for the NFL, as
various football games dominate the list of most watched TV programs every year in the U.S.
(Statista, 2022).
In addition, the Cincinnati Bengals current franchise value was calculated $3 billion as of August
2022, which is the lowest franchise value among every team in the NFL. The highest valued
team in the NFL are the Dallas Cowboys, worth about $8 billion (Forbes, 2022).
Major Geographic and/or Target Markets
The Cincinnati Bengals have by far the fastest growing fan base, per new research (Makdook,
2022). A recent study shows that the team’s following on Instagram has nearly doubled over the
last year. The Bengals total following increased 94.68% in the last year, in part due to their
improved performance (Makdook, 2022). Geographically, the Bengals target audience is at home
in Cincinnati, Ohio. As of July of 2021, Cincinnati’s population was 308,935. (United States
Census Bureau, 2022). That makes Cincinnati the 65th largest city in the United States by
population (White, 2022). Being that Cincinnati is close to both Indiana and Kentucky, large fan
bases also live within these areas (Rogers, 2014). However, since the Bengals improved
performance, they’re following spreads throughout the country, with a lot of growth specifically
being seen in Louisiana. This southern fan base is largely due to Cincinnati’s newest
quarterback, Heisman winner Joe Burrow, who led the LSU Tigers to win a National
Championship. In addition, former LSU wide receiver, Ja’marr Chase is also a Cincinnati Bengal
(Goffient, 2022). Overall, Cincinnati’s target audience includes sports fans who enjoy American
football. The Bengals audience mostly includes men, ages 35-44 (Audience Dstillery, 2022),
however, with the influx of new fans, these demographics may be everchanging.
Business Operating Model
The Bengals, similar to other sports teams, make its money through revenue-generating items
including media rights, ticket sales, concessions, merchandise, sponsorships and partnership
deals (Pompliano, 2021). Though cable television has been rapidly declining from society’s
media diet, research suggests that the rise of streaming services like Amazon Prime Video now
streaming Thursday Night Football and Hulu TV will drive global revenue sports media rights to
$85 billion by 2025 (Pompliano, 2021). That being said, broadcasting and media rights are the
single greatest revenue generator for every major professional sports league (Pompliano, 2021).
Moreover, in-person related revenue including ticket sales, concessions and merchandise
accounts for 10% to 40% of overall revenue for sports teams based on their respective sport and
league (Pompliano, 2021). However, contrary to other sports teams, NFL teams share their
gameday revenues equally amongst all 32 teams. Forty percent of that ticket revenue is sent from
the team to the league and put in a visiting team fund, which is distributed to all 32 teams at the

end of every season (Conway & Coolidge, 2022). In addition to large media contracts and
tangible items like tickets and concessions, professional sports teams also earn a large sum of
money by selling companies the rights to sell items that represent their team (Pompliano, 2021).
Relevant Financial Information
The Cincinnati Bengals are a privately-owned franchise currently owned by Mike Brown, son of
co-founder and first head coach, Paul Brown. Mike assumed ownership of the Bengals in 1991
following his father’s death (Augustyn, 2022). As of August 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals are
valued at $3 billion (Forbes, 2022). Their net stadium revenue was $462 million, and their
operating income which includes earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization
was $114 million. Cincinnati currently has $237 million in player expenses, which includes
player’s bonuses and benefits (Forbes, 2022). The Bengals key partners are Anheuser-Busch
InBev, Geico, McDonalds, PepsiCo, Molson, Coors, Fifth Third Bank, and Tide (Jones, 2022).
In addition, the Bengals stadium, formerly known as Paul Brown Stadium, is being renamed
Paycor Stadium after the team agreed to a deal on the naming rights. Though the financial details
of the deal with Paycor HCM Inc. were not released, it is assumed that the deal will increase the
franchise’s value and help keep big names like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase on Cincinnati’s
roster (Conway & Coolidge, 2022). According to Bengal’s owner Mike Brown, the name deal is
important because the Bengals are a “small-market team,” who needs revenue streams that can
be obtained (Conway & Coolidge, 2022).
Main Competitor
Though the Cincinnati Bengals have a number of rivals including the Pittsburg Steelers and
Baltimore Ravens, their main competitor would likely be the Cleveland Browns, being they are
competing within the same territory. Cleveland, located in the northwest region of Ohio, and
Cincinnati, located in the southwest region, are on opposite corners, essentially splitting the state.
In addition to the geography of the two teams, a shared heritage also adds to the rivalry (Fandom,
n.d.). Legendary head coach and co-founder of the Bengals also founded the Browns in 1946
(Augustyn, 2022). Not to mention, the Browns and the Bengals have long been lower ranked
teams trying to make their way up the division standings, adding to the closely related
characteristics that have fueled their rivalry. Currently, the Bengals lead the game record with 51
wins over the Browns, who have beat the Bengals only 42 times. Over the last five seasons,
Bengals have won seven of the 10 times they have played each other (Manchester, 2020). In
addition to competing on the field, they compete for fans within their home state. According to
Sponsor Pulse, sports fans in Ohio are more engaged with the Cleveland Browns than they are
with the Bengals (Jones, 2022).
Situational Analysis
Market Pressures, Opportunities, and Potential Issues

The 2022-23 NFL season just kicked off and there is pressure for the Bengals to perform
(Garrison, 2022). Last season, the Bengals won their first playoff game in 31 years and made it
to the Super Bowl. Though they were runner-up, the expectations for this season are even greater
than they were last year being that fans now know what the roster is capable of (Garrison, 2022).

Being that their fan base is growing exponentially, the Bengals have a larger audience to impress
and more opportunities for revenue (Makdook, 2022). In addition, the Bengal’s franchise has a
lot of potential to grow in value. With the rate of their successes as well as new sponsorship
deals, the franchise is on the rise (Conway & Coolidge, 2022). Because of the Bengals’ history,
their newfound success has increased newer fans to follow the team (Daugherty, 2022). While a
growing support system is important, it is also necessary to acknowledge the fact that the entire
Bengals team, working on and off the field, must work to ensure these fans stay loyal to
Cincinnati. That being said, players have to perform, executives have to stay organized, and
communicators have to stay relevant and engaging so fans are enticed to keep up with the team.
Recent Communications Campaigns
“White Bengal” Helmet

2022 was the summer of helmets because the NFL ended their one-shell helmet rule, keeping
teams from having multiple helmet designs. The Bengals’ helmet was arguably the best and most
anticipated helmet (Shook, 2022). Since the introduction of the team’s wildly popular all-white
color rush uniforms, Bengals fans have long wanted a white-shelled helmet to match the kit
(Shook, 2022). Cincinnati released the white striped shell on July 22, 2022 making fans’ dreams
of the “White Bengal” come to life. Bengals shared a clip of the helmet on their Twitter account,
captioning it “A deals a deal 🤝.” The tweet received 56.6K likes (Shook, 2022). Following the
release of the Bengals new helmet, they released their uniform schedule for the 2022 season on
August 8. They will wear their new “White Bengal” color rush uniforms, which include the new
white striped helmet in week four against the Dolphins, and in week 11 against the Steelers
(Rapien, 2022).
Recent Major News About the Bengals
Week 1 Loss to the Steelers

The Bengals 2022-23 NFL season kicked off to a bad start with a loss to one of their main rivals,
the Pittsburg Steelers. According to Cincy Jungle, the Bengals played awful, yet somehow had
an opportunity to win at the end but didn’t pull through (Cosenza, 2022). This loss was a hard
one for Bengals fans to shake off because of the expectations they set for fans last season.
Paycor Stadium
The Bengals home facility, long known as Paul Brown Stadium will now be called Paycor
Stadium, the team announced on August 9, 2022. The Bengals sold the naming rights to a
Cincinnati-based company that specializes in human resources software, Paycor. The agreement
will last 16 years, but financial terms were not released to the public (Baby, 2022). According to
ESPN, this agreement comes as the Bengals are aiming to capitalize on one of the best seasons in
franchise history (Baby, 2022).
Additional Information
Community Involvement
The Bengals have eight community programs in order to support local youth health and wellness
efforts and community improvement initiatives (Bengals, 2022). In addition to these eight

programs, a few Bengals players also have foundations to give back to communities in need. The
foundations on behalf of the respective players are as follows:
• Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund
The Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund supports the operations of the Athens County Food
Pantry, dedicated to providing supplemental and emergency food aid to residents of
Athens County, Ohio who find themselves in need (Bengals, 2022).
• Sam Hubbard Foundation
The Sam Hubbard Foundation is helping the people of Ohio combat hunger by providing
vulnerable children and families with educational, medical, and athletic resources
(Bengals, 2022).
• Kevin Huber’s Foundation for Undeserved Rescues
Mindi and Kevin Huber's Foundation for Underserved Rescues aims to provide resources
and support to Cincinnati area animal rescues who save animals from potentially negative
outcomes (Bengals, 2022).
• Hayden Hurst Family Foundation
Helping youth, military and others in need regarding their health, education, and wellness
by funding services and programs through donations and fundraising events (Bengals,
2022) .
Three Research Questions
1. How does fan engagement change on social media based on team performance?
2. Do Bengals get more engagement on social media in comparison to their competitors
such as the Browns?
3. What communication channels do Bengals fans follow most?

Communications Audit

Communications Audit
Cincinnati Bengals
Introduction
The following communications audit examines the Cincinnati Bengals across all its social media
platforms as well as the franchise’s earned traditional media. This report also compares the
Bengal’s strategies to the Cleveland Browns, one of its major competitors within the sports
industry. The traditional media audit spanned a three-month period from July 1, 2022 to Sept. 30,
2022. However, all research regarding social media platforms was analyzed over a 30-day period
from Sept. 5, 2022 to Oct. 5, 2022. Social and traditional media tracking tools, such as Rival IQ,
Social Blade, and Muck Rack, were used to collect and analyze the data in this communications
audit. The present research is therefore limited to the abilities of the tools used.
Current Strategy
• Social Media: The Cincinnati Bengals post daily to their three main social media
platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. TikTok has a less consistent
schedule, but still distributes several videos each week. Being that the Bengals are
currently in season, the number of posts per week have increased across all platforms.
The Bengals Instagram feed combines single image, carousel, and reel posts to inform on
the Bengal’s season and the team’s culture. The Facebook and Twitter accounts
additionally include announcements and news updates about the Bengals. The Bengals’
YouTube account tends to post news-oriented content, such as past press conferences,
whereas their TikTok maintains a more lighthearted tone.
• Traditional Media: From July 1, 2022 to Sept. 20, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals were
mentioned in 3,769 articles according to Muck Rack.1 Most of these mentions refer to the
Bengals performance thus far in the 2022-23 NFL season, including pregame predictions,
live game updates and post-game insights, as well as information regarding individual
players. The overall tone of the mentions tends to be neutral to positive when sharing
information regarding the team’s updates.
• Press Releases: According to the Press Releases page on the Bengals official website,
the Bengals posted 17 press releases between Sept. 1, 2022 and Sept. 29, 2022. The
website showcases the press releases dated only as far back as Sept. 1, 2022. These
releases cover a wide array of topics such as roster updates, stadium information, player
awards, and other relative franchise news (Cincinnati Bengals, 2022). Most of this
1
The search conducted on Muck Rack consisted of articles containing Cincinnati Bengals in both the headline and
the article body.

information is shared through earned media, as the Bengals rarely provide this news on
their social media platforms.
• Key Messages: The Cincinnati Bengals football season kicked off Sept. 11, 2022, so the
main messages on their social media account have pertained to information about their
players, on and off the field, game preparation and performance, and behind the scenes
footage of the team dynamic. This type of content is present in traditional media as well,
however, its coverage tends to be more informative compared to social media’s more
entertaining approach. In the media, the Bengals share detailed game statistics, roster
updates, and opponent information versus social media’s more lax portrayal of
information.
Social Media Assessment
Facebook (@bengals)
As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Bengal’s Facebook account has
1,208,024 followers. From Sept. 5, 2022, to Oct. 5, 2022,
the account posted 238 times and earned 554,702
reactions,2 55,394 comments, and 71,476 shares. Rival
IQ’s 2022 benchmark report indicates that the average
sports team posts on Facebook 21 times a week (Rival IQ,
2022), however the Bengals are posting 54 times a week.
Figure 1: Facebook post shared on the Bengals'

account on Sept. 25, 2022 with the most likes
over the time period
2
Reactions on Facebook consist of six different emotions including “like”, “love”, “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and
“angry.” Data is sourced from Rival IQ and doesn’t specify the reactions received.

The Bengals post similar content across all platforms. Posts are recycled throughout each
platform, however the accounts on Facebook and Twitter post more frequently than on
Instagram.
In addition to cross-posted content, the Bengals Facebook

platform frequently posts informative news and updates
about its players. The content specifically shared on this
account includes live press conferences and their
respective recordings, links to news articles (Figure 2),
and player updates. The account also posts wallpaper
graphics for followers to download on their devices. The
post with the most likes over the time period received
10.3K likes (Figure 1), versus the post with the least
amount of likes which earned 114. The post that earned
the least amount of likes was an injury report posted on
Sept. 28. Most posts that consisted of injury reports, or
news conferences were consistently low in likes for the
duration of the time period.
The current focus of all the Bengals social media

accounts is the 2022-23 football season. However, the
Facebook account serves as a platform for fans to stay
updated on the team’s performance and current roster Figure 2: Facebook post shared on Oct. 4, 2022
without the extra more entertaining posts that are
commonly seen on the Bengals other platforms. Still, the Facebook page contains less serious,
sometimes comedic captions to keep their outreach with followers lighthearted. Overall, the feel
of the Bengals Facebook account attempts to ensue positive feedback among followers (see
Figure 2).
Instagram (@bengals)
As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals official

Instagram account has 1,211,564 followers, follows
185 accounts and has shared 5,055 posts. According to
Rival IQ, the account shared an average of 4.35 posts
per day, totaling 135 published posts during the
evaluated time period The most common post type
shared on the account are reels, however, single photo
posts and carousels closely follow. The Bengals use
hashtags on 9.6% of posts, which are mostly used on
game days. For example, their most recent hashtag
used was #MIAvsCIN, and was used on three of the
Bengals posts during the game on Sept. 29, 2022.
Figure 3: Instagram post shared on Sept. 29, 2022

The overwhelming majority of content featured on
the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram account is directly
related to the Bengals games. Since the start of NFL
season, the account follows a semi-strict schedule of
posts. In days leading up to the game, the Bengals
post a mock album cover which represent
characteristics of the upcoming game (Figure 4), a
graphic showcasing their uniform combination for
the next game, and photos of the team at practice. If
the team is traveling that week, the account shares
photos of players on travel day arriving in the city
of their next competition, and if the game is played
in Cincinnati, the account will typically share a
photo of the Bengals home field, Paycor Stadium.
On the day of the game, the account shares a
significantly higher than average amount of posts
than on non-competition days. For example, on
Sept. 29, 2022, the day of their most recent game, Figure 4: Mock album cover post shared by the Bengals
the Bengals Instagram account shared 20 posts on Sept. 23
within the one day, which is higher than the average
number of posts shared in a week within the sports industry (Rival IQ, 2022). These posts
include reels or carousels of the player’s pre-game outfits (Figure 3), photos of the team warming
up, and live photos or footage of the game (Figure 5). Since their first game of the season (Sept.
11, 2022), the Instagram account has adhered to this pattern, while posting other content
unrelated to games within their feed.
The Bengals most liked post between Sept. 5, 2022 and

Oct. 5, 2022 was a photo of a Bengals player in their
“White Bengal” uniform (Figure 6). The all-white helmets
are a new addition to the team’s uniform this season and
were arguably the most anticipated (Shook, 2022). The
photo on Instagram was posted just two days before the
debut of the “White Bengal” uniform which they wore on
Sept. 29, 2022, against the Miami Dolphins. The post
received 231,992 likes, and 1,246 comments.

