Advertising in Live Sports: 4 Key considerations for Success

As we enter 3Q, live sports are in full swing. The NBA and NHL finals have just concluded their seasons; Paris is preparing to host the 2024 Summer Olympics; and college and pro football are gearing up for the upcoming season. Advertisers have loyal and engaged fan bases consuming their favorite team on a multitude of platforms. Live sports provide a great environment to place your message, engage your audience, and develop brand loyalty. In 2022 alone, advertisers spent an estimated $17.7 billion on national sports programming, up from $14.9 billion in 2021. In 2023, ad spend in live sports remained significant, reflecting its enduring appeal and effectiveness in reaching large and engaged audiences. If you want to harness the power of advertising in live sports, consider the following factors for successful advertising.

Planning early is the first step

Communicate with your media partners your intentions and what goals you hope to achieve with placements in these impactful games. Research the live event and know how many estimated impressions will range within the airing. With streaming platforms, clients should make sure to identify if you will be airing on traditional Linear or mobile tablets. In 2023, traditional television remained a major platform for advertising in live sports with airings on popular networks such as CBS, NBC, ESPN and others. Soccer may reach a younger audience, while golf tournaments may target a more upscale audience.

Placement is key

Before committing to your game, know what you are buying and where the spot will be placed with in the live sporting event. It is beneficial to have your agency research what the ratings & response has been historically for the event.

In the past, Modus Direct has placed Superbowl ads for a few clients and secured strong placement close to halftime and the crucial 2-minute warning.

Additionally securing placement within the 1st and 3^rd quarter breaks is a strategy that has done well in the past for clients. College football continues to draw big numbers from its fan base, making for loyal viewership and new audiences for many clients.

Awareness & Brand Building

While many clients can focus on driving response for their day-to-day campaigns, live sports provide essential elements to a clients’ growth and sustainability with their awareness and brand building capabilities. Live Sports has a broad reach with a blend of traditional TV broadcasts and digital platforms that care about diverse audiences and consumption habits.

Demographic Shifts

Younger demographics increasingly consume sports content through non-traditional channels like social media and short-form video platforms, influencing how sports are marketed and broadcasted. This can allow for more diverse marketing campaigns across television, digital and social channels.

In conclusion, DRTV clients can utilize Live Sports as an essential tool in the campaign toolbox, growing and expanding their brand awareness amongst a new audience. Live sports targets non-traditional DRTV viewers and clients get to showcase their product/ service to a larger audience. The upcoming fourth quarter will be fluid with AEP activity! Modus is already busy securing inventory for their clients to make sure they have the strongest in-game placements with strong pricing. Time to huddle up and score a touchdown with Modus Direct!

Source: https://tvnewscheck.com/business/article/in-challenged-ad-climate-sports-advertising-continues-growth/