If nothing else, marketing is fluid, with what is considered to be best practice changing from day to day, as in-house marketing departments and agencies alike do battle to get more eyes on the products and brands they represent.
Nowhere is this more so the case than in sports marketing, where a seemingly endless number of sports and interconnected products vie for the attention of the masses.
Here we look at how sports marketing is changing, and particularly in the US, where the speed of change is arguably most pronounced.
Marketing teams across the US and around the world are knocking their heads together to come up with new ideas that will make their clients stand out from the crowd.
Freeing up Regulation Creates New Synergies
One of the things that has the sports marketing scene buzzing in both the US and Canada is the fact that regulation and red tape is being cast aside. This is allowing sports betting providers and fantasy sports providers to operate freely in states like Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with plenty more states having followed suit or making plans to do so in the near future. This has given a whole new avenue for sports marketeers to explore, because one of the joys of being a sports fan is being able to wager on your favorite team or athlete with help from online deals like free bets or sign-up offers. As most American sports fans will have noticed, sports betting providers and comparison websites like OddsChecker are everywhere now, as marketeers do everything possible to build synergies with leaders in the sports betting sector.
NFTs and the Metaverse Bring Challenges and Opportunity
The jury is still out as to whether NFTs and the crypto technology behind them are legit or are elaborate means of defrauding unsuspecting investors, but the one thing that is for sure is that crypto and NFTs are making a huge splash on the marketing scene. Platforms such as OpenSea, which previously never would have attracted the attention of marketing teams, now have companies lining up to work on brand tie-ins and other marketing placements.
Some sports franchises and leagues are also getting in on the act, minting their very own NFTs or even launching their own branded crypto coins. While some people will argue there is genuine value in this, there will be lots of others who see this all as a very elaborate marketing ploy, to spread a brand image far and wide in the digital sphere. As the idea of Web 3.0 and the Metaverse begin to crystalize, marketeers will increasingly have to be on top of how such digital spaces and platforms work, especially in the US, due to the whole craze being driven by top minds in Silicon Valley.
As debate rages about what the genuine utilities are of crypto currencies and NFTs, marketeers are using these new digital avenues to plough a new marketing furrow
Women’s Sport Continues to Grow
Away from the make-believe world of the Metaverse, women athletes are getting things done out there in the real world, breaking records and smashing all barriers that stand in their way. In a long overdue trend that is sweeping the world of sports, women’s sport is on the rise, and with attention being shown by marketeers who are keen to latch on to the next big thing.
If a company is solely using male influencers and ambassadors to promote their products or brand, someone may need to tell them that it is 2022, and that women’s pro sport is so much more than just yoga and Pilates.
New Sports are Challenging the Mainstream
While digital and gender trends are things that US sports marketing departments should always be abreast of, they also need to be aware of new sports that are coming to the fore. This can most clearly be seen with Esports or with new Olympic sports such as freestyle skiing and snowboarding or even skateboarding. Many of the US sports stars of tomorrow will come from these fresh sports, so wise marketeers would be well advised to build relationships with them now before the whole world does.
