Five Sports Marketing Strategies To Take Note

Aug. 01, 2019

Author: Ashley Munson

The world of elite level sport is one that combines many facets to give companies a simple and effective route to market. Consider any of the top leagues around the globe that run on a weekly basis – in Europe you have soccer, the US has the NFL, NBA and NHL whilst India has the IPL for cricket, just to list a few examples.

They all attract enormous crowds and present opportunities not commonly available through traditional routes. Here we look at five different ways the sports world can work for your business.

• 5 – UTILISING COMMERCIALS

Times have changed from even a few years ago and now just about every sporting event is shown on some form of media device be it television, radio or a streaming service and the breaks throughout the show – both before, during and after the event – give advertisers the chance to push their product and services to a fairly predictable set of potential customers.

Given that you will know what fixture your material will fit around, allows you to use targeted marketing where you’d normally struggle. For example, a large majority of Formula One fans would see the appeal in motoring products but the same couldn’t be assumed of those tuning into a sitcom.

• 4 – FORGING LINKS

If you’re reluctant to pin yourself to a specific team or sport, then you can try and find a more subtle link to punters; perhaps through an advertising deal with bookmakers. When the NFL draft takes place or the Super Bowl comes around people, regardless of team loyalty, will flock to online betting sites to wager their bets.

What better way to highlight your services to them than to meet them with well-directed banners and videos? You’ll capture a similar demographic but with a fraction of the cost.

• 3 – SPONSOR A KIT

Pretty much every team or sporting individual will wear a kit of some form when partaking in their event. The outlay for sponsors is sizeable – Real Madrid receive €80m from Emirates for their name to appear on the front of their strips – but the returns can be pretty hefty too.

Whilst the deals undoubtedly consist of big numbers it is all relative; remember having your name on a kit of a high profile team doesn’t just get featured on match day, it’s broadcast on every newspaper, magazine and webpage where that team is mentioned and that could get your brand known very quickly. Of course, if you’re in the clothing industry you could even get your name out there by manufacturing the strip!

• 2 – PLAYER AND TEAM AFFILIATIONS

What better way to market your brand than to use the most popular teams and stars on the planet? Grown adults have spent their life dedicated to following sports, and often specific teams, and the kids will be out in playgrounds pretending to be their idols; this will range from full on fantasy to wearing a jersey with the favourite players name on.

Imagine if your product is endorsed by the potential NFL MVP 2019 Patrick Mahomes or World Cup Golden Boot winner Harry Kane; it becomes more desirable instantly regardless of whether it’s a sporting item or something as every day as shower gel because ‘they use it and I want to be like them'.

• 1 – FAN LOYALTY

The single biggest attraction to marketing through sports is that it immediately buys your company a loyalty that would otherwise take months and years to build up. Supporters are so attached to their teams that their results can draw out similar emotions to bereavement when things aren’t going to plan (we’ve all seen fans sobbing in the crowd).

By aligning your name with their ‘love' you gain respect and trust in an instant and that is worth immeasurable amounts to any brand