The high number of posts on game days could be seen as a missed opportunity to engage
followers because not only are there so many posts being published, but fans are typically not on
Instagram, but watching the game live. According to Rival IQ, days that there are significantly
less posts receive the most engagement whereas on game days, when the number of posts shared
are high, engagement is much lower. For example, on Sept. 23, 2022, the account only shared
three posts, however, the engagement rate was 6.41%, whereas on Sept. 25, 2022, a Bengal’s
game day in which the account shared 18 posts, the engagement rate was 2.54%. This trend can
be observed throughout the given time period (Figure 7)3.
Another trend seen in this graph is the fact that the
Instagram account posts more on days the Bengals win
games versus the days they lose. For reference, the team
lost on Sept. 11 and Sept. 18, but won on Sept. 23 and
Sept. 29 and clearly, more posts were shared on the days
in which the team finished the game with a win.

with the highest engagement within the time
period evaluated
Figure 7: Rival IQ graph showing number of posts versus rate of engagement per day
Overall, the Bengals Instagram strategy mainly involves a schedule of content in relation to their
game schedule, in addition to posts having to do with Paycor Stadium, behind-the-scenes photos
or footage representative of the team’s culture, player shoutouts, and a number of others. Posts
include a combination of graphics and live photos or videos while maintaining an aesthetic that
adheres to the Bengal’s brand. Captions on posts are typically very short and informal, often
including a comedic element or emojis.
Ultimately, the strategies incorporated in the Instagram account contribute to a more personable
and entertaining communication channel for fans to follow. Followers of the account most
commonly react positively to content that is posted typically seen in comments.
3
Note that the blue lines in the graph represent the Bengals and the gray lines represent their competitor.

TikTok (@bengals)
As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals TikTok account has 1,300,000 followers, follows 47
accounts, and has 19.8 million views. The Bengals published 20 videos, roughly 4.52 per week
and received 6,491,700 views and 824,186 likes between Sept. 5, 2022 and Oct. 5, 2022.
The account posts a variety of content and has no discernable posting schedule or pattern.
However, the theme of their content is typically more on the entertaining and comedic spectrum
in comparison to other platforms. While Facebook and Twitter tend to reveal more information,
and Instagram combines both informative and entertaining content, TikTok serves as the
platform that is mainly to connect with fans through pure fun. Ultimately, content includes
videos that capture the essence of a player’s personality, or the team’s dynamic as a whole.
Featured quite frequently are videos of the team walking to

practice stopped by a sign that prompts them to either answer a
question or carryout a specific action. Videos will ask players
to answer a question about their teammates, share what their
go-to touchdown celebration is, or prompt them to engage in
some other entertaining activity. Ultimately, the strategy
behind the Bengals TikTok account is to create a more
personable relationship with fans by allowing fans to get to
know the players they watch on game days.
The post that received the most likes was a video of a player
interview discussing an experience with Joe Burrow at the
Cartier store in Las Vegas. The post received 255,000 likes,
333 comments, and 1,500 shares (Figure 8). On this post alone,
the engagement rate was 19.8%.
According to Rival IQ, the Bengals TikTok account didn’t use

Figure 8: TikTok post that received the
most engagement
any hashtags within the time period evaluated, which could be
a missed opportunity for increased engagement across the
platform. Being that hashtags are the best way to boost
visibility on the platform, neglecting them can cost potential
interactions with a video and lessen the chances of it maximizing its engagement potential (Zote,
2022).
Overall, the tone of the Bengal’s TikTok is fairly lighthearted as most of the videos are created
with comedic purposes. The strategy behind the TikTok seems to be purposeful in creating
relationships between fans and the team.
Twitter (@Bengals)
The official Twitter of the Cincinnati Bengals has 1,285,098 followers and follows 271 accounts
as of Oct. 5, 2022. During the period of Sept. 5, 2022 to Oct. 5, 2022, the Bengals Twitter
account published 317 tweets, about 72 tweets a week according to Rival IQ. The Bengals

received 753,085 likes, 81,011 retweets and 22,193 replies resulting in an engagement rate of
.21% throughout the time period evaluated.
The content on the Bengal’s Twitter is identical to

Facebook. Content on this platform, similar to Facebook, is
meant to be more informative through sharing press
conference video links, news articles, and player updates,
but also incorporating posts seen on the Cincinnati Bengal’s
Instagram account.
More than three quarters of the Bengals’ Twitter feed is

tweets published by the account. The account shares a
combination of photos and videos, with very few tweets
unaccompanied by some sort of multimedia element.
The post that received the highest engagement was a video

of Joe Burrow walking into Paycor Stadium prior to hosting
the Miami Dolphins wearing a black suit covered in white
flowers. The post received 18,100 likes, 3,450 retweets and Figure 9: Twitter Post that received the
813 replies (Figure 9). highest engagement posted on Sept. 29,
2022
YouTube (Cincinnati Bengals)
As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals YouTube account has 51,300 subscribers and
11,852,190 views among 1,646 uploads. According to Social Blade, an online tool that tracks
social media analytics most notably for YouTube, the Bengals had 679,131 views in the last 30
days and earned 2,200 subscribers.
During the period Sept. 5 to Oct. 5, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals YouTube channel posted 97
times. The video that got the most views was a compilation video showing how Cincinnati is
preparing for Thursday Night Football where the Bengals were debuting their new uniform, as
the video description says (Figure 10). The short video (1:23) earned 24,192 views and 853 likes.

The majority of published YouTube videos are a
mix of press conferences and locker room
interviews with the team. There are also videos
regarding information leading up to games, as
well as videos sharing highlights after each
game.
Overall, the strategy of the team’s YouTube

account is to serve as an additional platform to
keep people informed about the team’s
performance and updates throughout the season.
Whereas team dynamic and culture shines
through in other platforms, the content on
YouTube keeps fans updated throughout the
Figure 10: Bengals most liked YouTube video posted on Sept.
27, 2022 season.
Influencers
According to the NFLPA, two Bengals players, Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow, are respectively
ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the list of the top 50 NFL social media influencers. Also on this list,
ranked No. 48 is Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (NFL Players Association, 2022).
Chase (@lahjay_10) currently has 1.1 million

followers on Instagram and posted four times on
the platform between Sept. 5, 2022 and October
5, 2022. Three of the posts were reels and the
most recent post was a picture of him suited up
for the game against the Miami Dolphins in the
“White Bengal” uniform on September 29
Figure 11: Photo from Ja'Marr Chase's Instagram on Oct. 1
(Figure 11). This post received the most likes

between the four, earning 263,349 likes and 39
comments.
As of October 5, 2022, Burrow (@joeyb_9)

has three million Instagram followers on and
posted three times on the platform between
Figure 12: Photo from Joe Burrow's Instagram on Sept. 30 Sept. 5, 2022 and October 5, 2022. The post

that received the most likes was a post of Burrow on gameday against the Miami Dolphins
captioned, “In the pocket like…,” the post received 530,581 likes and 2,909 comments (Figure
12).
Tee Higgins (@teehiggins), also featured on the list of

top 50 NFL social media influencers, has 328,000
followers on Instagram and has posted twice on the
platform between Sept. 5, 2022 and Oct. 5, 2022. His
post on Oct. 3, 2022 is a carousel of photos including
him dressed up before games, him during games and a
quote. This post received 50,878 likes and 386
comments. He also posted a video partnered with
Amazon Prime on Oct. 5, 2022 that received 4,850 likes.
Figure 13: Post from Tee Higgins Instagram on Oct. 3
Another important figure who influences the

Bengals audience is Marisa Contipelli, the
Bengals official team reporter. Contipelli is
most prominent on Twitter (@BengalsMarisa),
where she has 28,000 followers and retweets
most of the Bengal’s posts, as of Oct. 5, 2022
(Figure 14). Also featured on her feed is
updates during games, before games, and on all
other team related news. She is also featured
Figure 14: Marisa Contipelli's Twitter profile
on the teams YouTube account, hosting the
“Contipelli’s Countdown” series, in which she
breaks down the top five storylines as the Bengals head into upcoming games.
In the Media
According to a search conducted using Muck Rack from July 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2022, the
Cincinnati Bengals were mentioned 104,8924 times in traditional media. Of these articles, the
Cincinnati Bengals appeared in the headline of an article 3,770 times (3.59%). Over this three-
month period, according to Onclusive, 27% of articles have a positive tone, while 56% have a
neutral tone. Since the start of the season, the Cincinnati Bengals mentions in earned media have
dramatically increased (Figure 15). Most mentions of the Bengals have to do with their
4
The search conducted on Muck Rack consisted of all articles that mentioned Cincinnati Bengals between July 1,
2022 and Sept. 30, 2022.

performance thus far in the 2022-23 NFL season, including pregame predictions, live game
updates and post-game insights, as well as information regarding individual players. According
to Muck Rack, the Bengals top outlets are Fox Sports, NewsBreak, Yahoo Sports, Fresno Bee,
and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
Figure 15: Graph from Muck Rack showing Bengals mentions in the media
After the Bengals game on Sept. 29, articles

are about the Cincinnati Bengals game played
against the Miami Dolphins in which the
Bengals earned their second win of the
season, making their record 2-2. However,
about half of the coverage regarding the game
is overshadowed by an injury the Miami
Dolphins quarterback sustained during the
game in which he was carted off after a hit
that that left him immobile on the field
(Figure 16). Articles from nearly all
prominent sport reporting outlets such as
Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, as well as
CNN and others, have reported on the game, Figure 16: CBS article about Bengals game against the Dolphins
but focused their writing on the injury faced
by Dolphins quarterback in addition to sharing additional articles about the game itself. Further,
the Bengals did not receive any negative backlash for the hit sustained by Dolphins quarterback.
According to the Press Releases page on the Cincinnati Bengals official website, the team posted
17 press releases between Sept. 1, 2022, and Sept. 29, 2022, however, the website showcases the

press releases dated only as far back as Sept. 1, 2022. Seven of these releases are roster updates
that keep people informed of players and their status within the franchise (Cincinnati Bengals,
2022). The rest of the press releases cover a wide array of topics including stadium information,
player awards, and other relative franchise news (Cincinnati Bengals, 2022). Most of this
information is only shared within earned media, as the Bengals share a limited portion of this
news in social media content.
Key Media Reporters and Outlets
The following table provides a list of key reporters found on Muck Rack, who cover sports
related news and produce earned media for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Reporter Name Outlet Position

James Rapien Sports Illustrated Publisher
Lisa Byington Freelance Reporter
Jason Hall iHeart Radio Associate Editor
Mitch Stacy Associated Press Sports Writer
Rob Maaddi Associated Press, AP Pro Host, NFL Writer
Football Podcast
Competitive Analysis
Background
The Cincinnati Bengals main competitor is the Cleveland Browns, another NFL team in Ohio. In
addition to the geography of the two teams, a shared heritage also adds to the rivalry (Fandom,
n.d.). Being that both teams have a very similar history, compete within the same division for the
same target audience, their means of communication have similar features as well.
Cleveland Browns are active on the same social media platforms the Bengals are on. The
Cleveland post to their three main social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and
YouTube daily. The Browns’ TikTok, like the Bengals’ account, has a less consistent schedule,
but still shares several videos each week. Being that the Browns are currently in season, the
number of posts per week have increased across all platforms. Further, the Browns’ Instagram
feed combines single image, carousel, and reel and keeps a consistent theme to match their
branding. The Facebook and Twitter accounts additionally include announcements and news
updates about the Browns. The Browns’ YouTube account tends to post news-oriented content,
such as press conferences.

In terms of traditional media coverage, the Cleveland Browns were mentioned in traditional
media 148,4595 times between July 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2022. In addition to the 2022-23 NFL
season starting, the Browns’ quarterback was facing controversy that led to the high amount of
coverage in comparison to the Bengals’ mentions (3,769 articles). The Cleveland Browns
published 28 press releases between July 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2022.
Ultimately, the Cleveland Browns are using their current communicative strategies to inform,
entertain and communicate with their target audience. The NFL season began on Sept. 11, 2022,
so the main messages on their social media accounts is information regarding their players as
well as game preparation and performance. The Browns’ traditional media approach is more
informative than social media. In the media, more detailed game statistics are shared and specific
information about the team is published.
Social Media Metrics
The following table gives a quantitative comparison of different social media metrics between
the Cincinnati Bengals and their competitor, the Cleveland Browns.
Social Media Metrics from Sept. 5, 2022 – Oct. 4, 2022 Cincinnati Cleveland
Bengals Browns
Facebook
Number of Facebook Followers 1,208,024 1,294,581
Average Number of Facebook Posts Per Week 54.4 59.0
Total Number of Interactions (Reactions, Comments and Shares) on
All Posts 654, 191 673,602
Average Number of Reactions, Comments, and Shares on Posts 2,807.69 2,662.46
Average Engagement Rate of Interactions (Reactions, Comments
and Shares) on Posts Per Post, Per Follower on All Posts 0.23% 0.21%
Instagram
Number of Instagram Followers 1,210,707 1,373,706
Average Number of Instagram Posts Per Week 30.57 21.70
Total Number of Interactions (Likes and Comments) on All Posts
4,601,351 2,613,151
Average Number of Likes and Comments on Posts 35,124.82 28,098.40
Average Engagement Rate of Interactions (Likes and Comments) on
Posts Per Post, Per Follower on All Posts 2.94% 2.06%
TikTok
Number of TikTok Followers 1,300,000 877,500
Average Number of TikTok Posts Per Week 4.43 3.73
Total Number of Interactions (Likes, Comments and Shares) on All
Posts 779,344 211,638
Average Number of Reactions, Comments, and Shares on Posts 41,018 13,227
5
The search conducted on Muck Rack consisted of all articles that mentioned Cleveland between July 1, 2022 and
Sept. 30, 2022.

Average Engagement Rate of Interactions (Likes, Comments and
Shares) on Posts Per Post, Per Follower on All Posts 3.16% 1.52%
Total Number of Views 6,199,200 1,493,946
Twitter
Number of Twitter Followers 1,284,287 1,554,075
Average Number of Twitter Posts (All Types) Per Week 83.8 136
Total Number of Interactions (Retweets, Likes, and Replies) on All
Posts 830,553 742,545
Average Number of Retweets, Likes and Replies on Posts 2,714 1,522
Average Engagement Rate of Interactions (Retweets, Likes, and
Replies) on Posts Per Post, Per Follower on All Posts 0.21% 0.098%
YouTube
Number of YouTube Subscribers 51,200 251,000
Total Number of Views 11,813,331 1,375,276
Strategy Comparison: Facebook
As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Cleveland Browns Facebook account (@clevelandbrowns) has more
followers than the Bengals, with 1,293,403 followers. From Sept. 5, 2022, to Oct. 5, 2022, the
Browns Facebook account posted 243 times and earned 550,747 reactions,6 73,282 comments,
and 82,110 shares, which are all higher than the Bengals statistics. Content shared on the Browns
Facebook account is very similar to that of the Bengals, including news articles, press
conferences and shared images from their Instagram (Figures 17 and 18). Both accounts also
share wallpaper photos for followers to save and use on their devices. In addition, both share
their posts with a very lighthearted, conversational caption and receive positive feedback from
followers. Other than that, the concepts of their shared content are very similar in the types of
posts, as well as the number of posts they publish, according to Rival IQ the Browns only posted
five more times than the Bengals within the evaluated time period.
Overall, the Cleveland Browns total average engagement is higher than the Bengals at 706,139,
however, their engagement rate per follower is 0.21%, which is lower than the Bengals
engagement rate.
6
Reactions on Facebook consist of six different emotions including “like”, “love”, “haha,” “wow,” “sad,” and
“angry.” Data is sourced from Rival IQ and doesn’t specify the reactions received.

