Big Hit For Bulls, ‘Benny's Day Off' Onnects Online

Dancing on the roof, microphone in hand as he lip-synched to “Twist and Shout,” Benny the Bull was putting on quite a performance as his tricked-out black van rolled through downtown Chicago.

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It was not quite “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and it won’t be coming to a theater near you. But as spoofs go, “Benny’s Day Off” is quite a production.

The story starring the Chicago Bulls’ mascot played out almost in real time on social media on a recent Monday, with scenes posted on Snapchat right after they were recorded throughout the day. The team also tweeted the effort while the crew headed to the next location, fans tuning in to see what Benny would do next.

“You’re only limited by your imagination,” Bulls digital content manager Luka Dukich said. “You can do a lot of damage with a phone these days.”

The NBA, including team and player accounts, has about 1.3 billion likes and followers over various social media platforms. The Bulls, by their own count, rank second to the Los Angeles Lakers among major North American sports franchises, with nearly 25 million followers across Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram.

Snapchat has emerged as a major player in recent years, particularly when it comes to reaching younger fans. NBA associate vice president of social media Sam Farber said a “vast majority” who follow the league’s account are younger than 24.

“It’s really important for us to use that platform to reach that audience in an authentic way and we found that to be quite successful over the last couple of years,” he said.