Unmasking your brand through social media

$2,500.

That’s the amount that Antonio Cromartie, a cornerback for the San Diego Chargers, got fined just a few weeks ago for a tweet during training camp.

Granted, Cromartie’s pocketbook, lined with the padding of being a pro-bowl NFL player, isn’t hurting much. But it’s still a clear message from the Chargers organization that it discourages its players from engaging in social media — at least about things considered unacceptable (in this case, a comment about the food served during training camp).

Other teams, like the Miami Dolphins, have banned tweeting all together.

And then there’s the New York Jets. It’s fitting that the city that never sleeps hosts the team that — gasp — actually encourages its players to engage in communication based on social interaction via Twitter.

”We really made a conscious decision that we were going to embrace social networking because it’s an outgrowth of our motto that we talk about internally: Remove the barriers,” said Matt Higgins, the Jets’ executive vice president of business operations in a recent AP article.

Key word there, “business.” This is coming from a guy who has never laced em’ up. Never ran a four-four 40 or hit a tackling dummy.

This was a business decision. Because, well, it was good for business.

So there they are, players like center Nick Mangold (@NickMangold), tight end Dustin Keller (@DustinKeller81), safety Kerry Rhodes (@KerryRhodes) and the newly anointed face of the franchise, rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez (@Mark_Sanchez) all posting to a rabid crowd of nearly 80,000 followers collectively — a number that would sellout almost every stadium in the NFL.

But that’s just the beauty of it. Twitter never sells out.

And like Higgins said, it’s a way of growing by tearing down barriers. The Jets, in a sport dominated by gladiator-like armor, have removed the masks — making players more available than ever and lowering the pedestal that for years they’ve resided on.

Now on ground level, you can see what they’re all about. And this is a good thing, whether you’re in the business of strong-side blitzes, or in the business of, well, business.

It’s a transparency that allows people to relate. To come in the front door, look around for awhile and learn more about the people, the decisions, and heck, even the lives of those behind the brand mask.

In a world of increased skepticism of marketing and marketers, and in a world where information is shared at the speed of thought, that comfort level can only serve to be a bridge between a brand and its consumers.

And the better you build that bridge, the stronger the brand.

So while other teams and their business leaders have shunned social media, the Jets have embraced it.

I’d say, Jets — first down.