Figure 18: Post shared by the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 6 Figure 17: Post shared by the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 6
Strategy Comparison: Instagram
As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Cleveland Browns Instagram account has 1,373,746 followers, and the
Cincinnati Bengals have 1,210,707 followers. According to Rival IQ, the Bengals account posts
much more frequently than the Browns. The Bengals average around 30.5 posts a week, while
the Browns average 21.7.
However, it is interesting to highlight that the most liked photo on the Bengals Instagram account
received 232, 070 likes whereas the most liked photo on the Browns Instagram account received
124,000 likes (Figure 20). Being that the Browns have more followers, it would make sense that
they would receive more likes on posts. But according to Rival IQ, all four of the Bengals top
posts have more likes than the top four Browns posts, meaning the Bengals accumulate more
likes on individual posts than the Browns do.
Content on the Browns Instagram account follows a similar schedule that is seen on the Bengals
Instagram. While the Browns post daily, there is a significantly higher number of posts shared on
game day (Figure 19). Posts include a combination of graphics and live photos or videos while
maintaining an aesthetic that adheres to the Browns team. Captions, just like those on the
Bengals account, are typically very short, and informal often including a comedic element or
emojis. However, the Browns post a lot more cartoon images and meme-like graphics to their
Instagram than the Bengals do.
Nearly mirroring the strategies incorporated in the Bengals Instagram account, the strategies
incorporated on the Browns account contribute to a more personable and entertaining
communication channel for fans to follow.

Figure 19: Graph representing posts per day on the Browns Instagram account. Game days were on Sept. 11, Sept.
18, Sept. 22 and Oct. 2, where all of the spikes appear.
Figure 21: Browns Instagram post with the most

Figure 20: Browns Instagram post on Oct. 2 likes
Strategy Comparison: TikTok

As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Cleveland Browns TikTok account
has 877,600 followers, a significantly fewer number of
followers than the Bengals have on this platform.
However, both accounts post nearly the same amount.
According to Rival IQ, the Browns share an average of
four posts a week, while the Bengals publish an average of
five. Between Sept. 5, 2022 and Oct. 5, 2022, the Bengals
received 850,470 likes on TikTok whereas the Browns
received 280,179. Within the evaluated time period, the
most liked TikTok on the Browns account received 74,300
and the Bengals most liked video received 255,000 (Figure
22).
Though the Bengals TikTok account is larger than the

Browns, content among both accounts is very similar. The
Browns account is very lighthearted and often used to
create a more personable communication channel with
followers. Posts on the Browns TikTok include videos of
the team on gameday and behind-the-scenes, gameday Figure 22: Browns most-liked TikTok within
footage, as well as videos of graphics and other content the evaluated time period
that is more random in the sense that it doesn’t have
anything to do with the team itself.
Strategy Comparison: Twitter
The Browns Twitter account has more followers than the Bengals. As of Oct, 5, 2022, the
Browns had 1,554,553 followers whereas the Bengals have 1,285,089 followers. The Browns
also tweet much more often; between Sept. 5, 2022 and Oct. 5, 2022, the Browns published 506
tweets, approximately 114 a week, according to Rival IQ. The Bengals published 317 within the
time period, which was approximately 72 a week.
Despite the lower number of posts, the Bengals receive

more engagement overall than the Browns. According to
Rival IQ, the Bengals received a total of 861,380
engagements, which include likes, replies, and retweets.
The Browns received 768,018 total engagements. The
overall engagement rate of for the Bengals Twitter is
0.21% and .098% for the Browns. However, the Browns
most liked tweet received 37,000 likes, versus the Bengals
most liked tweet, which received 18,100 (Figure 23).
The Browns, like the Bengals, post the same content they
Figure 23: Browns most liked tweet do on their Twitter on their Facebook. That being said,
their Facebook and Twitter are identical in regard to the
content they both share. The Browns retweet posts from players, and other accounts that post
Browns’ related content, whereas the Bengals’ don’t retweet anything.

Strategy Comparison: YouTube
As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Browns YouTube account has 251,000 subscribers and 93,305,082 views.
Their account has a larger following than the Bengals YouTube account, which has 51,300
subscribers and 11,852,190 views.
The type of content featured on the

Browns YouTube channel is similar the
content seen on the Bengals YouTube.
The account posts press conferences, as
well as videos of Browns news updates
in a series titled, “Cleveland Browns
Daily.” There are also videos of game
highlights and Browns players engaging
in community outreach. The Browns,
like the Bengals, post their mic’d up
videos on YouTube as well as post-
game analysis. Figure 24: Browns YouTube homepage
The strategy behind the Browns YouTube channel seems to serve as a more informative news
platform that keeps subscribers updated on team updates throughout the season. Similar to that of
the Bengals, content seems to be more serious and less comedic or informal, as seen on other
platforms.
Strategy Comparison: Influencers
While the Bengals have a significant influencer

base consisting of players and reports, the Browns
don’t have as many influencers to advocate for their
brand.
According to the NFLPA, Browns player, Myles

Garrett, was ranked No. 35 on the list of the top 50
NFL social media influencers (NFL Players
Association, 2022), the same list that three Bengals
players are on, two of whom are ranked No. 1 and
No. 2.
Myles Garrett is a defensive end for the Browns.

Figure 25: Most liked post from Myles Garrett's
Garrett (@flash_garrett) has 694,000 followers on Instagram within time period
Instagram and has posted five times between Sept.
5, 2022 and Oct. 5, 2022. Of the five posts, he received the most likes on a carousel post of
gameday images and videos from their first game of the season against the Panthers on Sept. 11,
2022 (Figure 25). This post earned 80,159 likes and 568 comments. All five of the posts are

related to the Browns, four of which are images and videos of Garrett suited up on game days,
and the most recent post is of him in his pre-game outfit walking into the stadium.
Another influential figure for the Browns is Mary Kay

Cabot, who according to her Twitter bio is the Browns
beat writer for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer,
Browns analyst for WKYC-TV, and Pro Football Hall
of Fame selector. Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) is verified
on Twitter with 201,300 followers. Every tweet on her
feed is related to the Browns and contains #Browns.
She will repost links to her articles as well as just tweet
updates directly related to the Browns.
Figure 26: Mary Kay Cabot's Twitter account
Strategy Comparison: In the Media
According to Muck Rack, the Cleveland Browns were mentioned 148,4597 times in traditional
media between July 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2022. Of these articles, the Cleveland Browns
appeared in the headline of an article 5.81% or 8,626 times, meaning the Browns presence in
traditional media is more extensive than the Bengals. Over this three-month period, according to
Onclusive, 43% of articles have a neutral tone, 33% have a negative tone, and 24% have a
positive tone. While the Bengals mentions in earned media dramatically increased since the start
of the regular season in September, the Browns mentions dramatically increased at the very
beginning and middle of August, but have since been lower (Figure 26).
The overwhelming majority of the articles shared at the beginning of August were related to
player updates, as well as updates on the Brown’s quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson has
been accused of sexual assault and other inappropriate conduct during massage therapy sessions
in lawsuits filed by 25 women. On August 18, it was announced that Watson will serve an 11-
game suspension without pay and will pay a fine of $5 million, undergo mandatory evaluation by
behavioral experts, and follow their suggested treatment program (Trotter, 2022). This explains
the influx of mentions in mid-August (Figure 27). Amid information coming out about Watson
in August, 67% of mentions were negative according to Onclusive.
7
The search conducted on Muck Rack consisted of all articles that mentioned Cleveland between July 1, 2022 and
Sept. 30, 2022.

Figure 27: Graph from Muck Rack showing mentions between July 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2022
Most mentions of the Browns since September, have to do with their performance thus far in the
2022-23 NFL season, including pregame predictions, live game updates and post-game insights,
as well as information regarding individual players.
The Cleveland Browns published 28 press releases between July 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2022.
Between Sept. 1, 2022, and Sept. 29, 2022, the same dates measured for the Bengals, the Bengals
published 10 press releases, versus the Bengals’ 17. Contrary to the press release page on the
Bengals site, which only shows the 20 most recent ones, the Browns have all of their press
releases accessible to users. More than half of the press releases on the Browns website are
related to roster updates.
Conclusion
The communications audit provided an overview of the quantitative and qualitative data of the
Cincinnati Bengals’ online strategies for reaching its target audience. Overall, the Bengals utilize
each of their social platforms, making them all unique but consistent in the sense that they are
sharing information while keeping the team’s culture at the forefront of their communication.
From analysis within this audit, it is clear that the strategies the Cincinnati Bengals incorporate
into the social media outreach are working to not only increase engagement as a whole, but more
specifically, also increase positive feedback from followers. It was also found that the Bengals
Instagram account follows a schedule of posts while adhering to a consistent aesthetic
throughout their feed. The overall feel of the social platforms is lighthearted, and fans enjoy the
content being shared. In terms of competition, regardless of follower count, the Bengals have a
higher engagement rate than the Cleveland Browns across the board. Though the Browns have
more followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the Bengals still maintain a higher

engagement rate. In addition, a more positive sentiment seems to be a trend for the Bengals in
earned media. Overall, both teams have a similar approach to communication on their social
platforms and receive similar coverage in traditional media being they are such closely related
competition.

Interview Report

Interview Report
Cincinnati Bengals
Introduction
The Bengals researcher conducted a one-on-one interview with a college student who is a
member of the client’s target audience. The interview gave the team insight into a Bengals fan’s
opinions and preferences regarding social media accounts, content and the team competition.
Overview of the Interview
Purpose of the Interview

The purpose of the interview was to collect qualitive data from a member of the Cincinnati
Bengals’ target audience to gain an understanding of who the Bengals’ audience is and their
reasoning, opinions, motivations, and social media interests pertaining to the the Bengals. This
primary research method was conducted to reveal the “voice of the customer” and understand in-
depth their perspective of the organization.
Methodology
The Cincinnati Bengals research team recruited a participant who was familiar with the Bengals
franchise and identified themselves as a fan. The participant was contacted one week prior to the
interview and was asked if they would be willing to participate in the research. One day before
the scheduled interview, the participant was sent the list of interview questions to prepare and
become familiar with the information that was going to be discussed. The participant provided
verbal consent for the interview and the recording at the start of the interview.
The interview was conducted via phone call on October 18, 2022 and lasted 26 minutes. The
interview was conducted in a conversational way, in order to give the participant a comfortable
space to share his thoughts. The questions addressed topics such as the participant’s motivation
for being a fan, the Bengals social media platforms and communications tactics, the different
types of published posts, reasoning for interaction with posts and team performance in relation to
fan reaction and social media interaction. The interview was transcribed through Rev.com, a
speech-to-text service, and was edited by hand by the researcher.
Participant Background
The participant was a 23-year-old college student at Ohio University studying sports
management and minoring in analytics. He was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He
considers himself a Bengals fan and has had season tickets to the Bengals’ games since he was a
child. He follows the official Bengals’ Instagram and Twitter accounts and has push notifications
turned on for Twitter. He does not follow the Bengals competitor identified in the
communications audit but does follow a few other NFL teams on social media, as well as the

NFL’s official account. He also follows beat writers and other Bengals-related accounts on
Twitter. He stays up to date on the team’s performance, player information, as well as other NFL
news.
Key Observations
• Twitter is a preferred social media platform for fans since updates are more frequent and
informative.
• Team performance affects fan interaction with social media posts.
• The team’s player-related content is viewed positively by fans.
Themes and Notable Quotations
Theme #1: Twitter is a preferred social media platform for fans that want to stay updated more
frequently.
Twitter was found as the participant’s most preferred social media platform for following the
Bengals. When asked about what official Bengals social media accounts the participant followed,
the participant specifically said:
• “Twitter is definitely my main source.”

• “I have their Twitter notifications on actually.”
• “I follow some beat writers and some other fans that tweet about the Bengals that I don't
believe I follow All Bengals off the top of my head. I know I follow James, directly.”
The participant also shared that his friends rely on Twitter for their updates as well:
• “It's definitely Twitter. I think Twitter's the best spot to get that kind of information. Just
like, I don't know if the beat writers post on their Instagram, I barely even get on
Instagram anymore. I find it annoying. It's just like, it's posting people I don't follow and
ads every other post. I hardly ever get on there. But the beat writers wouldn't be posting
updates as much as they will on Twitter.”
• “I think it's more like the game goes on commercial break, okay, let's check it. Let's see
how everyone feeling right now. Maybe someone in the press box has got some
observation that we couldn't see on TV and they can just tweet it out real quick. So, I
think that's kind of where everybody goes.”
Little annoyed the participant about the content that the Bengals share. He said:
• “I've got a couple other notifications on from other accounts and honestly I kind of get
upset if it's not theirs that pop up on my phone. I get excited to see their reports,
especially during the season. During off season sometimes yeah, they can get annoying,
especially when it's just a post that they have to make for a sponsorship or partner
contract. But when it's in season I anticipate and I look forward to their updates.”
Theme #2: The Cincinnati Bengal’s performance on the field affects a fans interaction with
their social media accounts.

The participant shared that he avoids all Bengals content following a game that the team loses.
When asked if he gets upset after the team loses, he said yes. He also said that for this reason, he
avoids following them on TikTok:
• “I kind of try and keep sports off of TikTok because when the Bengals lose and I'm upset
I'll go to TikTok to clear my mind from that. I do try and keep the sports separated from
that one.”
Theme #3: Fans value the Bengals player specific content.

The Bengals share a variety of content to their social media accounts. However, what the
Bengals capitalize on within their social media accounts is the team culture and players
specifically. The accounts will share mic’d up clips in which players practice or play with
microphones on, post behind-the-scenes interviews, in addition to other content that showcases
players’ demeanors off of the field. The participant in the interview highlighted this type of
content and when asked about what his favorite type of posts, he shared:
• “The players, I love it. We've got some exciting young guys in there. So anytime they
post content of Ja’Marr, or Joe, or Tee, or the entire defense it's just fun to see. It's fun to
see the hype and the buzz around that and them playing well. When you consider some of
the past talent we've had, it's just a different type of excitement that franchise hasn't
experienced in my lifetime.”
Limitations of the Study
The interview was conducted over the phone which may have lessened the connection between
the interviewer and interviewee compared to if the interview would have been in person. Not
only this, but conducting the meeting over the phone prevents the interviewer from viewing non-
verbal behaviors and body language. In addition, the semi-structed approach of the interview
may have left some room for information to be left out and focus to be confused in some
instances.
Future Research
The topics discussed during this interview will be further analyzed through a survey intended to
be sent out to a larger variety of the target audience. The research team will continue to examine
the Bengals social media content, influencer impact, audience interaction, and competitor
activity to understand and further analyze the Bengals communicative approach with their
targeted publics.

Survey Report

Survey Report
Cincinnati Bengals
Overview
The Cincinnati Bengals’ researcher conducted a survey targeting the Bengals’ target audience to
better understand their perceptions of the teams’ communicative strategy on social media.
Following the data gathered from the interview, the survey questions attempted to discover if
other Bengals’ fans shared similar opinions. Ultimately, the survey sought to assess the
perspectives and preferences of Bengal’s fans regarding the teams’ social media presence.
Methodology
The survey, comprised of 23 questions including the introduction, was designed, and published
using the survey software, Qualtrics. In addition, the researcher used skip logic within the survey
in order to customize the participants’ experience, making specific questions visible only to
participants that possessed sufficient knowledge to answer them accurately. The final two
questions collected basic demographic information from each participant, however, names of
participants were not disclosed to the researcher. Overall, the survey took approximately five to
ten minutes to complete.
Target Population
To fully participate in this survey, individuals had to identify as both a fan of the NFL and of the
Cincinnati Bengals. If individuals were neither a fan of the NFL or of the Cincinnati Bengals,
they were asked whether they follow specific Bengals’ players on social media accounts before
being directed to the end of the survey.
Development and Distribution Method
The primary purpose of this survey sought to understand which social media platform Bengals’
fans prefer as a source of information, what fans think of the Bengals’ social media
communications, and if they follow specific Bengals’ players. The beginning of the survey (Q1 –
Q3) asked participants about their interest in the NFL as well as the Cincinnati Bengals. The
following portion of the survey (Q4 – Q10) aimed at understanding a Bengals fan opinion on the
team’s communication on social media. The researcher also included questions to understand fan
engagement and how team performance can affect this engagement rate (Q11 – Q14). The next
portion of the survey (Q15 – Q17) asked participants about their favorite type of content as well
as if they follow two of the most prominent players, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. In the last

section before the demographic questions, the survey asked about what other NFL teams the
participant currently follows on social media (Q18 – Q20).
The survey was active from Oct. 27 to Nov. 8 and was distributed across various platforms
including Facebook and Twitter. The post on Twitter was the most successful form of
distribution, earning 27,014 impressions and 2,015 engagements. In addition, the tweet was
reposted by James Rapien, writer for All Bengals on Sports Illustrated, and Stripe Hype, a
Cincinnati Bengals’ news source, both of which have a significant following.
Participant Demographics
Overall, the survey yielded 437 total responses yet only 408 of the participants met the inclusion
criteria (identified as an NFL and Bengals fan). In addition, due to the skip logic Qualtrics
feature, some of the questions referring to specific Bengals’ social media platforms received
fewer responses.
Most participants were between 25 and 34 (29%) followed by 25% of participants being between
35 and 44 years old. Regarding location, 46% of participants selected Ohio when asked which
state they reside in.
Key Findings
Cincinnati Bengals’ Communication on Social Media

The chart below shows data from a question that asked which official Cincinnati Bengals’
accounts participants followed. Participants were able to select one or more of the options below.
Out of the given options, Twitter was the most selected, representing 35.13% of the sample.
Following close behind, 22.67% of participants selected Instagram. Participants were asked to
fill out a text box for the “Other” option if it was selected with the most common responses being
the Bengals’ team app (see Figure 2).

