Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the world of sport.
With sporting events and breaks for much of 2020, the sports marketing industry has experienced large layoffs and tighter budgets, while demand for strategic marketing and communications has soared as brands and sports organizations conducted cause marketing campaigns, some for the first time, targeting COVID Relief.
Sports marketing executives recently shared their reports and lessons learned this year and provided data on how COVID will replace the way brands and sports organizations have interaction enthusiasts and consumers in 2021 and beyond.
Mark Beal – Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, and former managing spouse of Taylor Strategy for sports marketing and entertainment.
SAB: How has COVID replaced the way sports marketing specialists interact with their fan and customer audience this year?
BEAL: The pandemic has forced sports marketing specialists to change and reshape their technique to engage consumers and enthusiasts and be more innovative than ever. If we can get positive effects from the pandemic, I think it has accelerated sports marketing specialists to locate new and cutting-edge tactics for consumers to interact with, as well as avid enthusiasts with activation systems and projects that we may not have noticed for another decade. None of us perceive what we are potentially capable of until we have been subsidized, and that is what the pandemic has done. This forced sports marketing specialists to innovate beyond what they had imagined.
SAB: Were the effects of COVID on sports marketing for the most or worse?
BEAL: In the short term, the effects of COVID on the game marketing industry and other sectors were devastating. The game stopped completely. Sponsors have cut their activation budgets and many other people in the gaming and marketing industries have lost their jobs. In the long term, the pandemic has reshaped the way game marketers will operate now and for many years to come. will emerge from the pandemic more powerful than ever and all the lessons learned around the pandemic will translate into more effective and effective game marketing and customer engagement.
SAB: How have COVID sports marketing specialists had to evolve, which will remain in position in 2021 and beyond?
BEAL: The pandemic has forced sports marketing specialists to spend overnight revelry basically in person on virtual engagements. Virtual access, occasions and revelry are sustainable even if the world returns to where it was before 2020. The pandemic has forced sports marketing specialists to design and turn on remotely and nearly a decade earlier than scheduled, so I think virtual engagement adds a whole new size and opportunity for sports marketing specialists who have massive recoverability and will complement classic sports fun in person.
SAB: What sports marketing trends do you expect to emerge in 2021?
BEAL: According to my recent columns at SportsBusiness Daily, SportBusiness and my interview with The Washington Post, I think 2021 will be the year when sports marketing specialists will nevertheless begin to recognize and perceive the importance of Generation Z (Gen-Z). in terms of good long-term fortune from the sports and marketing business.
Generation Z is the largest customer segment in the world. Sports fans, price ticket buyers, clothing buyers and unwavering customers from sports sponsors are possible, but only if sports markets begin prioritizing this cohort in 2021 and perceive that they cannot market and promote them as fans of previous sports. You want them to interact well with them on the media channels they prefer (YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok) and on their terms. That’s one of the reasons I give credit to the National Hockey League for its innovation and lead other professional sports leagues by creating a Group of Generation Z experts.
In my national boxing poll of Generation Z, people ages 13-23, 80% say they are fans of certain sports. College football (27%) and school basketball (25%) are the highest ranked sports , while leagues like the NFL (24%), NBA (20%) and Major League Baseball (15%) have the vital task of engaging Generation Z. Generation Z told me that the way they sports marketers can start to engage them is to produce and distribute much more content on the media channels they consume (42%), to offer exclusive access, delight and occasions (27%), and to create and maintain a pool of experts Gen Z to count and motivate content Matrix campaigns and fan engagement (27%). I believe that sports marketers who begin engaging with Gen Z in 2021 will be successful for many years to come.
Jason Bergman, founder of MarketPryce, a two-sided market for the athlete market
SAB: How has COVID replaced the way sports marketing specialists interact with their fan and customer audience this year?
BERGMAN: The first thing that comes to mind is the move to virtual marketing and social media plays an even more important role. Of course, this was already the trend, but orders for the house and social distance accelerated it, as evidenced through massive construction. in general e-commerce sales and social media participation records.
I would also say that there is some relativity that comes into play: no matter who we are, athletes, fans or marketing specialists, we all have to stick to the same rules. Being able to relate to an athlete is a wonderful thing for marketing. and seeing an NFL FaceTime superstar in an ESPN interview from his iPhone and cutting himself is identifiable, even if it’s not necessarily the best content.
SAB: Were the effects of COVID on sports marketing for the most or worse?
BERGMAN: Even with new and hidden opportunities, I have to say the worst: the sports industry has lost so much money and layoffs have been so proportionate, it’s hard to say the sum of all the positives.
That said, it shows how adaptable sports marketing can and deserves to be. Marketing is about bringing consumers together where they are, and last year we forced ourselves to do so unexpectedly. Smart marketing specialists target social media in this pandemic to meet their target consumers. participation in social media and e-commerce in general are at record levels.
SAB: How have COVID sports marketing specialists had to evolve, which will remain in position in 2021 and beyond?
BERGMAN: The investment in marketing in the video game streaming industry is as follows. We’ve noticed that the stream took off this year with sites like Twitch, YouTube Gaming and Facebook Gaming, all reaching record levels. During the months of March and April. In the limbo of sports, the transmission of e-sports was one of the only live content available. I think it showed us those of us in sports marketing that there was a serious audience for e-sports and that there was still a huge margin of progress. .
SAB: What sports marketing trends do you expect to emerge in 2021?
BERGMAN: I think it’s fair to expect some kind of pendulum swing for many live occasions once you take positions safely with the enthusiasts present. open practices, meetings and greetings, bars and more, so marketing will focus on that to some extent. As for when it will be in 2021, I don’t think it’s clear.
