Beyond the final whistle – sport is about more than just the game
There was once a time when fans’ access to sport was limited to a televised match, a few back pages of the newspaper and an in-depth, post-match discussion at the pub with a few mates. While these methods are still as important as ever, the extent to which fans can now interact with their favourite sporting codes is mind-boggling.
“Sport is about more than just the game itself,” says Michael Wilkins, managing director, sport, gaming and wagering at News Corp Australia. “The deeper engagement often comes before and after the game, when you’re building up to it or reading the post-match analysis.”
That deep engagement is incredibly attractive to advertisers, in an industry plagued by content oversaturation and ever-shortening attention spans. “Sports fans are some of the deepest in terms of attentiveness,” says Wilkins. “They operate at their most attentive and their most engaged when they’re watching, reading or thinking about the game.”
But instead of trying to capture every moment of a fan’s attention in an 80 or 90-minute slot, brands are beginning to realise the endless opportunities with sporting fans, outside of the game and the season, which have the potential to be even more valuable.
“We’ve got to reach them in the moments that matter. We’ve got to reach fans when they’re at their peak of interest, which often happens in the weeks leading up to, and just after, each event – think State of Origin.
“The stories and consumer – or fan – engagement can be centred around who’s playing, who’s not, the tactics, the rivalries, the stars, the coaches, the training, the injuries, expert and insider tips and what they’re expecting. The consumption of that content is intense and very rich. It can be extended and amplified in so many different ways. It’s really about making sure we deliver an impactful message to the consumer, in every moment they engage in their sport, and placing a brand in front of them. We call it fan rights.”
While traditional sponsorships and broadcast rights remain an important option for advertisers, the cost can often outweigh the benefit, especially when it comes to measuring the ROI.
“There’s definitely a place for brands to invest in being part of a televised game. The halo effect of sports rights is one thing you would hope to achieve, but it’s also hard to measure. At the end of the day, you only have 90 minutes to engage people,” says Wilkins. “And you’ve got to remember people spend a large proportion of their time focused on what’s actually happening with the players and the sport in the lead up to the match. How are you engaging them? And how would you say the sponsorship delivered you x, y, z?”
At News Corp’s annual Come Together event, advertisers were offered a chance to think beyond the game. Code Block offers category exclusivity across News Corp’s print and online coverage and Supercoach of a chosen code, including AFL, NRL, cricket, motorsport and racing.
“Brands can spend millions and millions of dollars on traditional TV rights, but with Code Block you can own the fans in every moment around the game, all year long,” explains Wilkins. “Yes, rights are one thing, but they are incredibly expensive. Code Block offers consumer/fan rights at a fraction of the cost of traditional sports rights, with deeper and richer engagement across all the content produced by News Corp Australia.”
And what about the issue of measurement? Aside from reaching highly engaged fans for longer, News Corp’s massive collection of data points means it can offer measurable, targeted campaigns that are more relevant. “We are crunching a lot of segmented data, particularly with our partnerships. Overlayed with our readership data, brands can more effectively deep dive into a lot of different targeted customer segments.”
As a result, the opportunities selling to sports fans can go far beyond sportswear and the latest trainers. Fan Connect – also announced at Come Together – allows clients to engage with over 85 customised fan segments (verticals). While News Corp has data on 1.8 million hyper-passionate fans, it’s when that data is combined with other verticals that it really comes to life.
Sports fans spend most of their lives outside of a sporting context. They have a particular job, they have families, they get hungry and thirsty, they drive cars and they commute. They are in the market for a home loan, they’re looking to travel and they like to spoil themselves and others. Think of the advertising potential of the 96,000 cricket fans who regularly eat fast food, the 53,000 live sport lovers who are ready to buy a new car, or the 55,000 AFL fans searching for a home loan.
“We’re not saying sports brands are the only brands that work in sport,” says Wilkins. “It can be anything from FMCG to cars to finance to fashion and food.”
Click to play: highlights of News Corp’s Come Together 2019 journeys
Sports fans are not just the footy and cricket obsessives who spend their days glued to the big games. Advertisers need to realise the power of the community sport lovers who spend their weekends at the local oval cheering on their kids’ match. If fans are at their most attentive when watching or reading or thinking about their sport, then those fans who are actually out in the community playing or cheering on their children and their favourite local team are on a whole other level.
If publishers can tap into this dedication effectively, they can offer a very authentic proposition for advertisers, as Wilkins explains: “Our brands operate at every level of sport in Australia, around the country, from global national teams to grassroot local and club sports.”
From coverage of local games and big events to that all-important analysis piece that helps a fan in their quest to become an expert, advertisers must realise the value of wide-ranging sports coverage in delivering their brand message.
Brands need to see sports fans as more than a number on a free-to-air TV ratings chart, but as complex individuals who exist outside of their living rooms. If fans exist beyond the 90 minutes, so do the opportunities for brands to talk to them. For Wilkins, the solution for advertising and marketing professionals is obvious: “Think beyond the game.”