Figure 28: Chart representing which Cincinnati Bengals' social media platforms the sample follows.
Snapchat. Don’t have TT, IG, or FB

LinkedIn
WhatsApp
LinkedIn
Teams App
Website
Spotify
Team App
Snapchat
Bengals App
I also keep open tabs of several websites dedicated to Bengals coverage
Bleacher Report
Cincy Jungle
Their app
App
Reddit
Reddit
Figure 2: Chart representing what participants filled out in the given text box when ‘Other’ option was selected.

When asked what participants main source of Bengals’ related news/information was, 351
participants selected Twitter (87.53%). Instagram was the second most popular, with 22
participants selecting it (5.9%). The 11 participants (2.7%) who selected “Other” were asked to
fill out a text box indicating their choice not seen in the given options (see Figure 8).
TV/Radio
Team App
Podcast
Local News
Instagram and Twitter
ESPN
CincinnatiBengals.com
Bengals.com
Bengals App
Figure 8: ‘Other’ selected text entries
Figure 7: Bar graph showing participants preferred source of information
Facebook
For those who follow the Bengals on Facebook (n = 191), most considered the communication
positively with 35% and 43% respectively somewhat agreeing and strongly agreeing that the
Bengals communicate well on Facebook (see Figure 3). Only 6% of those asked disagreed in
some degree that the Bengals communicated well on Facebook.
Figure 3: Chart representing Facebook user opinions
Instagram

For those who follow the Bengals on Instagram (n = 246), most participants agreed somewhat
(34%) and strongly (49%) that the Bengals communicate well on Instagram (see Figure 4). Once
again, only 6% of participants disagreed with the sentiment to some degree.
Figure 4: Chart representing Instagram user opinions
TikTok
For those who follow the Bengals on TikTok (n = 99), most participants agreed somewhat (39%)
and strongly (24%) that the Bengals communicate well on TikTok (see Figure 5). Compared to
Facebook and Twitter, more participants reported some degree of disagreement (12%) to the
statement that the Bengals communicate well on this platform. However, it should be noted that
this platform is the least followed by participants, in general.
Figure 5: Chart representing TikTok user opinions
Twitter
For those who follow the Bengals on Twitter (n = 385), most participants strongly agreed (70%)
that the Bengals communicate well on Twitter, followed by somewhat agreement (22%) (see

Figure 6). Twitter was the most social media account by participants and only 6% disagreed that
the Bengals communicate well on this platform.
Figure 6: Chart representing Twitter user opinions
Fan Engagement
When asked how often a participant engages with a social media post, 134 participants selected
“Most of the time” (34.3%), 87 selected “Sometimes” (22.3%), and 82 selected “Always” (21%).
Figure 9: Bar graph showing how often participants engage with Bengals' social media posts

Participants were asked when they were most likely to engage with a Bengals’ social media post:
during a game, after a loss, or after a win. Most participants (72%) said they were most likely to
engage with a Bengal’s post after a win, followed by during a game (21%).
Figure 10: Chart showing when a participant is most likely to engage with a post
Fan Interest in Other NFL Teams

When asked if the sample followed other NFL teams, 68% (or 284) participants did not whereas
32% (or 135) did. The most popular team followed besides the Cincinnati Bengals was the
Buffalo Bills (7%).
Figure 11: Chart showing whether or not participants followed other NFL teams
Summary of Findings
Overall, the survey responses gave the researcher insightful information regarding fan
perceptions of the Cincinnati Bengals’ presence on social media. By conducting the survey, the
researcher found that most Bengals’ fans not only follow the official Bengals’ Twitter account
but also rely on it as their main source of news/information regarding the team. Moreover, the
Bengals’ communication on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter received an overall
positive sentiment from fans. The researcher also found that team performance does correlate
with engagement on posts. Social media posts made by the Bengals are more likely to be
engaged with by fans after a win, rather than after a loss. In addition, the researcher found that
most Bengals’ fans don’t follow other NFL teams’ social media pages.

Limitations of the Study
The survey was shared on both Facebook and Twitter, not only by the researcher, but reposted by
other users. While the post asked only for participants within the target audience, it cannot be
guaranteed that only people within this population completed it. In addition, due to the lack of
control of the research team, there is also no way to tell whether a participant took it more than
one time.
Regarding the survey software, Qualtrics, there were two questions that went unanswered (Q12
and Q16) due to display logic errors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the researcher discovered valuable information from the Cincinnati Bengals’
target audience that builds on the information discovered in the interview. From gaining insight
of Bengals’ fans opinions, the researcher answered the outlined research questions, as well as
found opportunities for the Bengals’ to continue receiving positive feedback from their target
audience.

Target Audience Report

Target Audience Report
Cincinnati Bengals
Introduction
This report will determine the Cincinnati Bengals’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats as it relates to their communication strategies. The researcher will also identify the
Bengals’ primary and secondary stakeholders, influencers, target audience as well as two
example personas with traits and behaviors synonymous to those of the Cincinnati Bengals’
target audience.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
• Cincinnati Bengal’s new voice on social • Lack of engagement with fans on social
media media
• Social media posts create connections • High frequency of posts
between players and fans
• Content variety
• Timeliness of information
Opportunities Threats
• Fan interest in player personalities • Competitors have a high following
• Player popularity and influence • Fan loyalty
• Growing fan base • Team performance is directly correlated
to engagement
Strengths
Cincinnati Bengals’ New Voice on Social Media
The Cincinnati Bengals’ current social media strategy has been developed by a new team aiming
to connect Bengals’ players with their fans. Elizabeth Blackburn, director of strategy and
engagement and granddaughter of Bengals’ owner, worked with the director of communications
Emily Parker to create a new position to enhance their outreach on social media. They recruited
Seth Tanner from a successful engagement and game presentation team with the Kansas City
Chiefs to take over the new position, director of content (Dehner Jr., 2021). By reorganizing,

adding, and refocusing their human resources, they put together a group more on par with those
across professional sports (Dehner Jr., 2021). Boosted by the arrival of quarterback Joe Burrow,
the Bengals had the third-highest engagement rate of all NFL teams on social media and the
highest growth in 2021 (Dehner Jr., 2021). Their total engagements grew more than every team
except Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay and the total audience grew more than every non-
playoff team (Dehner Jr., 2021). The Bengals have created an online personality that has
resonated, and fans are noticing (Dehner Jr., 2021).
Posts Create Connections Between Players and Fans

At the core of the Cincinnati Bengals’ social media content is the motive to allow the fans to
connect with the players. Many of the posts published by the Bengals showcase player
personalities, encouraging parasocial bonds between followers and the players that may extend
into the real-world, such as by cheering players on at games. For some fans, this type of content
is favored (Sheerin, Bengals Interview Report, 2022) The accounts will share videos of the
players mic’d up during games and videos of the team walking to practice stopped by a sign that
prompts them to either answer a question or carryout a specific action. Videos will ask players to
answer a question about their teammates, share what their go-to touchdown celebration is, or
prompt them to engage in some other entertaining activity. Other content includes locker room
interviews, or other behind-the-scenes footage that fans never had the opportunity to see before
(Sheerin, Bengals Communication Audit, 2022). In all, content includes videos that capture the
essence of a player’s personality, or the team’s dynamic.
Content Variety
The Bengals post a variety of content to each of their social media pages, allowing for
information to be shared with followers in different ways. Content on Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube tends to be more informative, whereas the TikTok account is just for entertainment.
The Bengals’ Instagram account falls between two categories: serving to entertain and inform.
Still, a lot of the content is recycled amongst Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Instagram just
doesn’t share the informative posts that both Facebook and Twitter do (i.e. the press releases,
news conferences, and article links) (Sheerin, Bengals Communication Audit, 2022). The team
shares a combination of live photos or videos of games, or players and graphics, across each of
their platforms in order to inform, entertain and maintain an aesthetic appeal.
Timeliness of Information
The Cincinnati Bengals are very diligent about updating fans quickly regarding information
pertaining to the team. Updates regarding game performance and stats, player injury or recovery,
or any other topic in relation to the franchise are made frequently on their platforms. Most fans
rely on Twitter for Bengals’ related news and information (Sheerin, Bengals Survey Report,
2022). Further, fans prefer the Bengals’ Twitter account to get quick information more
frequently, especially during games (Sheerin, Bengals Interview Report, 2022).
Weaknesses
Lack of Engagement with Fans on Social Media
The Cincinnati Bengals’ social media accounts never publicly interact with their followers on
any of their social media pages. Fans will often leave comments under posts or reply to tweets
but will never receive interaction on behalf of the Bengals’ account. Indeed, there are an

abundance of followers on each platform so interacting may be difficult, however even if the
account did it occasionally, it would likely entice fans to continue to engage with the account.
High Frequency of Posts

The Bengals post to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at least once a day. Most days, the
Cincinnati Bengals will share a few posts each day to each of their accounts, but on game days
they publish significantly more posts (Sheerin, JMC 436 Memo 5, 2022). While their frequent
updates are appreciated by fans, the abundance of posts may cause some to go unnoticed or even
annoy followers. Further, during off season, the high amount of posting is cause for annoyance
on behalf of some fans (Sheerin, Bengals Interview Report, 2022).
Opportunities
Fan Interest in Player Personalities
Cincinnati Bengals’ fans have an interest in getting to know the players they see on the field.
Based on an interview conducted with a Bengals fan, the researcher found the content shared
displaying player personalities was favored (Sheerin, Bengals Interview Report, 2022).
Player Popularity and Influence

According to a communications audit done by the researcher, the Cincinnati Bengals have three
players who double as influencers. Two Bengals players, Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow are
respectively ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the list of the top 50 NFL social media influencers (NFL
Players Association, 2022). Posts shared of these players, specifically of Burrow were most
frequently engaged with during a ten-week evaluation period, Sept. 5, 2022 through Nov. 13,
2022 (Sheerin, JMC 436 Memo 5, 2022). In addition, Joe Burrow is credited for saving the
Cincinnati Bengals’ franchise and fans admire him for it (Sheerin, Bengals Interview Report,
2022).
Growing Fan Base

Due to the Bengals’ performance and recently added players, their fan base has been growing.
The team hasn’t had the most successful history, so their newfound dynamic has intrigued new
fans (Daugherty, 2022). The researcher found that in addition to the proximity of the Bengals’
who attract fans in Ohio, their new star players including Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase brought
fans from the south being they came from LSU (Sheerin, Bengals Backgrounder, 2022). This
growing fan base gives the communication team more opportunity to expand their messaging.
Threats
Competitors Have a Large Following
The Bengals’ most significant threat is their competition, specifically the Cleveland Browns.
Being that both teams come from the same state and have very similar roots, it is a challenge for
the Bengals to set themselves apart. Across all platforms excluding TikTok, the Cleveland
Browns have a larger following than the Bengals (Sheerin, Bengals Communication Audit,
2022). The Cincinnati Bengals’ social media following, in this case, is a threat as it limits their
ability to reach as many people that the Browns can connect with.
Fan Loyalty

Though the survey conducted by the researcher found that most Cincinnati Bengals’ fans have
been fans for longer than nine years, there are fans that are newer due to the improvement in
team performance (Sheerin, Bengals Survey Report, 2022). Unfortunately, the Bengals, like most
sports teams, are limited by their record in fan satisfaction (Dehner Jr., 2021). This can threaten
the Bengals’ following if people aren’t willing to stay loyal through the rough times.
Team Performance Directly Correlated to Engagement

The Cincinnati Bengals’ performance on the field goes hand-in-hand with communication with
fans via social media. The researcher discovered that Bengals’ fans are more likely to interact
with social media posts if the Bengals win rather than if they lose (Sheerin, Bengals Survey
Report, 2022). A Bengals survey conducted by the researcher found that 72% of Bengals are
more likely to engage with a post after the team wins.
Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholders of the Cincinnati Bengals are those who are directly affected by the company or
have a significant share in its success. The Cincinnati Bengals stakeholders include, but are
certainly not limited to, players, employees, Bengals’ fans, as well as advertisers and sponsors.
Primary
A major portion of the Cincinnati Bengals’ stakeholders are the employees. Within a sports
franchise, there are several different departments with several positions designed to ensure a
smooth operation. Employees include office and administrative staff as well as Bengals’ players
and coaches, among others across numerous departments. While all employees for the Bengals
are significant, this report will focus on specific positions essential to their operation. The
Cincinnati Bengals’ franchise is led by owner and president, Mike Brown and under him is
executive vice president Katie Blackburn (Cincinnati Bengals, 2022). According to the official
Cincinnati Bengals’ website, there are 101 office and administrative employees including the
higher-ups.8 This team works across several departments headquartered at Paycor Stadium in
Cincinnati, Ohio. According to Salary.com, the Cincinnati Bengals pay an average salary of
$102,420, however, individual salaries will vary depending on the job, department and individual
skills and education of each employee (Salary.com, 2022). The range of work for the Bengals’
office staff includes but is not limited to, fiscal matters, communication, player or coaching
relations, game production, etc. The best way to communicate with front office staff is by email
(Webmaster@Bengals.nfl.net). Specific team members can also be reached through social
platforms such as Twitter or LinkedIn.
In addition to the staff working off the field, the Cincinnati Bengals’ coaches and players are
included in the major portion of employee stakeholders. Including head coach Zac Taylor, the
Bengals’ have 21 coaching positions across four different football-position specialties
(Cincinnati Bengals, 2022). The Bengals have the least-diverse staff in the NFL, with non-white
coaches making up 24% of Zac Taylor’s staff. Further, the coaching staff has more than three
8
The Cincinnati Bengals executive board is not exclusively identified on their website, however, positions within
the ‘Bengals Front Office Staff’ section of their website include high level positions such as the president, vice
president and chief officers.

