It’s 2022, and advertising is taking flight like never before! There’s so much more to TVCs and social media marketing now. Influencer collaborations, celebrity endorsements and sports marketing! Yes, think about the latest FIFA World cup or Men’s T20 Cricket cup. Recall brands you saw on the pitch. Plenty, right? So, welcome to the world of Sports marketing. You sure know the meaning and basics of it. But do you know why brands spend crores on the same? Let’s dig a little deeper and understand that. 

A marketing strategy aimed at promoting sports events, equipment, products or services through a team or a player is defined as sports marketing. Organisations get involved in the planning, execution and advertising of the same.

The question today is, why not? Sports have a massive following like no other. It reaches millions of people across the globe. So, brands jump into the bandwagon to leverage and capitalise on the huge fan base. It enables brands to position their presence, products or services to a new set of potential target customers. 

 

Moreover, sports marketing also opens up various visibility opportunities for brands. For example, there’s the venue where the matches are being conducted and television sets where people watch these and their phones. Therefore, all these formats open up new horizons for advertisers.

 

And that’s not it. Sports marketing goes far beyond this. Let’s check it all out.

The very first benefit of sports marketing is brand awareness. Imagine spotting a brand name at the stadium/ on your favourite players’ jerseys. You’re going to look into it more, right? That’s the brand’s job done. You now know about them. This way, a new audience is now familiar with your brand and is intrigued to buy from you.

Loyalty is very much relevant for all business segments. With sports marketing, brands can leverage highly on that. Potential customers already associate as fans with specific teams and players; therefore, you know they care about it. As a result, when they see the association of a brand with them, credibility is assured.

Brands can derive value and garner sales from the sale of team merchandise. The same is even linked to the ticket sales of a particular sporting event.

Many researchers have liked sportsman associations to increase brand return on investment over the years. A clear plan of action, combined with the right celebrity collaboration, primarily results in achieving the set goal.

Nowadays, you can find hundreds of contenders in the same business segment. And therefore, there’s always a constant battle to stand apart with brand differentiation. The distinction lies not only in the product or services but also in the way these are communicated to the end consumer. Here, a sports marketing association comes in very handy. You are more likely to remember a beverage that Virat Kohli informed you about than one you saw on a normal TVC.

Association with a known team, player or sports association is linked to increased customer credibility. Eventually, this results in the creation of goodwill and builds a trustworthy perception. It motivates customers to follow the ‘If they can trust this brand, so can I’ mindset. 

If persuaded well, there are high chances for interested consumers to turn into actual customers of the brand. In comparison to normal campaigns, events with sportsman associations tend to generate better quality leads.

Now that you know about the benefits of sports marketing, it is also important to remember that these can be achieved only through the right way and medium. So let us look at multiple possibilities of the same.

This kind of strategy involves brands getting involved in the advertising of sports to the viewing public. The same can be extended with the promotion of sports, events and teams. Hotstar offering cricket viewership is one prime example.

In this strategy, brands use a specific sport to grow a business that is not directly linked to sports. This includes associations with teams or players to promote products/services.

This kind of marketing strategy focuses on the direct promotion of sports. It aims at enhancing the popularity of the sport, players and teams to huge masses. Moreover, the focus caters to the public and their benefits. Along with brands, this strategy is also ideal for charitable organisations and governmental bodies.

You may like to read: Unique Christmas Gift Ideas, Find Your Nearest Gift Store in India 

The process includes the following steps.

Before diving into any marketing strategy/campaign/plan, it is essential to analyse your target audience. Look out for factors such as location, age, interests, income and more. The same will help you determine the message, the communication channel and the method.

There is a lot of clutter out there. For customers to know about your brand and your offerings, there’s no option but to stand out. This can be achieved through content that goes beyond the ordinary. Here, strategies like sports marketing come into the picture. It attracts more potential clients to your business and speaks to them across touchpoints.

Nothing great can be achieved in isolation. The same stands true for brand partnerships and sports marketing strategies. Associating with charities/influencers increases the chances of your brand’s visibility and profitability.

Different sets of target audiences resonate with different methods of receiving information. For example, you might resonate with an ad on Instagram, and your parents might feel indifferent towards it. Therefore, brands must pay close attention to their target group and select the right distribution channels accordingly. Today, there are various options like blogs, emails, TVCs, social media promotions, print, outdoor and more.