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The sports marketing landscape in 2024 is laden with opportunity for those willing to adjust their game plan.
At the first ADWEEK Brand Play Sports Marketing Summit, held at the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) in New York, marketers saw how technology not only personalized the gameday experience for leagues, but helped them tell their stories to global audiences who’d likely never see a live game. They learned how important the stories of athletes beyond the game have become to players, leagues and media partners, and how a growing base of streaming partners is distributing those narratives.
They learned how the rise in women’s sports viewership and engagement is as much about the economics behind the surge as it is about the push for equity, but also how sponsors’ race toward Formula 1 fortune encouraged them to walk in fans’ footsteps.
From brands making inroads through NIL deals and esports to Olympic organizers and golf legends pointing out opportunities along the sports spectrum, here’s a highlight reel of the Summit’s best postgame takeaways.
Tech tempers team loyalty
Andy Kauffman, svp of marketing strategy and science for the National Football League (NFL), said fandom is evolving beyond family and regional ties as new fans now gravitate toward players through social media, gaming and fantasy sports—which is great for the league.
“As they interact with more and more touch points, their value goes up not just to our broadcasters to our sponsors and partners, but to the league and clubs as well,” he told ADWEEK executive editor Jameson Fleming.
Manny Puentes, general manager of advertising at Genius Sports, noted that those changes will make league and club interactions with fans less transactional and more conversational—especially as third-party cookies disappear from platforms and leagues and teams pursue more complex solutions. “Having that ability to have a conversation with the fan, is where we’re going in the future versus talking at the fan.”
Connect with fans where they are
Tammy Henault, CMO of the National Basketball Association (NBA) estimates that 99% of her league’s fanbase will never see a live game. The league bridges that gap by playing nearly250 games outside the U.S., where the NBA now draws 25% of its players, and partnering with metaverse properties like Horizon Worlds and Meta Quest.