times as many white coaches (16) as non-white (5) (Daniels, 2022). On average, the coaching
staff has eight years of experience in their respective position specialties (Cincinnati Bengals,
2022). While the overall average salary for coaches is not disclosed, the researcher found that the
Bengals’ head coach signed a contract with the Bengals for $4.5 million per season (Reardon,
2022). In addition to the coaching staff, the Bengals also have a 53-man depth chart, which is
their active roster for the season. In addition to these players, they also have players on injury
reserve as well as the practice squad. As of 2021, the average age on the Bengals’ is 25.04,
making them the 12th-youngest team in the NFL (Manchester, 2021). Bengals’ players are
typically upper-to-middle class, as top player contracts total in multimillion dollars. For the 2021
season, Bengals’ player payroll was $194.3 million, and their highest paid athlete collected $20.4
million in salary and bonus before taxes (Knight, 2022). This portion of stakeholders can be
communicated with via phone or email if the communication team needs to reach them. Though
the administrative staff ensures operations are running smoothly, the coaches and players’
positions are ultimately what attract the fans, the next most important stakeholder.
Following those employed by the Bengals, the second-largest stakeholder are the fans. Cincinnati
Bengals’ fans are significant as they are the driving force of Bengals’ employee efforts. Further,
fans are one of the most significant pieces of a sports franchise because they’re the reason why
the players, coaches and staff make money. Geographically, the Bengals’ audience is at home in
Cincinnati, Ohio as well as in neighboring states such as Indiana and Kentucky (Rogers, 2014).
Cincinnati’s fans include sports fans who enjoy American football and are mostly men, ages 35 -
44 (Audience Dstillery, 2022). This portion of stakeholders can easily be communicated to
through social media, press releases and email newsletters.
Secondary
Another important stakeholder for the Cincinnati Bengals is their sponsors and partners. The
Bengals key partners are Anheuser-Busch InBev, Geico, McDonalds, PepsiCo, Molson, Coors,
Fifth Third Bank, and Tide (Jones, 2022). In addition, the Bengals stadium formerly known as
Paul Brown Stadium was renamed Paycor Stadium after the team agreed to a 16-year deal on the
naming rights. According to Bengal’s owner Mike Brown, the name deal is important because
the Bengals are a “small-market team,” who need consistent revenue streams (Conway &
Coolidge, 2022). Moreover, deals like this help to increase the franchise’s value and maintain big
names on the roster like Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Overall, sponsorships allow brands to
benefit from increased brand awareness, financial boosts, and better positioning within a specific
market.
Influencers
Regardless of the industry in which a company exists, influencers are important for expanding
the outreach. As a sports franchise, the Cincinnati Bengals have influencers across several
platforms including traditional and social media in various positions such as reporters, podcast
hosts and players.
Twitter is home to several influencers that have an impact on the Cincinnati Bengals. An
important influencer for the Cincinnati Bengals is Marissa Contipelli, the Bengals’ official team
reporter. Contipelli is most prominent on Twitter (@BengalsMarisa), where she has 28,000

followers and retweets most of the Bengal’s posts. She also posts updates during games, before
games, and on all other team related news. Contipelli is also featured on the teams YouTube
hosting the “Contipelli’s Countdown” series, in which she breaks down the top five storylines as
the Bengals head into upcoming games (Sheerin, Bengals Communication Audit, 2022). In
addition to an official Bengals’ staff member, fans too, have a great influence in expanding
outreach. Bengal Jim Foster, most known as @bengaljims_BTR on Twitter, was the Cincinnati
Bengals’ 2021 Fan of the Year. The active Twitter user has 47,700 followers on Twitter and
posts daily Bengals’ content. He has been a season ticket holder since the 1990s and is
considered an expert in fandom in relation to the Cincinnati Bengals.
In addition, according to the NFLPA, two Bengals players, Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow, are
respectively ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the list of the top 50 NFL social media influencers. Also
on this list, ranked No. 48 is Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (NFL Players Association,
2022). These three players are most prominent on Instagram, Chase currently has 1.1 million
followers, Burrow has three million, and Higgins has 328,000 (Sheerin, Bengals Communication
Audit, 2022). Being that fans long for a connection to the players, their influence on social media
is significant because it gives fans the opportunity to understand the players off the field.
Audience Analysis
As a sports team, the Cincinnati Bengals’ target audience consists mainly of sports fans who
enjoy watching American football. Their target audience specifically consists of people ages 25-
44 who reside in Ohio. In addition, a survey of Bengals’ fans found most have been loyal to the
team for over 10 years (Sheerin, Bengals Survey Report, 2022). Because most of their audience
spans across several generations, the Bengals leverage several communicative platforms to
ensure all fans are getting team related information. However, during an interview with a
member of the Cincinnati Bengals’ target audience, the interviewee mentioned that Twitter was a
favored platform for receiving Bengals related news and information (Sheerin, Bengals Interview
Report, 2022). The researcher conducted a survey of 408 Bengals’ fans to further investigate the
Bengals’ communication strategies, and in it, Twitter was also identified as the preferred app for
Bengals news (Sheerin, Bengals Survey Report, 2022).
Though most fans have been around for more than a decade, it is important to note the growing
fan base of the team. According to new research, the Cincinnati Bengals have by far the fastest
growing fan base. A recent study shows that the team’s following on Instagram has nearly
doubled over the last year (Makdook, 2022). The Bengals total following increased 94.68% in
the last year, in part due to their improved performance (Makdook, 2022).

Audience Personas
Max Matthews, 25
Athens, Ohio
Max is 25 years old and currently resides in Athens, Ohio. Currently, Max is a full-time master’s
student at Ohio University. Max was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and lived there up until
he moved to Athens to attend Ohio University. Max grew up a season ticket holder and even
though he resides in Athens, he still makes his way home to Cincinnati every time the team plays
at home. Max and his family are proud Bengals’ fans and enjoy the new and improved team.
Even through all the years of loss Max stayed loyal to the Bengals and continues to rep Bengal
orange and black. His favorite players right now are Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Max and his
friends are mostly Bengals’ fans, however, he does have a couple friends who prefer the Browns.
Max hates the Browns, Steelers and Ravens, but enjoys watching other NFL teams play, and he
even follows a couple other teams on social media. Max relies mostly on Twitter for Bengals-
related news, and even has post notifications on for the official Bengals account. His Twitter
feed is mostly Bengals and football related tweets, as he follows several beat writers and
influential voices in relation to the team.

Steve Smith, 42
Cincinnati, Ohio
Steve is 43 years old and currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Steve is a Certified Public
Accountant who works for a technology company. Steve graduated from the University of
Cincinnati in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in business. As a Cincinnati native, Steve is not only
a Bengals’ fan by heart, but also a big Reds fan. Steve tries to go to at least one home game
every year. Even on the days he doesn’t go, he tries to go spend gamedays in downtown
Cincinnati to really feel the gameday energy. Through the many trials and tribulations, Steve has
stayed loyal to the team for his entire life but definitely enjoys watching the team now with all
the young talent. Steve gets most of his information from the Bengals app and website, but
recently downloaded Twitter to follow the Bengals because his son told him they post a lot of
entertaining videos of the team.
Summary
Overall, the Bengals’ effectively leverage their social media platforms in order to engage and
inform their target audience. Because their target audience spans Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X,
their use of several communicative strategies is well structured. Though their most followed
communication channel is Twitter, they consistently post information across all platforms. By
using several social media platforms that appeal to different age groups in addition to traditional
media, the Bengals’ can effectively reach all of their fans. The Bengals’ revitalized social media
accounts in conjunction with their growing fan base allows for the team to attract and maintain

new and existing fans. Moreover, regardless of what the accounts post, their engagement rates
are directly correlated with the teams’ performance on the field. Still, the Bengals are ahead of
their competitor in engagement on social media. Moving forward, interacting with fans may
boost the teams’ overall engagement, even on days when the team plays poorly.

Final Bi-Weekly Report

Memo
Cassandra Sheerin Consulting, for the Cincinnati Bengals
To: Emily Parker, Director of Communications, Cincinnati Bengals
From: Cassandra Sheerin; CEO
CC: Katie Blackburn, Executive Vice President, Cincinnati Bengals
Date: November 14, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for October 31 – November 13, 2022
Overview
For the time period of October 31 – November 13, 2022, the researcher evaluated the quantity
and quality of the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram posts. There was a total of 57 posts uploaded
over the duration of the two weeks, a 5% decrease from the previous time period. Similar to the
first four evaluated time periods, most days, the Cincinnati Bengals posted one to four times, and
days when the team competed consisted of significantly more posts.
Cincinnati Bengals Instagram Account9

As of November 14, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals official Instagram account had 1,231,599
million followers, a 0.4% increase in follower count from the previous evaluated time period.
Between October 31 – November 13, 2022, the account posted 57 times and accumulated
1,931,828 likes, 10,564 comments and 9,878,045 views on reels.
The post that earned the most likes was a video shared by both the NFL and the Bengals of
Bengals’ players doing snow angels in the endzone following a Bengals’ touchdown. The post
was captioned, “It’s 70 degrees in Cincinnati today, but who cares?!,” and received 313,439 likes
and had 776 comments. This post also received 2,855,956 views, the highest number of views on
a given post within this time period.
Instagram activity for the evaluation period of October 31 and November 13, 2022, is as follows:
9
@bengals on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bengals/

Bi-Weekly Followers
1,219,341 1,226,181 1,231,599
1,250,000
1,200,000
1,200,000
1,150,000
1,100,000
1,100,000
1,050,000
1,000,000
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The graph above showcases the Bengals follower count as of November 14, 2022, which is
1,231,599, a 0.4% increase from the last bi-weekly report’s follower count.
Number of Posts
80 74
70 64
60 54 60 57
50
40
30
20
10
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
During the two-week period, the official Bengals account posted 57 times, a 5% decrease from
the last report. The account posted at least once a day throughout the time period, however on the
two days the team competed, the account posted a significantly higher amount.
On October 31, the first gameday within the period, which the team lost, the account published
nine posts. On November 6, the second gameday within the period, which the team won, the
account published 21 posts. It is important to highlight the teams’ performance in relation to the
accounts’ posts as the two are directly related, as data has shown in previous memos.

Bi-Weekly Post Likes
10/31/22 - 11/13/22 1,931,828
10/17/22 - 10/30/22 2,844,637
10/3/22 - 10/16/22 2,427,832
9/19/22 - 10/2/22 2,865,302
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 1,614,563
0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000
Between October 31 and November 13, 2022, the account accumulated 1,931,828 likes, a 32.1%
decrease from the previous bi-weekly report. On average, the account received 33,892 likes per
post.
Bi-Weekly Comments on Posts

20,000 18,073
16,062
14,254
15,000
11,548 10,564
10,000
5,000
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account received a total of 10,564 comments within the two-week period, an 8.5% decrease
from the previous bi-weekly report. The average number of comments per post was 185 within
this time period.

Bi-Weekly Reel Views
25,000,000
20,196,360
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,378,492 9,432,814 9,878,045
10,000,000 7,278,543
5,000,000
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/2210/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account posted a total of 27 reels between October 31 and November 13, and accumulated
9,878,045 views, a 51% decrease from the last bi-weekly report. During this time period, reels
earned an average of 365,854 per post views, a 45.7% decrease in average views per post from
the last two-week period.
Type of Media (10/31/22 - 11/13/22)
26%
48%
26%
Photo Carousel Reel
As noted previously, the Bengals posted 57 times over the course of the two-weeks, 15 of which
as single photos, 15 as photo carousels featuring two or more slides, and 27 as reels.

Type of Media (Cumulative)
Updated 11/14/22
33%
45%
22%
Photo Carousel Reel
This graph showcases the cumulative type of media posted on the Bengals Instagram account
since the first evaluated time period, September 5 – September 18, 2022. The same conclusion
drawn from the last report stands, reels are the type of media most shared by the Bengals and
consist of videos during games, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and other content that
entertain followers.

Conclusion
After five consecutive evaluation periods over the course of ten weeks, the researcher observed a
significant amount of data regarding the Cincinnati Bengals’ official Instagram account. The
following paragraphs will address the findings discovered from the posts, likes, views, and
comments.
Over the course of the five bi-weekly evaluation periods, the researcher discovered that though
the account posts at least once a day, the days in which the team competes result in a
significantly higher number of posts. Further, the researcher found that on the days in which the
Bengals win, the number of posts is higher than on gamedays when the team loses. That being
said, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Instagram content posted on gamedays is likely directly correlated
to the teams’ performance. The following chart showcases this data observed throughout the ten-
week period in which losses consistently resulted in fewer posts published on Instagram than on
gamedays resulting in wins.
Memo Date Game Result Score Number of Instagram Posts

Memo 1 September 11, 2022 vs Pittsburgh Steelers Loss 23 – 20 14
September 18, 2022 @ Dallas Cowboys Loss 20 – 17 10
Memo 2 September 25, 2022 @ New York Jets Win 27 – 12 18
September 29, 2022 vs Miami Dolphins Win 27 – 15 21
Memo 3 October 9, 2022 @ Baltimore Ravens Loss 19 – 17 10
October 16, 2022 @ New Orleans Saints Win 30 – 26 21
Memo 4 October 23, 2022 vs Atlanta Win 35 – 17 22
October 31, 2022 @ Cleveland Loss 32 – 13 9
Memo 5 November 6, 2022 vs Carolina Win 42 – 21 21
November 13, 2022 BYE N/A N/A 0
In addition to observing this connection, the researcher also found a pattern of content published
on the Bengals’ Instagram account. Since the Bengals have started their season, there is a set of
certain types of posts that are shared each week, but customized weekly based off of who the
team is playing and where they are competing. Each game week, the account will post a graphic
of the following game’s uniform combination, a carousel of the team at practice and an album-
cover-like image with graphics representing the Bengals and their upcoming opponent. In
addition to these posts, when the Bengals play at home, the account shares an aerial view photo
of Paycor Stadium one day before the game, and for away games, they share a carousel of the
team in their travel outfits getting on or off the plane. On gamedays, the account posts a carousel
and a reel of the players entering the stadium in their pregame outfits, photos of the team’s
pregame warm-up both in practice gear and in their uniforms, in addition to live footage
published throughout the duration of the game. This pattern has followed consistently each week
with additional miscellaneous content the account publishes.
Overall, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Instagram following consistently grew throughout the ten-week
period. The posts that received the most engagement were most often the posts shared in
conjunction with the NFL Instagram account. A likely contributor to this increase in engagement
is that these posts had the ability to appear on the feeds of the Bengals’ 1,231,599 followers, in
addition to the NFL’s 25,776,253 followers. However, posts that were shared only on the
Bengals’ account received high engagement when the subject of the post was Bengals’
quarterback Joe Burrow. For example, in the second evaluated time period (Memo 2), the post

that had the most likes, views, and comments was of Burrow. The same data is observed in
Memo 3 for overall number of likes and comments.
Recommendations
Overall, the researcher found very little weaknesses regarding the Bengals’ Instagram content in
need of change. The researcher feels that the Bengals’ Instagram keeps their followers informed
with aesthetically pleasing and entertaining content. However, the researcher does believe that on
days when the Bengals aren’t competing, it is unnecessary to post a high number of times.
Further, the account will publish one post one day, but the next day five or more posts may be
shared, meaning the number of posts per day is extremely inconsistent throughout the week.
Keeping fans informed and entertained is important, but the high number of posts on certain days
when the Bengals aren’t competing can cause posts to be overlooked or annoying. The
researcher recommends that the Bengals continue with their content but organize the scheduling
of the posts in a way so that there is a consistently low number (two or three) every day
throughout the week on non-competition days. For example, instead of posting five posts one
day and one the next, spread them out, if possible, to ensure no information is missed by fans.

Conclusion

Conclusion
The Cincinnati Bengals’ communication strategy has proven to be successful, but this report
sought to understand how. Completion of this research not only answered the research questions
outlining this report, but also led to a couple other key findings identified below.
The first key finding discovered from the research is that the Bengals do get more engagement
on social media in comparison to their main competitor, the Cleveland Browns. Primary research
collected from the communications audit led the researcher to understand that the Browns have
more followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but the Bengals have a higher engagement
rate than the Browns on across all platforms.
A second key finding was that Twitter is the preferred social media platform on behalf of fans.
The interviewee mentioned that Twitter was his favored source of most Bengals related
information, and the survey further solidified this opinion being that 87.5% of the participants
said that Twitter was their main source of Bengals related news.
Another key finding from this research is that Bengals’ engagement on behalf of fans is directly
correlated with team performance. Primary research conducted through the interview led the
researcher to understand that a member of the Bengals’ target audience will likely avoid
Bengals’ social media content following a loss. Further, the survey indicated that 72% of the
sample was more likely to engage with a Bengals’ social media post following a win rather than
a loss.
In addition, secondary research collected through the bi-weekly memo reports led the researcher
to find that Instagram content posted on gamedays is directly correlated to the teams’
performance. Though the account posts at least once a day, the days in which the team competes
result in a significantly higher number of posts. Further, the researcher found that on the days in
which the Bengals win, the number of posts is higher than on gamedays when the team loses.
At the core of the Cincinnati Bengals communicative strategy via their social media platforms is
their goal to connect fans with the players they watch compete. Primary research indicated that a
member of the Bengals’ target audience, a fan, values the player-related content the accounts
share. That being said, the mission their social media presence is built upon is resonating with
their target audience.
In the future, other social media accounts could be further analyzed like Instagram was in this
report. Further, it would be interesting to understand their most preferred platform on behalf of
their target audience, Twitter. Looking deeper into this account would allow for the
communications team to understand the quantitative and qualitive data that attracts fans the most.
Another recommendation for future research could be to analyze traditional media coverage of
the Cincinnati Bengals more deeply in order to understand the coverage volume, sentiment and
messaging being shared regarding the team.