Also, I expect an increase in endorsements overall. In addition to the ability of NCAA student athletes to initiate marketing deals in July 2021, the pandemic has caused some athletes to lose some of their salary and it would make sense for them to resort to to marketing associations for some of them.
Matt Hochberg, founder of Hochberg Sports Marketing
SAB: How has COVID replaced the way sports marketers interact with their audience of fans and customers this year?
HOCHBERG: COVID has made the connection with sports enthusiasts more non-public and authentic, everyone lived it together. We painted with athletes and the content of their feeds is no longer primarily about their achievements on the field, but about the fact that they were trapped at home with their families like the rest of us. Daily walks, Netflix binge binges, painting outings at home – all incredibly identifiable and allowed a deeper connection with your enthusiasts and subscribers.
SAB: Were the effects of COVID on sports marketing for the most or worse?
HOCHBERG: Overall, it’s been worse. And this is due to the number of sports organizations that have been forced to fire and/or abandon dozens or even piles of workers because of the pandemic. People are what make this industry so unique, and it’s been hard to see friends and colleagues lose their jobs because of COVID.
That said, as in any terrible situation, there are silver lines that we can get out of it. Leagues and groups have the virtual first, which deserves to serve them well as customer behavior continues to evolve. That’s the direction we were already headed, and COVID turned out to be an accelerator.
The immediate expansion of women’s sports, such as NWSL and WNBA, is another positive aspect. Both leagues recorded a record audience last summer and are well placed to continue growing.
SAB: How have COVID sports marketing specialists had to evolve, which will remain in position in 2021 and beyond?
HOCHBERG: Customization. COVID has forced primary extravagances like the NFL draft to radically replace its occasions, and while there’s a lot of skepticism about how the NFL draft would look from Roger Goodell’s basement, the occasion won enthusiastic reviews. Celebrating at home went viral and did so intelligently on live television. And that was demonstrated: NFL broadcast partners attracted a total of 15. 6 million viewers on night No. 1, surpassing the previous record of 12. 4 million viewers in 2014.
I hope leagues like the NFL and NBA adopt some of those house features for long-term events.
SAB: What sports marketing trends do you expect to emerge in 2021?
HOCHBERG: I hate to look like a scratched record, but I think we’re just seeing the beginning of personalization in professional sports. Wherever you look, content and storytelling are more personal.
Patrick Mahomes and his marketing team have developed a social strategy based on original content, providing their enthusiasts with an exclusive look at their lives, allowing Mahomes the narrative. And before that, in November, he introduced his own product line, 2PM, named after the star quarterback’s nickname.
Matisse Thybulle introduced a YouTube channel while in the NBA bubble, giving the world a first-hand attitude of life in the never-before-experienced bubble. any of the NBA Atlantic Division groups combined (76ers, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors).
In addition to telling stories of athletes, leagues and sponsors will remain artistic in their messages and will have home interaction enthusiasts. Look at Tide and the NFL. After the NFL banned the exchange of players’ jerseys after games due to the pandemic, the league asked Tide as a spouse to conduct the designated exchanges and manage the new process. Now wash your T-shirts, mail them, and create content around the experience. .
David Artzi, founder of DA Athlete Marketing, a full marketing and brand service of the NFL and NBA
SAB: How has COVID replaced the way sports marketing specialists interact with their fan and customer audience this year?
ARTZI: Fortunately, social media has been a great way to succeed in consumers before and during the pandemic (I think even more now during the pandemic, everyone has more downtime). I think from the logo point of view, you’ve noticed it year (and keep seeing) budgets for in-person/physical activations are moved to strictly digital/social activations. This means that while presenting express logos on behalf of players, you want to provide the logo with a broader “menu” to decide and give them artistic tactics to succeed in consumers who will stand out more on all platforms. The typical publishing concept of an athlete who simply holds a product and smiles while tagging the logo is not as valuable as before: there will have to be more substance.
SAB: Were the effects of COVID on sports marketing for the most or worse?
ARTZI: I think it’s actually going in any direction. On the one hand, many of the athletes’ associations/recommendations included a facet of physical activation (such as attending an industry display on behalf of a brand or organizing a company-sponsored meeting, etc. ), so it’s definitely a sadness when you bring COVID to the picture. On the other hand, the pandemic naturally pushes us, as marketing specialists, to be more artistic when it comes to running with our players. It was thought that the pandemic used by this new creativity may become the norm for the foreseeable future.
SAB: How have COVID sports marketing specialists had to evolve, which will remain in position in 2021 and beyond?
ARTZI: E-sports and game streaming were big winners, especially during the pandemic. More downtime gave others more time to locate hobbies and enjoy recreational activities. together with their agent, Cameron Weiss, in Dynamic Sports Group) they have discovered tactics to monetize their logo even more. Building a broad audience on platforms like Twitch can over time provide sponsored recommendations. The two things that have become even bigger than Covid : video games / E-Sports and sports cards. Worry about those two, whether you’re an athlete or not.
SAB: What sports marketing trends do you expect to emerge in 2021?
ARTZI: As in the last question, the game will also get bigger for sports marketing in general, the virtual fan concepts followed by the NBA (and soon others) were brilliant, ingesting a way for fans to worry about the action from anywhere in the world. Even when things return to normal and begin to allow enthusiasts to attend occasions in person, I still think this concept is here to stay.
Layton Lassiter is a public relations and sports marketing manager at Sports Agent Blog and SportsMarketingReview. com.
Twitter: @laytonlassiter Email: laytonlassiter@outlook. com