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Sports marketing was built on the loyalty of avid fans. Those fans inherited team loyalties from their family, engaged with action on the field, and showed their commitment at tailgates, on the bleachers, and by shouting at the screen during live games. And brands served those avid fans and their traditions.
But what happens when two-thirds of sports viewing moments are not characterized by avid, linear sit-downs in front of a big game? Or when half of Formula 1 fans are introduced to the sport through a documentary? Or when Taylor Swift can alter the profile of a team after a single date? And what could happen if sports marketers took these newly-minted, culturally-driven fans seriously as an audience and a fanbase?
Characterized by their interest in what happens off the field more than in the plays and scores, and their consumption of sports as part of a social media diet, On-Demand Fans could become the emerging majority of sports fans.
This thought-provoking piece, titled “Winning The Next Wave Of Sports Fans,” highlights how On-Demand Fans enter sports, how they follow sports differently, and how brands can engage with them through the intersection of sports, culture and technology.