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Appendix A: Interview
Transcript

Interview Transcript
The Cincinnati Bengals research team conducted an interview with an active Bengals fan to gain
insight on a fans perspective of the Bengal’s activity on their social media platforms. On the
following pages is a transcription of the interview that was conducted.
The interview took place on October 18, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. MST.
Interviewer:
Really quick before we start, I asked for your email, because I was going to send it to you, but I
figured it'd be easy just to do it verbally. We have to get consent to not only interview you, but
also to record the interview, just so I can create a written transcript for the assignment.
Participant:
Okay. Yes.
Interviewer:
And yeah, is it okay with you that I record our interview?
Participant:
That is totally fine with me. Yes.
Interviewer:
Okay, perfect. Thank you so much. So real quick, I'll just tell you about myself, so you know
who you're talking to. But my name's Cass. I met Rylee this year, but we're both in the
Journalism and Mass Communications college at ASU and we're studying PR. We had to select a
client and research their communications and whatnot. But I'm also a Bengals fan in part. I'm a
Bengals and Saints fan just because I come from a big football family. My parents are Saints
fans, and then my brother has been a Bengals fan since he was in third grade and he's 26 now. So
we've just kind of always rooted for them, because they're a fun team to root for. But I chose to
focus on them for this class because they're super big on social media now, especially with
obviously Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase. So I wanted to do my project on them, and then obviously
Rylee connected us, but yeah, that's a little bit about me.
Participant:
Yes. Yeah, that's awesome. Are you from Louisiana?
Interviewer:
No, we are originally from Colorado. So random, I know I am all over the place. So my dad was
a Saints fan, because in the 80s they were the Aints. And fans would wear bags over their heads,
so he was an Aints fan, because he's always loved the underdog.

Participant:
Underdog's story. Right. Absolutely.
Interviewer:
So he rooted for them, and then him and my mom just kind of fell in love with the culture of
New Orleans. They used to go there all the time.
Participant:
Easy to do.
Interviewer:
Yeah. And then my brother had Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco on his fantasy football team
in middle school. So that's where that love of the Bengals stemmed from. He fell in love with
those players and then he just followed the Bengals since and he's like a diehard fan. Last year
they went to the Jacksonville game, the primetime game on Thursday night last year.
Participant:
Yeah, week four, yeah.
Interviewer:
And they were front row. They got front row tickets on the 50 yard line for $200. They were so
cheap.
Participant:
Wow. Yeah, you're not getting that anymore.
Interviewer:
No, not at all that was because I think Joe Burrow came off a season with a torn ACL.
Participant:
Yeah, right.
Interviewer:
And then we went to the playoff game against the Raiders last season when they won the first
playoff game in 31 years.
Participant:
Yeah, that environment was awesome that night.
Interviewer:
Yeah. Did you go to that game?
Participant:

I did. I was there.
Interviewer:
So you live in Ohio, but do you live in Cincinnati?
Participant:
I was born and raised in Cincinnati. I live in Athens now. I go home every home game for the
Bengals. I've had season tickets my whole life, so.
Interviewer:
Wow. That's awesome.
Participant:
Yeah, it's a lot of fun.
Interviewer:
So you've been a Bengals fan your whole life then, I'm guessing?
Participant:
Yep. Didn't have a choice.
Interviewer:
And in that case, what made you a Bengals fan?
Participant:
Yeah, yeah. I got a lot of pride in where I'm from and that's just, yeah. It’s kind of like the same
thing with your dad. The underdog story, we weren't great for many years. We had years that
were promising that ended in heartbreak. So it's just kind of a stick through it thing and it was a
pride thing for sure. But that being where I'm from, yeah, cheer for the home team.
Participant:
Yeah, definitely. That makes sense. And then how do you feel about the Browns?
Participant:
How do I feel about the Browns? I do not like the Browns. I don't like them one bit. Their fans
are obnoxious. They bark like dogs, which is really annoying. And I don't agree with a lot of
their decisions in the last six months or so. So yeah.
Interviewer:
Oh yeah. They just signed that one guy.
Participant:
Deshaun Watson.

Interviewer:
Yes.
Participant:
Just got a 26 accusations for sexual harassment slash assault. Yeah. Disgusting. Yeah.
Interviewer:
Yeah, it’s terrible. I honestly, I read about him and I didn't realize that he, because he came from
Houston, right?
Participant:
Correct, yeah.
Interviewer:
Yeah, I didn't realize that he signed with the Browns until I was doing this project. Because I'm
honestly, I come from a big football family and I play fantasy football, but I really only follow
the Bengals, the Saints. And then we have Season Cardinals tickets too, just because we live
here.
Participant:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
So I follow those three teams really. But when I found out that they signed him, I was like, why
would you do that? It doesn't make sense.
Participant:
Yeah, it's disgusting.
Interviewer:
It is. Yeah. You kind of already answered this, but really what made you like the Cincinnati
Bengals over the Browns? Because I know Rylee told me her family is just kind of split. It's just
kind of the Browns or the Bengals just because of the proximity of the teams since you are in
Ohio and they're the two NFL teams in the state teams. What was it because you were in
Cincinnati that it was just kind of a no-brainer that the Bengals were where you were from?
Participant:
Right. We don't like each other, those cities. We won't wear anything Cleveland. They won't
wear anything Cincinnati. We don't cheer for the Guardians. We don't cheer for the Browns. So
yeah, like you said, I touched up on it already, just kind of that hometown pride type thing.
That's just the culture. And then once you get to Columbus it really does split. We’ll cheer for
the Cavs, just 'cause that's the only option we have.

Interviewer:
That makes sense.
Participant:
It's just a fun friendly rivalry have across the state.
Interviewer:
Yeah. Now what about the Steelers?
Participant:
Oh goodness, that hate. Hate is a strong word that I would use for them. I won't wear the color
yellow. I won't buy a bottle of Heinz ketchup. I despise that team. I feel really passionate about
that. Just watch them take a lot of dirty shots on our guys growing up. The whole Carson Palmer
dilemma. Just a lot of heartbreaking memories there and it's just been rooted in me from an early
age.
Interviewer:
Yeah, that makes sense. So do you, I'm guessing you follow the Bengals on social media?
Participant:
I do. I have their Twitter notifications on actually.
Interviewer:
Okay. So then is Twitter the one that you follow them the most on?
Participant:
Twitter is definitely the my main source, yeah.
Interviewer:
Awesome. I know there are a lot of other accounts that post Bengals related content, do you
follow those, like the All Bengals account run by James Rapien?
Participant:
I follow some Beat writers and some other fans that tweet about the Bengals that I don't believe I
follow All Bengals off the top of my head. I know I follow James, directly.
Interviewer:
Do you follow the Bengals on Instagram as well and stuff?
Participant:
I do. I do. The All Bengals account on Twitter, I do not follow them though. I'll give them a
follow now that I'm here though.

Interviewer:
It’s a good source. I mean the Bengals official Twitter is pretty active. Does it bother you how
much they post at all?
Participant:
No, no. I've got a couple other notifications on from other accounts and honestly I kind of get
upset if it's not theirs that pop up on my phone. I get excited to see their reports, especially
during the season. During off season sometimes yeah, they can get annoying, especially when it's
just a post that they have to make for a sponsorship or partner contract. But when it's in season I
anticipate and I look forward to their updates.
Interviewer:
Yeah, that makes sense. I guess what's your favorite thing about what they share and what they
promote on their page?
Participant:
The players, I love it. We've got some exciting young guys in there. So anytime they post content
of Ja’Marr, or Joe, or Tee, or the entire defense it's just fun to see. It's fun to see the hype and the
buzz around that and them playing well. When you consider some of the past talent we've had,
it's just a different type of excitement that franchise hasn't experienced in my lifetime.
Interviewer:
Yeah, no, definitely. Being in Cincinnati all those years, all the heartbreak and like you said,
those promising seasons that always ended not how they were thought to, almost seems worse
than watching their performance on a screen.
Participant:
Right.
Interviewer:
I mean and now to see Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and the culture the Bengals have, I feel like
they've grown such a big following. How do you feel about the onset of new fans?
Participant:
Yes. Sometimes it annoys me. I was like they didn't sit to the heartbreak that we did. And it's
like, I brought that up to my friends, they're like, no, but it just makes it sweeter for us. They
don't understand how much heartbreak we went through. And I was like, that's true, that's true
that it makes it sweeter for us I guess.
Interviewer:
Yeah. No definitely. I remember my brother cried at the playoff game against the Raiders when
we were in Cincinnati.
Participant:

Yeah.
Interviewer:
There was so many tears. It was so exciting though. I mean so then, yeah, I was going to say that
all of the, their social media, I feel like they do a really good job. You probably don't ever look at
the Browns being that now I understand how you feel about them, but just putting it out there, do
you?
Participant:
No, not often, no.
Interviewer:
Yeah. When you look at both of the social media accounts between both teams, the Bengals
culture is so much more present on their social media, than any other team really.
Participant:
The only time I really look at Cleveland is to see people responding about Deshaun. It's usually
Deshaun related tweet.
Interviewer:
Oh yeah, that makes sense.
Participant:
That I go back to see people just ripping them apart for that.
Interviewer:
Yeah, and I was going to tell you too, I do this social media content analysis and on their
Instagram they post like 50 to 70 times every two weeks, which is obviously a lot. That's why I
was curious if you get annoyed with their posts because there is so much content being shared.
Participant:
That's like 2.3 a day or something like that. That’s crazy.
Interviewer:
Yeah it is a lot. Now do you follow them on TikTok or do you have a TikTok?
Participant:
You know, I don't know if I follow them on TikTok or not. I kind of try and keep sports off of
TikTok because when the Bengals lose and I'm upset I'll go to TikTok to clear my mind from
that. I do try and keep the sports separated from that one.
Interviewer:
I guess that make sense.

Participant:
My Twitter feed is all sports and then I go to TikTok and it's separate.
Interviewer:
Do you follow only the Bengals? What other NFL teams you follow?
Participant:
I have followed the Jaguars.
Interviewer:
Is there a reason?
Participant:
I like that defense back in, what was that, 2018? I thought that defense was really, really good
when they went to the AFC championship game. So I think that's probably when I followed
them.
Interviewer:
Okay, that makes sense.
Participant:
I think I follow the Giants. I liked Eli Manning a lot growing up. And then I really started to like
the Giants after they beat the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2007. I remember I was at
a Super Bowl party for that and I was the only one wearing a New York Giants jersey. Everyone
else there was cheering for the Patriots. That was really cool to watch them get their undefeated
season spoiled. Who else would I follow? I know I don't follow obviously Browns, Ravens or
Steelers. I don't know. I mean the NFL, I follow the NFL itself and then a couple other related
accounts that just kind of retweet the important things that make its way to my feed.
Interviewer:
Yeah, that makes sense. And then how do you feel about their new uniform? The white or the
white helmet?
Participant:
The white helmets. I think that they’re doing too much. I think the orange helmet's already the
best helmet in the league. In my opinion there's no need to do anything different.
Interviewer:
Interesting.
Participant:

I know. I mean I'm just too old fashioned, but, I don't really think of white tigers when I think of
a Bengal tiger. But, I mean it's cool. That was a cool game to be at. The whole stadium was
wearing white and it was a fun environment.
Interviewer:
Yeah. I bet. How far is Athens from Cincinnati?
Participant:
Cincinnati to my house takes about somewhere between two hours to two and a half hours. It just
depends on the time of day and if it's raining or not.
Interviewer:
Okay, not terrible. So every home game they play, you drive home to see it?
Participant:
Yeah, of course. I would never miss one.
Interviewer:
Gotcha. So you said when the Bengals lose, you get upset?
Participant:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
When you're at the home games and they lose, is it worse? I've only been to Cincinnati once and
seen them play once and it was that playoff game. They beat the Raiders. So I've never seen a
quote on quote sad Cincinnati environment.
Participant:
It depends on the game. Let's say Los Angeles Chargers last year, there was a weird energy in
the stadium that you could just feel like they were not there to play. So you could accept that
defeat, by the second quarter you knew it was over. So that one was a lot easier to process. But
then fast forward two weeks later and San Francisco comes to town and there's a lot riding on
this game, playoff implication wise. And we're thinking like, man, we're that close, but maybe
we're not there yet. And they fumble two punts and just kind of hand them some free points and
they come back and Joe throws that incredible pass to Ja'Marr to tie it with a minute 20 left. And
you do like, this is crazy, we go to overtime. And then they just march it down the field and
punch it in and we lost. So that one was a lot more sad for sure. Just because the implications it
had post-season and where we thought we were as a team, thinking we weren't there at that point
in the season. And the team making stupid mistakes where we beat ourselves, by muffing two
punts and then coming back to get your hopes up and force over time. Just, it makes it that much
more depressing when you can't finish it.
Interviewer:

Yeah, that makes sense. And you said that when they lose, you just kind of avoid all Bengals
social media content for a while, right?
Participant:
Yeah.
Interviewer:
All things Bengals. It's TikTok only or whatever else can get your mind off of it. That makes
sense.
Participant:
Yeah. But it's definitely, I would say it's tougher in person than it is watching it on TV.
Interviewer:
I bet.
Participant:
You just feel like a lot more invested into it, I guess, if you're there. If that makes sense?
Interviewer:
Oh definitely. That’s at any live sporting event. But in Cincinnati, the vibe there was really cool
too.
Participant:
That city was buzzing on. That city was buzzing, wasn't it?
Interviewer:
Yeah, I mean when we were there it gave me, because I've been to New Orleans, I've been to
Cincinnati, I've been to Denver because we lived in Colorado. But, I mean the culture in
Cincinnati and in New Orleans kind of resembled each other for me in a sense that there is so
much love for the home team.
Participant:
Yeah, they’re a football town for sure, New Orleans and Cincinnati.
Interviewer:
Definitely. And especially after the long time and not winning for them to finally pull it together
and get that playoff win.
Participant:
Right.
Interviewer:

How do you feel about Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, Higgins? The people that are obviously
bringing a new fan base, but also in a sense kind of saving the franchise.
Participant:
I love them. I love Joe Burrow more than I love myself. Not to be dramatic, but he's on the field,
off the field just everything you ask for. I think living in Athens, which is his hometown. The
poorest county in the state of Ohio, and seeing what the people here go through and how they
live and seeing how everyone here can admire him. He's someone who got out of here and he's
someone who's not only made a name for himself, but I mean he's a superstar. So it's just like, it
brings this town a lot of hope for people. And then everything that he's done with the Athens
Food Bank and then he just opened up his foundation, what, two weeks ago? That's going to give
back directly to Cincinnati and Athens kids. It's great. So it's not just him as the quarterback,
which I couldn't asked for a better quarterback right now for our team. But as a person himself,
you watch his Heisman speech and he really touches about where he's from and stuff. And it's
just, all around good dude, you know?
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Participant:
Stands up for social injustices. Uses his platform to talk about what he thinks is right. Just very
admirable in that sense.
Interviewer:
Yeah, definitely. And I know kind of going back to the whole social media idea, you said that, is
there anything you don't like about the Bengals, like social media content, Twitter, Instagram,
whatever?
Participant:
Off the top of my head, no, not really.
Interviewer:
Just the fact that they post a lot during off season, like you were saying.
Participant:
They do post a lot. I do like that they post their injury updates as soon as they can. That feels like
they get those out pretty rapidly during the season. Yeah, no, from an organizational standpoint, I
understand the approaches that they take for things. No, I think they do a pretty good job
managing that.
Interviewer:
Yeah, definitely. They have a strong social media presence. I don't know if you know that Mike
Brown's daughters took over their social media and whatnot. So they've really revamped it and
made it a lot different from a lot of other teams.

