The implementation of new digital media and technologies has
altered the way in which the sports industry, in general, handles business.
Everything from the way sports are produced, marketed, delivered and consumed
has had to adapt along with the ever-changing industry. This has left many
sports marketers fighting to find new ways of connecting with their audience
though campaigns and sponsorship activation while understanding these critical
changes happening all around us.
What do these changes mean for sports?
I think it’s
very clear that the sports audience is growing very rapidly as a result of
digital media outlets allowing us to be constantly connected to sports. Gate
revenues are decreasing as a result of new technologies transforming out-of-stadium
experiences to trump the more traditional in-stadium experience. Athletes now
have complete control over how the public views them and their respective
social media platforms usually determine many endorsement deals cutting out the
need for a “middle man”. Social media has “humanized” athletes and in doing so,
the ownership of “the message” is no longer filtered through brands, teams or
agents but is now equally managed and communicated though the athlete, fans,
marketers, brands and teams. The notion that sports agents could possibly be of
no use to athletes is also not far off. Because athletes own their own brand,
they are able to connect and engage with their fans and no longer need agents
or media companies to deliver messages for them. Because of this radical shift of “who is in
control”, I wouldn't be surprised if major broadcast media companies like ESPN
or major sports agency’s like AEG, no longer held the power in broadcasting and
marketing sports to the public.
What does this mean for those working in
sports marketing and media?
All of these
factors simply mean that individuals currently in the sports marketing industry
are going to have to learn how to market digitally, they have no choice.
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, mobile devices and broadband connections are the
new “traditional media” platforms and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Traditional media, however, hasn't gone anywhere either. Sports marketers
now-a-days have to successfully launch a campaign or activation across multiple
platforms at the same time. Content
delivery and fan engagement are changing and it’s not uncommon to see someone
watching a live game broadcast on TV while interacting with a wireless device.
What will prove to be difficult for these marketers, is their ability to
identify and evaluate the various ways each campaign is delivered across
multiple platforms. The way in which marketers engage with a TV audience is
completely different then the way you would communicate with an online or
social media audience. It will become somewhat of an art for marketers to
successfully market across many different platforms using a single campaign or
activation plan.
How can sports marketers use this
information to make better marketing decisions?
One extremely
positive aspect surrounding the digital platform is its ability to capture
vast, extensive and important data associated with online activity. Sports
marketers are able to collect this data and use it to their advantage when
implementing digital marketing campaigns. They can use this data to pin point
effective and non-effective locations and methods for delivering content to a
specific target audience. For example, when trying to come up with a marketing
campaign around the super bowl it would be extremely helpful if you had access
to information regarding fan bias around the country. You wouldn't want to
waste your time activating a sponsorship that favors The Patriots in a
geographical location that might favor The Giants… lucky for sports marketers, location
based services in cell phones allow data to be collected that assists them in
these important dilemmas. Another positive aspect for them is their ability to
communicate directly to the fans. Guaranteed authentic consumer feedback is a
great feature within this new digital world. Social media allows marketers
direct conversation with their target audience. If a marketing campaign goes
awry it’s almost guaranteed that people will talk about it on Facebook or
twitter. It’s important that marketers have this access because they are able
to re-evaluate the campaign, pin-point where it went wrong and correct the
issues for the future.
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