The Most Wonderful Time of the Year… in Sports

All the excitement isn39t just happening in the stadiums Almost half of all sports televised hours occur during late August September and October Here39s a closer look at the summerfall classics that marketers can always count on to connect with sports fans whether they39re cheering from the stands or shouting at their TVs from the couchCollege FootballThis sport has continually changed to either meet demands for more games or to realign the conference maps to get as many deserving teams into the Bowl Championship Series amp8212 now Football Bowl Subdivision playoff competition amp8212 as possible This change has resulted in disrupting longtime rivalries as well as creating new ones as the race for money has forced tough decisions within top athletic departmentsDo you remember when the Big 10 a middleofthecountry conference actually had 10 teams It now has 14 including two east coast members University of Maryland and Rutgers At least the Pac10 had the decency to change its name to the Pac12 as it added schoolsThe passion for this sport especially in the Southeast is the driving force behind college athletics and the strategic decisions related to it Jim Fyffe a former Auburn University radio announcer said to me in 1981 quotAuburn football is a religious experience every Saturday in the fallquot That39s as true today as it was back thenThese changes are gold for marketers Whether it39s backtoschool or holiday advertising or simply building affinity through a shared enthusiasm for the sport or a specific team more games mean more opportunities to engage college football fans Home Depot and ESPN for example built a set for College Gameday broadcasts that travels every week to different universities College Gameday is now a coveted traditionNational Football LeagueProfessional football drives countless eyeballs to return to TV screens in September and stay through the New Year New rules new helmets and new hopes for an exciting season are setting the stage for the 20192020 season These changes are among the conversation starters during NFL telecasts which have been a staple in helping advertisers connect with their consumers Timing is perfect to advertise for the holiday shopping season as well as for annual traditions such as new car modelyear releases Marketers such as Verizon Visa and Pizza Hut have long capitalized on the late summerearly fall sporting season The Visa Halftime Show on FOX for example has been a staple of the company39s marketing since 1997 More recently Verizon has signed up with CBS for sports sponsorships The ability to connect in this live environment during this key time of year makes the NFL a highly valuable marketing assetNational Basketball AssociationNational Hockey LeagueBoth the NBA and NHL preseasons begin in September with regularseason action kicking off in October Fans of these sports look forward to seeing how offseason moves could make their team a contender Broadcasts contract with key players such as ESPN WarnerMedia and NBC Sports continue to highlight the benefits of providing quality sports content to viewers After all sports were and are the original reality television Brands such as Nike Honda and Geico benefit from the sports39 sixmonth window of league play by developing a relationship with fans over that timeAdditionally last year the NBA experimented with brand logos on their uniforms They will continue with this in the 20192020 season Don39t be surprised when other leagues follow suitMajor League BaseballMLB39s top teams are close to a payoff after a grueling 162game regular season This last handful of games can make or break the season for many other teams After six months of ups and downs of injuries and recuperation the most ardent fans are sticking by their teams in anticipation and fairweather fans are jamming the stadiums in case of an endofseason rally It39s this enthusiasm that brands can tap into with their advertisingMasterCard and other worldclass brands have taken advantage of MLB from local team marketing to AllStar Game association and right into the postseason But brand association does not happen overnight especially in a sport that has most of its regular season in a low HUT homes using television which partially accounts for ratings environment making it tough to generate big national ratings in the summer The affinity a brand can build with these dedicated sports fans however is worth the time and effortWhat39s NextAs marketers look to the future of sports sponsorship and advertising there are issues they need to consider For instance where will rights for these events migrate to When will streaming rights become more valuable While we may not see major changes in the next few years the inevitability of changes such as the growth of streaming sports on OTT platforms is not far off As my former Visa client John Bennett once told me quotChange is evidence of lifequotIn advertising as in sports you39re only as good as your last atbat So now is the time to ensure that your campaigns are engaging sports fan on TV online and in the stands amp8212 as well as to prepare for the inevitable change in fans39 expectations as technology enables them to view their favorite teams anytime anywhereClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year… in Sports

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Larry Novenstern

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year… in Sports

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Larry Novenstern

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