Page 34 - AdNews Magazine Jul-Aug 2020

Investigation
boardrooms and senior manage- ment, including marketers, love sport,” says Allen. “It’s an easy sell.“
The same with media buyers. “As with marketers, buyers like to be wooed and entertained at sporting events; you will always see them there,” says Allen.
Ashley O’Rourke, director of Publicis Sport and Entertainment, says there is a new challenge ahead for brands wanting to leverage sport as a vehicle to engage consumers.
“Brands, and their agencies, cannot approach their sponsor- ships in the same way they did pre-COVID-19,” he says.
“Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. My feeling is that our industry has needed a reset for quite some time in order for brands to truly maximise the return from their sponsorships.”
A survey by Kantar reported 44 per cent of marketers saying spon- sorship was their least understood channel in terms of ROI.
“I would argue if this survey was taken now, that percentage would be a great deal higher,” says O’Rourke.
“Realistically, it will be quite some time before we start to see packed stadiums and arenas. While that may be scary to some, I gen- uinely see a huge opportunity for brands questioning the validity of their sponsorship portfolio to build a deeper connection not only with their target audience, but also with their rights holder partners — ‘part- ners’ being the crucial word here.
“The way fans consume sport will be drastically different. The inability to attend live sporting events places greater emphasis on the viewing experience broadcast- ers will have to create.
“It was abundantly clear how different sport was without an impassioned crowd reacting to every wayward pass, crunching tackle or dubious refereeing deci- sion when the AFL and NRL tri- alled games played behind closed doors. The viewing experience of sport is different now and so, too, should the ways in which brands look to leverage sport as a way to connect with consumers.
“Similar to the pressures broadcasters are currently fac- ing, I believe that brands should
“If you look at sport audiences more broadly, they’re probably made up of fanatics, fans and followers.”
Matt Granger, Nine’s director of sales for sport.
shoulder some responsibility in coming up with solutions to the new way in which we consume sport, and challenge their agencies to activate their sponsorships in more creative ways to better the overall experience of watching live sport from home.
“There is a huge opportunity to create deeper collaborations between key stakeholders within sport — sharing learnings and insights, and to come out of this with a greater understanding of fans, customers and their consumption habits, ultimately leading to more successful sponsorships.
“Sport is a vital part of Australian culture and society. The brands that use this time to change the way they approach sponsorships, lev- erage entitlements and utilise data insights have a huge opportunity to create more meaningful connections with consumers in the short and long terms; and be able to clearly identify the ROI of sponsorship on their business.
“The future of sport may seem bleak to some, but I think we’re about to see the best of our industry flourish as we tackle this new challenge with creative thinking and the smart use of technology, to ensure spon- sorships play a key role in the way brands connect with consumers.”
Matt Connell, national managing director at MKTG, a leading experi- ential, sport and entertainment marketing organisation, says COVID-19 coronavirus put unprecedented pressure on every level of sport in Aus- tralia and those who work in and around it.
However, live sport remains a powerful vehicle for brands to con- nect with customers.
“When engaged with their favourite team or sport, fans are far more receptive to receiving marketing messaging than any other medium,” he says. “For brands considering sport as a vehicle to connect to customers, the trick is to really think about how you engage with people in a way that is relevant to them, their experience and — above all else — in a way that does not disrupt or create a negative effect on their viewing experience.” Connell says sport serves as a different platform for different brands
and for different reasons.
“For a brand to partner with an athlete that embodies the values of
what that brand stands for, the athlete acts as an ambassador to their customer base,” he says. “This can be an incredibly powerful — but some- times risky — way for brands to build an emotional connection or affinity with their target audience, and tends to be most successful with younger