Participant:
Right.
Interviewer:
Do you interact with the Bengals on social media? Like, do you respond to tweets?
Participant:
I do not. Actually, someone who just graduated from Ohio University this past spring, I think
was when she graduated, is a photographer or member of their media team. So, I always text her
for any updates, but I don't usually reply to the Bengals tweets directly. I just kind of creep
through the feed and stay updated through my post notifications.
Interviewer:
Makes sense.
Participant:
And then I have another friend that I went to high school with who's on the medical training staff
there. So, he'll give me the medical updates that I need to.
Interviewer:
Wow, that's convenient.
Participant:
I don't waste my time replying, because I know they're not going to respond to me, just because
they have so many other followers interacting. I know I have people that have connections that I
can communicate with that will definitely respond.
Interviewer:
Yeah. Do you ever comment though, when something's funny, like in regard to the posts they
share about their players? Maybe not team performance or player update related.
Participant:
I'd say comment on Instagram. Week three, they were getting ready to play New York and they
wore their white helmets the week before. Which I understand they have to break them in and get
comfortable with the fit and whatnot. But I was commenting, “can you not distract them? We
haven't won a game yet this year. Can you not hand them a brand new helmet when they need to
be focusing on the Jets?”
Interviewer:
Yeah.
Participant:
So, yeah, that's about my only interaction with them this year.

Interviewer:
Gotcha. And how do you feel about their season now? The start of their season.
Participant:
I mean, it's similar to how they looked at the beginning of last year. I mean last year they weren't
a great team to look at it. They were 10-7, it's nothing spectacular. They were four seed, they
won the division. They just got hot at the right time. The offense started slow last year. The
offense is starting slow this year. They're starting to pick up pace a little bit here these last couple
weeks. But, it's discouraging when you go to the Super Bowl, your expectations obviously rise.
But they were fortunate with injuries last year. For the most part they were healthy. And I don't
know if Burrow is fully a hundred percent after the appendectomy or if he just says he is. But I
mean, they're 500 right now. They should easily have a better record with that. It's the NFL, you
know, wins don't come easy in that league. I could sit here and I could point out things that they
do wrong every single week, but there's also a lot of bright side to look at. And there's a lot of
football, I mean, there's still a dozen games to play. So yeah, they'll be all right. I'm not too
worried about it.
Interviewer:
Yeah, it’s too early.
Participant:
Right. Right. It's a marathon, yeah.
Interviewer:
Definitely. So do you have friends that are Bengals fans?
Participant:
Yeah. Yeah, I do. Athens is a lot of Cleveland fans. Because half this campus is from Cleveland,
Ohio, which is obnoxious. But that stems back to just that rivalry.
Interviewer:
Yeah, makes sense.
Participant:
But yeah, yeah, we've got group chats with all my high school buddies that we grew up with and
whatnot. We text every single Sunday. Just throughout the week, just texting, you know?
Interviewer:
Yeah. Do you know what accounts your friends stay most active with? Do you guys all kind of
follow Twitter as a whole or do you think it's kind of mixed?
Participant:

It's definitely Twitter. I think Twitter's the best spot to get that kind of information. Just like, I
don't know if the Beat writers, I barely even get on Instagram anymore. I find it annoying. It's
just like, it's posting people I don't follow and ads every other post. I hardly ever get on there.
But the Beat writers wouldn't be posting updates as much as they will on Twitter.
Interviewer:
Okay. Yeah, that's true.
Participant:
Or as much on Instagram as much as it would on Twitter. I don't know if I said that backwards or
not. So I think it's more like the game goes on commercial break, okay, let's check it. Let's see
how everyone feeling right now. Maybe someone in the press box has got some observation that
we couldn't see on TV and they can just tweet it out real quick. So, I think that's kind of where
everybody goes.
Interviewer:
Yeah, that makes sense. That's really all the questions I have for you though, but I appreciate
you.
Participant:
Yeah, of course. Of course.

Appendix B: Full
Survey Questions and
Responses

Full Survey Questions and Responses
The Cincinnati Bengals researcher conducted a survey targeted for Cincinnati Bengals fans. The
survey collected 437 responses total.
The survey was active from Oct. 27 to Nov. 8, 2022.
Introduction/Consent Form:
Hi, my name is Cassandra Sheerin. I’m a student at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School
of Journalism and Mass Communication. For my class on research methods, I am conducting a
survey about the Cincinnati Bengals use of communication with their fans. This survey will take
you less than ten minutes to complete and your participation is voluntary. Your information will
be kept anonymous and used for class purposes only. The survey will remain open until
November 11, 2022. Thank you for your time and if you have any questions about my research,
you can contact me at csheerin@asu.edu.
# Answer % Count
1 I agree to participate. 99.77% 435
2 I do not agree to participate. 0.23% 1
Total 100% 436

Q1 - Are you a fan of the NFL?
# Answer % Count
1 Yes 99.08% 429
2 No 0.92% 4
Total 100% 433
Q2 - Are you a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals?
# Answer % Count
1 Yes 95.33% 408
2 No 4.67% 20
Total 100% 428

Q3 - How long have you been a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals?
# Answer % Count
1 Less than a year 0.49% 2
2 1-2 years 1.96% 8
3 3-4 years 2.44% 10
4 5-6 years 1.22% 5
5 7-8 years 0.98% 4
6 8-9 years 0.24% 1
7 10+ years 92.67% 379
Total 100% 409

Q4 - Which official Cincinnati Bengals social media accounts do you follow?
Select all the apply.
If “Other” was selected:
Snapchat. Don’t have TT, IG or FB
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
LinkedIn
Teams app
Web site
Spotify
Twitter
Team App
Snapchat
Bengals App
I also keep open tabs of several websites dedicated to Bengals coverage
Bleacher report
Cincy Jungle

Their app
Instagram
App
Reddit
Reddit
Q5 - Which social media account is your main source of Bengals related

news/information?
# Answer % Count
1 Facebook 2.24% 9
2 Instagram 5.49% 22
3 TikTok 0.25% 1
4 Twitter 87.53% 351
5 YouTube 1.25% 5
6 None of the above 0.50% 2
7 Other 2.74% 11

Total 100% 401
If “Other” was selected
Tv/Radio
Team App
Podcast
Local news
Instagram and Twitter
ESPN
CincinnatiBengals.com
Bengals.com
Bengals App
Q6 - The Bengals communicate with fans on Facebook very well.
# Answer % Count
1 Strongly disagree 1.05% 2
2 Somewhat disagree 5.24% 10

3 Neither agree nor disagree 15.18% 29
4 Somewhat agree 35.08% 67
5 Strongly agree 43.46% 83
Total 100% 191
Q7 - The Bengals communicate with fans on Instagram very well.
# Answer % Count
Total 100% 246

Q8 - The Bengals communicate with fans on TikTok very well.
# Answer % Count
Total 100% 99

Q9 - The Bengals communicate with fans on Twitter very well.
# Answer % Count
Total 100% 385

Q10 - The Bengals communicate with fans on YouTube very well.
# Answer % Count
Total 100% 142

Q11 - How often do you engage with the Cincinnati Bengals on social media?
Engaging in a post entails liking, commenting/replying, or sharing/retweeting.
# Answer % Count
9 Never 7.42% 29
10 Sometimes 22.25% 87
11 About half the time 15.09% 59
12 Most of the time 34.27% 134
13 Always 20.97% 82
Total 100% 391

Q12 - Which Bengals social media platform that you engage with the most?
# Answer % Count
1 Instagram 0.00% 0
2 Facebook 0.00% 0
3 TikTok 0.00% 0
4 Twitter 0.00% 0
5 Youtube 0.00% 0
6 None of the above. 0.00% 0
Total 0

Q13 - When the Bengals lose, do you get upset?
# Answer % Count
1 Yes 86.96% 340
2 Neither yes or no 10.49% 41
3 No 2.56% 10
Total 100% 391

Q14 - When are you most likely to engage with the Bengals' social media
accounts?
# Answer % Count
1 After a loss 7.17% 20
2 After a win 71.68% 200
4 During a game 21.15% 59
Total 100% 279
Q15 - Do you follow Ja'Marr Chase on social media? Select all that apply.
# Answer % Count
2 Yes, on Instagram 31.84% 185

4 Yes, on Twitter 50.09% 291
6 I do not follow Ja'Marr Chase. 18.07% 105
Total 100% 581
Q16 - What is your favorite type of post shared on the Bengals social media
accounts? If you select "other," please indicate what it is.
# Answer % Count
1 Live game action footage including photos and videos 0.00% 0
2 Mic'd up videos of the players during games 0.00% 0
3 Photos of the players in their pregame outifts 0.00% 0
4 Behind the scenes interviews and footage of players 0.00% 0
5 Graphics designed to showcase stats for players, uniform combinations, etc. 0.00% 0

6 Other 0.00% 0
Total 0
Q17 - Do you follow Joe Burrow on social media? Select all that apply.
# Answer % Count
1 Yes, on Instagram 37.16% 230
2 Yes, on Twitter 51.70% 320
3 I do not follow Joe Burrow. 11.15% 69
Total 100% 619
Q18 - Do you follow any other NFL teams on social media?

# Answer % Count
1 Yes 32.22% 135
2 No 67.78% 284
Total 100% 419
Q19 - Please select which NFL teams you follow on any given social media
platform. Select all that apply.

# Answer % Count
1 Arizona Cardinals 3.86% 26
2 Atlanta Falcons 1.93% 13
3 Baltimore Ravens 4.46% 30
4 Buffalo Bills 6.84% 46
5 Carolina Panthers 2.38% 16
6 Chicago Bears 2.82% 19
7 Cincinnati Bengals 7.73% 52
8 Cleveland Browns 4.01% 27
9 Dallas Cowboys 3.12% 21
10 Denver Broncos 2.23% 15
11 Detroit Lions 2.82% 19
12 Green Bay Packers 3.71% 25
13 Houston Texans 1.63% 11
14 Indianapolis Colts 3.27% 22
15 Jacksonville Jaguars 2.23% 15
16 Kansas City Chiefs 3.71% 25
17 Las Vegas Raiders 2.08% 14
18 Los Angeles Chargers 2.82% 19
19 Los Angeles Rams 2.38% 16
20 Miami Dolphins 3.12% 21
21 Minnesota Vikings 2.38% 16
22 New England Patriots 2.67% 18
23 New Orleans Saints 3.42% 23
24 New York Giants 2.23% 15
25 New York Jets 2.53% 17
26 Philadelphia Eagles 2.82% 19
27 Pittsburgh Steelers 3.71% 25

28 San Fransisco 49ers 2.23% 15
29 Seattle Seahawks 2.53% 17
30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2.82% 19
31 Tennessee Titans 2.67% 18
32 Washington Commanders 1.93% 13
33 I do not follow any NFL teams on social media. 0.89% 6
Total 100% 673
Q20 - If there a particular team's social media page that you favor more than
the others? If yes, please indicate which team.
# Answer % Count
1 Yes 54.14% 72
2 No, I do not have a favorite. 45.86% 61
Total 100% 133
If “Yes” was selected:
Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals
Bills
Bengals because favorite team. I also like the Bucs because I have family that lives in Tampa and I like
Brady

Buffalo bills
Chiefs
Raiders
Twitter
Bengals
Bengals
Bengals
Rams
Bengals. WHO DEY!
Cincinnati Bengals! Who Dey!
Bengals
Bills
Cincinnati Reds
Bengals
Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
New York Jets
Bengals
The Lions and Bills have great Tik Tok accounts.
Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals
Bengals
Bengals
Bengals

Bengals
Bengals
Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles
Colts, lions, Bucs
Cincinnati bengals
The Chargers post cool stuff
Buffalo Bills
The Bills do a good job

Cincinnati Bearcat pages! I know it is not NFL, but I have more fun with sports/ media when it's for a
cause that I have more connection with. I'm 2nd generation UC grad, and bengals haven't had a great
track record with performance nor support over last few decades, but people that run the organization
still are well liked individuals that can put out a good product
Lions
Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
miami
Buffalo Bills
Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Bengals have the best by far
Bengals
Bengals
Bengals
LA Chargers
Cincinnati bengals.
Cincinnati Bengals
Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Bills

pats
New Orleans Saints
Seahawks and Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Arizona Cardinals
Cards
Buffalo Bills
Facebook
Bengals
The bengals
Q21 - What is your age?

# Answer % Count
1 Under 18 0.96% 4
2 18 - 24 16.75% 70
3 25 - 34 28.95% 121
4 35 - 44 24.64% 103
5 45 - 54 17.94% 75
6 55 - 64 9.81% 41
7 65 - 74 0.96% 4
8 75 - 84 0.00% 0
9 85 or older 0.00% 0
Total 100% 418

Q22 – What state do you reside in?
# Answer % Count
1 Alabama 0.24% 1
2 Alaska 0.24% 1
3 Arizona 5.74% 24
4 Arkansas 0.00% 0

5 California 1.44% 6
6 Colorado 0.72% 3
7 Connecticut 0.00% 0
8 Delaware 0.24% 1
9 District of Columbia 0.48% 2
10 Florida 2.39% 10
11 Georgia 0.72% 3
12 Hawaii 0.00% 0
13 Idaho 0.00% 0
14 Illinois 1.67% 7
15 Indiana 3.35% 14
16 Iowa 0.00% 0
17 Kansas 0.24% 1
18 Kentucky 13.64% 57
19 Louisiana 0.48% 2
20 Maine 0.00% 0
21 Maryland 0.24% 1
22 Massachusetts 0.00% 0
23 Michigan 0.48% 2
24 Minnesota 0.00% 0
25 Mississippi 0.72% 3
26 Missouri 0.00% 0
27 Montana 0.00% 0
28 Nebraska 0.24% 1
29 Nevada 1.67% 7
30 New Hampshire 0.00% 0
31 New Jersey 1.67% 7
32 New Mexico 0.00% 0

33 New York 2.15% 9
34 North Carolina 2.39% 10
35 North Dakota 0.00% 0
36 Ohio 45.93% 192
37 Oklahoma 0.00% 0
38 Oregon 0.24% 1
39 Pennsylvania 0.96% 4
40 Puerto Rico 0.00% 0
41 Rhode Island 0.24% 1
42 South Carolina 0.48% 2
43 South Dakota 0.00% 0
44 Tennessee 1.44% 6
45 Texas 1.91% 8
46 Utah 0.48% 2
47 Vermont 0.00% 0
48 Virginia 1.67% 7
49 Washington 0.24% 1
50 West Virginia 1.44% 6
51 Wisconsin 0.24% 1
52 Wyoming 0.00% 0
53 I do not reside in the United States 3.59% 15
Total 100% 418

Appendix C: Memos

Memo 1

Memo
Date: September 22, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for September 5 – September 18, 2022
Overview
For the time period of September 5 – 18, 2022, the researcher evaluated the quantity and quality
of the Cincinnati Bengals’ Instagram posts. The team shared 54 posts over the duration of the
two weeks. Being that the 2022-23 NFL football season began on Sept. 11, most posts pertain to
the Bengals preparing for and playing regular season games. The account posts about two to
three times a day, with an exception on gameday. The Bengals played on both Sept. 11 and Sept.
18; both days consisted of more than 10 posts all related the specific game.

