Page 33 - AdNews Magazine Jul-Aug 2020

Willee gives the examples of David Leckie, the former CEO of Seven, who pioneered the tactic of using the Australian Open tennis to promote the rest of the sched- ule, and had huge success with Lost and Desperate Housewives in 2005.
More recently, Nine grabbed the Australian Open from Seven and used it successfully to pro- mote and reinvigorate Married at First Sight and make its 6th and 7th seasons ratings juggernauts.
“Ultimately advertisers have mixed feelings about sponsoring and getting involved with sports broadcasts,” says Willee.
“There’s no doubt that when it’s done right the brand can enjoy sig- nificant benefits. The downside is it’s expensive and possibly some of the most cluttered advertising environments that exist.
“Depending on who you listen to, the days of huge payments from broadcasters to sports companies are over and prices are going to come down. Or perhaps that’s just a bit of megaphone diplomacy by the broadcasters trying to drive down the price?”
Allen says it is often argued that live sports is the most engaged TV programming.
“They still mostly provide large broad-based audiences,” he says. “However, any premium is becom- ing harder to achieve.”
Why do brands want to be associated with sport? “Cynically — and no marketer will probably ever agree with this — most of the
A deep link with consumers
The live action is back.
Coles CMO Lisa Ronson says sport is a great vehicle if that connection can live beyond paid media.
“Any brand can advertise during broadcast but to ensure you get a strong return, the connection must go much deeper and add value to that audience so they, in turn, will consider buying your product,” she says.
“Australians are passionate about sport. From a very young age, we select sports and teams that represent us, where we live, our values ... we care deeply about our teams.
“These choices in many ways shape our development, and sport has a very deep and emotional link for many of us.
“By sponsoring sports a brand can tap into that passion and target new audiences. If done well and your brands share a similar purpose, and stand for similar values, you’ll ensure a positive transfer of equity that can build long-term brand structures with your target audience.
“Done badly, with mismatching values or worse, the selection of sports or teams led by the so-called ‘chairman’s choice’ can be a mismatch and have detrimental outcomes.”
But sports, like all Australians, are sharing the pain of economic shutdown.
“I think you’ll see many sports reconsider their cost structures and
in the short-term, player salaries will take a big hit,” she says.
“On the positive side, sports, like all brands, have looked at evolving and many should come out of this stronger than before.
“As soon as we are allowed
out you can expect a surge in attendance, but it’s a great time to improve customer experience at stadiums and should be a reminder that consumers have choices.”
Ronson believes expensive is
a relative term. Sport is only valued at what the market will pay.
“We have a limited audience in Australia and only a few of our sports have large global appeal (e.g. AFL).
“So sports are only worth what local advertisers are willing to pay to access their audience. It’s really that simple.
“The cost structures within each sport need to sustain their promotion, team salaries, etc, and there needs to be enough left in the tank to continue to develop the game at a grass roots level. The AFL is a great example of that.”
Ronson says sportspeople
can be positive role models and great ambassadors, and they can influence an audience to buy new products. However, as we all know, they are also fallible and that can result in negative impacts. The key is to find ambassadors who have values aligned with those of your brand or company. This is critical from an authenticity point of view.
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