Sports Brands Need to Get in the Zone to Drive Sponsorship Growth

Marketing lessons sporting companies can learn from this summer's tournaments

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The summer of sports is well underway. Olympic feats have dominated the news and are widely discussed, even by those not all that into sports themselves. I found myself thinking about what lessons can be learned from the Olympics, the Paralympics, the Euros and sports’ ability to reach people. How and why should brands use sports audience insights to dominate the game with upcoming events like the new Premier League season, U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the Masters, the Cricket World Cup, the Ashes and not to mention the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup?

If there’s one thing that has been evident above everything else it’s that it is vital that you listen to your fans.

The summer sporting frenzy began with an explosive start in May. The dramatic rise and fall of the European Super League (ESL) made it all too clear that sports organizations need to listen more. Sports is about more than money, and the fury of Europe’s soccer fans causing such a quick backtrack is evidence of the power of the consumer.

Every brand today is familiar with data storytelling and the power that lies in telling stories led by insight, placing the focus squarely on the consumer. So, it’s no surprise that this is where sports brands need to place their focus.

The strategic question that drives business—including sports brands—is “what else can we do for our customers?” Despite soccer being a globally recognized sport, one of the biggest challenges for soccer groups lies in getting the right insight into all markets, with levels of sophistication varying hugely across borders. We know that a staggering 80% of the world’s sports fans follow soccer.

The Manchester City audience in the U.K., for example, is an extremely different audience to the New York City FC fanbase. In turn, soccer fanbases differ from those of other sports, like basketball. Russell Westbrook’s recent transfer to LA Lakers, for example, will be an interesting development to watch this NBA season; will LA Lakers’ social media audiences grow or will its engagements rise in a similar vein to that of Paris Saint Germain following the signing of Lionel Messi from Barcelona?

At the end of the day, sports teams are also brands, and as such, they need to find a narrative that works globally but that they can also tailor with local flavor. If there’s a lack of consistent insight into each individual market and audience, sports brands are challenged with understanding their fanbase and which opportunities are worth prioritizing.

Understanding how these audiences differ from market to market and from club to club is, therefore, essential. Breaking the data down to give a much more granular and instant insight of a fanbase is crucial.

Turbocharge your sponsorship offering

Sports clubs can enrich their offerings with insights from additional data points that transform their performances off the pitch and drive precious sponsorship growth.

What do I mean by that? Well, analyzing global, regional and local data will allow sports brands to analyze and then understand their fans. What is it they want? Love? Loathing? And crucially, why? The data also reveals audience sizing, as well as any consumer overlap. Having this rich data insight is a game-changer, allowing clubs to transform the way they talk about their sponsorship offerings, and ultimately key business decisions and brand personalities.

Driving real business growth means cutting through the noise with facts you trust. The extra layer of detail and insight enables sports brands to see the most value by offering them something completely unique that has transformed the way they pitch to potential and existing partners. Whether looking at buying a new football club or expanding an existing partnership, having ready access to data empowers club owners to do things differently.

Data and insights as equalizers

I like to think that data-driven insights are the ultimate equalizer. The real value isn’t in the data itself—it’s in how you look at it. Put another way, it’s the insights that make the difference as this is what tells us what we should be looking for in the data and, perhaps, how we should take action.

When you know who you’re speaking to and why then you can create content and campaigns that stand out to the people that matter. Be that a soccer mom in Canada to an aspiring athlete in India, knowing your audience (what matters to them and why) will help your brand hit the back of the net when the Premier League kicks back off, score that one touchdown that leads your team to the Super Bowl or win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

Going for gold

As we transition from the summer into the fall with new seasonal sports, it is the perfect time for sports brands to take a closer look at their fanbase. Using granular data insights will help to create a marketing or sponsorship strategy that helps deliver focus, clarity and alignment across the business and bring everyone closer to the podium.