On March 11, 2020, the NCAA announced that they would be shutting their doors to audience members for the remainder of all March Madness games. From there, things seemed to spiral and hit every other major sport. That very weekend I had planned a trip to see the Spurs play at the AT&T center. I was so disappointed when I heard that games had been canceled indefinitely. I did not realize that things would only become worse from there. Well here we are six months later and things are looking generally the same. But with one big twist. Sports are back, baby! And with that brings questions about sports advertising.
Advertising for sports media is UP overall!
According to a post by Nielson, the sports industry generated $20 billion in sports advertising in 2019 alone. In March, advertisers were pulling their campaigns to account for lost viewership. As with all other things in this tough time though, the world has found a way to adapt. Sports have come back, most notably, the NFL is back. The season kicked off last week with a game between last year’s Superbowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Houston Texans. In a sense, there is a new playbook for how sports teams are going to play this year.
Starting with soccer back in June, sports spectators are no longer allowed to attend games; or will be allowed with limited capacity. According to a post written by Marketing Dive, this will cause a spike in TV ratings by 24-40%. While there is still some uncertainty about whether live sports will be sticking around, the sheer fact that they are even back at this time says quite a bit. It seems like it will take another hefty shift for sports to take another timeout like they did in March.
Digital media efforts is money well spent
No matter what is happening on the field, consumers are hungry for content off the field. Digital media is a tried and true form of advertising in today’s day and age. Digital media can be targeted to specific demographics. It is also being consumed at higher rates in the post-corona world. Social media app usage among sports fans was up 17% at the end of March 2020. While games were not being played, consumers moved to different media platforms to fill the void. It is wise to invest your efforts in platforms that have not been stopped and will not stop even if there is a spike in COVID-19 cases, and the seasons get cut short.
Injustice Awareness in Sports
It has been more than four years since Colin Kaepernick kneeled to show awareness against racism and police brutality. There has been an extreme shift since then in how sports leagues have helped raise awareness against social injustice. While the Black Lives Matter movement has seen many tributes to them during the live shows across all networks. Consumers will be interested to see where each league stands and will drive ratings by tuning in each week.
Advertising is a long term investment and cutting your budgets and campaigns short could cause lasting impacts. Consulting your Account Manager about where to shift, or even if you need to shift is always a good idea. Let us help make your advertising dollars work their hardest so that your brand leaves a lasting impression. Send us an email at [email protected] or call (210) 828-8003 for more information.