As of Sept. 18, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals official Instagram account has 1.1 million
followers. From Sept. 5-Sept. 18, 2022, the account posted 54 times and accumulated 1,614,563
likes, 16,062 comments and 7,278,543 views on reels. The post that earned the most likes was
the first post the researcher tracked on Sept. 5 with 83,712 likes, featuring a SpongeBob meme,
captioned “6 more deys.” The reel with the most views was a video of Evan McPherson kicking
a field goal posted by NFL with the Bengals. The video earned 1,254,018 plays and earned more
engagement since the NFL’s Instagram has a larger following.
10

Instagram activity for the evaluation period of Sept. 5 through Sept. 18, 2022, is as follows:
Bi-Weekly Followers
1,200,000
1,100,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000 0 0 0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The graph above showcases the Bengals follower count as of Sept. 18, 2022, which is 1,100,000.
Number of Posts
60
54
50
40
30
20
10
0 0 0 0 0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
During the two-week period, the official Bengals account posted 54 times. On average, the posts
occur two to three times a day. On the two game days between Sept. 5 and Sept. 18, the account
posted at least 10 times on each day.

10/31/22 - 11/13/22 0
10/17/22 - 10/30/22 0
10/3/22 - 10/16/22 0
9/19/22 - 10/2/22 0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 1,614,563
0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,800,000
Between Sept. 5 and Sept. 18, 2022, the account accumulated 1,614,563 likes. On average, the
account received 29,889 likes. The post with the most likes was a sad SpongeBob meme
featuring the character wearing a Bengals baseball cap, captioned “6 more deys,” in reference to
the amount of days until the first game of the 2022-23 NFL football season.

18,000 16,062
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000 0 0 0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account received a total of 16,062 comments within the two-week period. The average
amount of comments on posts was 297. The post that received the most comments (1,980) was a
video of Joe Burrow throwing it to Ja’Marr Chase for a touchdown against the Steelers in week
one. The video was captioned “9 + 1 = SIX,” referencing Burrow’s number (9) and Chase’s (1),
and the amount of points for a touchdown (6).

8,000,000 7,278,543
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000 0 0 0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account posted a total of 23 reels between Sept. 5 and Sept. 18. Reels earned an average of
316,458 views. The reel with the most views (1,254,018) was a video of Evan McPherson
kicking a 59-yard field goal but was posted by the NFL and the Bengals so it reached a wider
audience.
Type of Coverage from 9/5/22 to 9/18/22
43% 37%
20%
Photo Carousel Reel
Over the course of the two-weeks, the Bengals posted 54 times, 20 of which were single photos,
11 were photo carousels featuring three or more slides, and 23 were reels. The account typically
earned more likes on photos and carousels but received much more views on reels than any
amount of likes on any post.
Conclusion
The researcher will continue to closely monitor the Bengals Instagram activity, including post
details and follower count. The team’s Instagram account will likely benefit from the start of the
2022-23 NFL football season being they are consistently posting photos and videos of the team’s
culture on and off of the field.

Memo 2

Memo
Date: October 6, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for September 19 – October 2, 2022
Overview
For the time period of September 19 – October 2, 2022, the researcher evaluated the quantity and
quality of the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram posts. Posts increased from 54 to 74, which is a 37%
increase during the time period of the report. Similar to the first evaluated time period, most
days, the Cincinnati Bengals posted one to four times, and days when the team competed
consisted of significantly more posts.

As of October 2, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals official Instagram account has 1.2 million
followers. From September 19 – October 2, 2022, the account posted 74 times and accumulated
2,865,302 likes, 18,073 comments and 10,378,492 views on reels. The post that earned the most
likes was a video of Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow yelling “Who Dey,” into a microphone for
fans after defeating the Miami Dolphins. The post received 137,308 likes and 1,373,907 views.
The reel with the most views was a video of Burrow walking into Paycor stadium wearing a
black suit covered in white flowers. The reel received 1,419,442 views.
Instagram activity for the evaluation period of September 19 through October 2, 2022, is as
follows:
11

Bi-Weekly Followers
1,400,000 1,200,000
1,100,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000 0 0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The graph above showcases the Bengals follower count as of October 2, 2022, which is 1.2
million, a 9% increase from the last bi-weekly report’s follower count.
Number of Posts
80
74
70
60
54
50
40
30
20
10
0 0 0 0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
During the two-week period, the official Bengals account posted 74 times, a 37% increase from
the last report. On average, the posts occur two to three times a day. On the two game days, Sept.
25 and Sept. 29, the account posted an average of 20 times, a 67% increase from the last bi-
weekly report’s gameday post average.
10/31/22 - 11/13/22 0
10/17/22 - 10/30/22 0
10/3/22 - 10/16/22 0
9/19/22 - 10/2/22 2,865,302
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 1,614,563
0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000
Between September 19 and October 2, 2022, the account accumulated 2,865,302 likes, a 77%
increase from the last bi-weekly report. On average, the account received 38,721 likes per post.

The post with the most likes is a video of Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow yelling “Who Dey,”
into a microphone for fans after the Bengals second win of the 2022-23 NFL season. The post
received 137,308 likes.

20,000 18,073
16,062
15,000
10,000
5,000
0 0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account received a total of 18,073 comments within the two-week period, an 13% increase
from the last time period. The average amount of comments on posts was 244. The post that
received the most comments (1,541) was a video of quarterback Joe Burrow walking into Paycor
Stadium on gameday in an all black suit with white flowers.

12,000,000
10,378,492
10,000,000
8,000,000 7,278,543
6,000,000
4,000,000
2,000,000
0 0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/2210/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account posted a total of 30 reels between Sept. 19 and Oct. 2, seven more than they posted
during the previous bi-weekly report. Reels earned an average of 345,949 views,
a 9% increase from the last two-week period. The reel with the most views (1,419,442) was the
video of Joe Burrow walking into Paycor Stadium in his pregame outfit, the same video that
received the most comments.

Type of Coverage (9/19/22 - 10/2/22)
41% 39%
20%
Photo Carousel Reel
As noted previously, the Bengals posted 74 times over the course of the two-weeks – 29 of
which were single photos, 15 were photo carousels featuring two or more slides, and 30 were
reels.
Conclusion
details and follower count. The team’s Instagram has already shown an increase in followers,
likes, comments and views on posts since the last bi-weekly report. The researcher looks forward
to evaluating more of these trends of the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram account as the 2022-23
NFL season progresses.

Memo 3

Memo
Date: October 20, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for October 3 – October 16, 2022
Overview
For the time period of October 3 – October 16, 2022, the researcher evaluated the quantity and
quality of the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram posts. Posts decreased from 74 to 64, a 14%
decrease during the time period of the report. Similar to the first two evaluated time periods,
most days, the Cincinnati Bengals posted one to four times, and days when the team competed
consisted of significantly more posts.

As of October 16, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals official Instagram account has 1,219,314 million
followers. From October 3 – October 16, 2022, the account posted 64 times and accumulated
likes was a carousel post featuring two photos and a video of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
walking into the Caesar Superdome in New Orleans. He was wearing his teammate Ja’Marr
Chase’s LSU championship jersey. The post received 211,674 likes and earned 898 comments.
The reel with the most views was a video of Ja’Marr Chase scoring a touchdown against the
New Orleans Saints. The reel was posted by both the NFL and the Bengals and received
1,377,731 views.
Instagram activity for the evaluation period of October 3 – October 16, 2022, is as follows:
12

Bi-Weekly Followers
1,400,000 1,200,000 1,219,341
1,100,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000 0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The graph above showcases the Bengals follower count as of October 16, 2022, which is
1,219,341 million, a 1.6% increase from the last bi-weekly report’s follower count.
Number of Posts
80 74
70 64
60 54
50
40
30
20
10
0 0 0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
During the two-week period, the official Bengals account posted 64 times, a 13.5% decrease
from the last report. On average, the posts occur two to three times a day. On the two game days
between this time period, Oct. 9 and Oct. 16, the account posted an average of 15 times, a 25%
decrease from the last bi-weekly report’s gameday post average.
10/31/22 - 11/13/22 0
10/17/22 - 10/30/22 0
10/3/22 - 10/16/22 2,427,832
9/19/22 - 10/2/22 2,865,302
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 1,614,563
0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000
Between October 3 and October 16, 2022, the account accumulated 2,427,832 likes, a 15.3%
decrease from the last bi-weekly report. On average, the account received 37,935 likes per post.

The Bengals posted 10 more times in the previous time period evaluated which explains the
decrease in likes.

20,000 18,073
16,062
14,254
15,000
10,000
5,000
0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account received a total of 14,254 comments within the two-week period, a 21% decrease
from the last time period. Similar to the amount of likes decreasing, the comments decreased
because the amount of posts was less than the last time period. The average amount of comments
on posts were 223.

12,000,000
10,378,492
10,000,000
9,432,814
8,000,000 7,278,543
6,000,000
4,000,000
2,000,000
0 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/2210/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account posted a total of 28 reels between October 3 and October 16, two less than they
posted during the previous bi-weekly report. Reels earned an average of 336,886 views, a 2.6%
decrease from the last two-week period. The reel with the most views was a video of Ja’marr
Chase scoring a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints. The reel was posted by the NFL and
the Bengals and received 1,377,731 views.

Type of Media (10/3/22 - 10/16/22)
30%
44%
26%
Photo Carousel Reel
As noted previously, the Bengals posted 64 times over the course of the two-weeks with 19 as
single photos, 17 se photo carousels featuring two or more slides, and 28 as reels.
42% 36%
22%
Photo Carousel Reel
since the first evaluated time period, September 5 – September 18, 2022. Reels are the type of
media most shared by the Bengals and consist of videos during games, behind-the-scenes
footage, interviews, and other content that entertain followers.
Conclusion
details and follower count. Though the team’s Instagram analysis has shown an increase in
followers, the decrease in likes, comments and views on posts since the last bi-weekly report
shows that the team’s losses affect the amount of posts shared which in turn, affect the total

amount of engagement posts receive. The researcher looks forward to evaluating more of these
trends of the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram account as the 2022-23 NFL season progresses.

Memo 4

Memo
Date: November 1, 2022
Re: Bi-weekly research report for October 17 – October 30, 2022
Overview
For the time period of October 17 – October 30, 2022, the researcher evaluated the quantity and
quality of the Cincinnati Bengals Instagram posts. Posts decreased from 64 to 60, a 6.25%
decrease during the time period of the report. Similar to the first three evaluated time periods,
most days, the Cincinnati Bengals posted one to four times, and days when the team competed
consisted of significantly more posts. Within this memo, the most significant change was in reels
video views. In comparison to the last evaluated time period, reels views increased by 114%.

As of November 2, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals’ official Instagram account has 1,226,181
followers. From October 17 – October 30, 2022, the account posted 60 times and accumulated
likes was a video posted by both the NFL and the Bengals of a defensive player on the Bengals
tackling the opposing team’s tight end, captioned “@chido clearly not a fan of
#NationalTightEndsDay,” in reference to National Tight Ends Day on October 22, 2022. The
post received 313,407 likes and had 1,352 comments. This same post also received the most
views at 3,830,570 views.
Instagram activity for the evaluation period of October 17 and October 30, 2022, is as follows:
13

Bi-Weekly Followers
1,400,000 1,200,000 1,219,341 1,226,181
1,100,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000 0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The graph above showcases the Bengals follower count as of November 2, 2022, which is
1,226,181 million, a 1.6% increase from the last bi-weekly report’s follower count.
Number of Posts
80 74
70 64
60 54 60
50
40
30
20
10
0 0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
During the two-week period, the official Bengals account posted 60 times, a 6.25% decrease
from the last report. On average, the posts occur two to three times a day. Compared to the other
three reports, the Bengals only had one game within this time period. However, on Oct. 23, their
only gameday between Oct. 17 and Oct. 30, they posted 22 times.
10/31/22 - 11/13/22 0
10/17/22 - 10/30/22 2,844,637
10/3/22 - 10/16/22 2,427,832
9/19/22 - 10/2/22 2,865,302
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 1,614,563
0 500,000 1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000

Between October 17 and October 30, 2022, the account accumulated 2,844,637 likes, a 17.2%
increase from the last bi-weekly report. On average, the account received 47,411 likes per post.
A likely contributor to the increase of total likes, particularly considering the reduced number of
total posts, is that the Bengals posted four times with the NFL. In result, these posts had the
ability to appear on the feeds of the Bengals’ 1,226,181 followers, in addition to the NFL’s
25,776,253 followers. A post that is shared with the NFL is going to reach more people,
therefore, has the potential to generate more likes. For reference, in other weeks, the Bengals
have posted no more than twice in collaboration with the NFL.

20,000 18,073
16,062
14,254
15,000
11,548
10,000
5,000
0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/22 10/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account received a total of 11,548 comments within the two-week period, a 19% decrease
from the last time period. The average number of comments per posts was 192 within this time
period.

25,000,000
20,196,360
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,378,492 9,432,814
10,000,000 7,278,543
5,000,000
0
0
9/5/22 - 9/18/22 9/19/22 - 10/2/22 10/3/22 - 10/16/22 10/17/22 - 10/30/2210/31/22 - 11/13/22
The account posted a total of 30 reels between October 17 and October 30, two more than they
posted during the previous bi-weekly report. The amount of reel views increased dramatically,
which is likely due to the fact that the four posts shared by both the NFL and the Bengals were
reels. All four of the reels earned well over one million views. During this time period, reels
earned an average of 673,212 views per post, a 99.8% increase from the last two-week period.

Type of Media (10/17/22 - 10/30/22)
30%
50%
20%
Photo Carousel Reel
As noted previously, the Bengals posted 60 times over the course of the two-weeks, 18 of which
as single photos, 12 as photo carousels featuring two or more slides, and 30 as reels.

Updated 11/2/2022
34%
44%
22%
Photo Carousel Reel
since the first evaluated time period, September 5 – September 18, 2022. The same conclusion
drawn from the last report stands, reels are the type of media most shared by the Bengals and
consist of videos during games, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and other content that
entertain followers.
Conclusion
details and follower count. The researcher further observed that first, when the team posts with
the NFL, their engagement rates increase greatly likely because of the larger audience they are

reaching. Moreover, it is still true that reels are the most popular type of media shared on the
account. The researcher looks forward to evaluating more of these trends of the Cincinnati
Bengals Instagram account as the 2022-23 NFL season progresses.

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Cincinnati Bengals

Public Relations Research Report

Executive Overview ................................................................................................. 2

Bengals Backgrounder .............................................................................................. 4

Communications Audit ........................................................................................... 11

Interview Report ..................................................................................................... 32

Survey Report ......................................................................................................... 36

Target Audience Report.......................................................................................... 45

Final Bi-Weekly Report.......................................................................................... 55

Works Cited ............................................................................................................ 65

Appendix A: Interview Transcript .......................................................................... 69

Appendix B: Full Survey Questions and Responses .............................................. 84

Appendix C: Memos ............................................................................................. 111

Memo 1 ................................................................................................................. 112

Memo 2 ................................................................................................................. 117

Memo 3 ................................................................................................................. 122

Memo 4 ................................................................................................................. 128

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 1

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 2

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 3

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 4

Social Media Platforms

Facebook: @bengals | https://www.facebook.com/bengals

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 5

Executive Team Members

Mike Brown Owner/President

The Sports Industry

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 6

Major Geographic and/or Target Markets

Business Operating Model

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 7

Relevant Financial Information

Market Pressures, Opportunities, and Potential Issues

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 8

Recent Communications Campaigns

“White Bengal” Helmet

Recent Major News About the Bengals

Week 1 Loss to the Steelers

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 9

Three Research Questions

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 10

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 11

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 12

Social Media Assessment

Figure 1: Facebook post shared on the Bengals'

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 13

In addition to cross-posted content, the Bengals Facebook

The current focus of all the Bengals social media

As of Oct. 5, 2022, the Cincinnati Bengals official

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 14

The Bengals most liked post between Sept. 5, 2022 and

Figure 5: Instagram post shared on Sept. 29, 2022

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 15

Figure 6: Instagram post shared on Sept. 27, 2022

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 16

Featured quite frequently are videos of the team walking to

According to Rival IQ, the Bengals TikTok account didn’t use

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 17

The content on the Bengal’s Twitter is identical to

More than three quarters of the Bengals’ Twitter feed is

The post that received the highest engagement was a video

Cincinnati Bengals Public Relations Research Report 18