Why brands across industries choose sports marketing to connect to their consumers

What would using Tata Tea have to do with combating sexual violence against women? On the face of it, there seems to be almost no connection at all between an ingredient of a morning drink and self-defence. And yet, as part of the ‘AlarmBajneSe Pehle Jaago Re’ campaign, Tata Tea conducted a unique initiative named ‘Suraksha’ in UP, Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana, which provided basic training in physical and psychological aspects of self-defence. Highlighting the above example was not solely to demonstrate the brand Tata Tea’s social belongingness. What did Tata Tea as a brand stand to gain out of this would be the natural question, isn’t it? Well, through 200+ martial arts experts, it managed to reach and empower 1,04,000 girls from 340 schools spanning over 40 districts. And of course, through those girls, their families as well. The social campaign made it to news for its powerful messaging through action. The example clearly shows, that sports and similar activities serve as a very powerful medium for brands to develop an emotional connect with the target audience. This is just one experiential example of sports marketing, while there are a range of examplesto highlight how Sports Marketing is becoming no. 1 choice for brands to actively engage its audience.

WHAT MAKES SPORTS MARKETING SO EFFECTIVE?

Humans are inherently wired to be competitive. Thus, sports naturally appeal to people. And therefore, marketing through sports tends to stealthily engage people’s attention while they are at a state of mental excitation. As a result, they are bound to assimilate the brand message far quickly. Think about how easily you would recollect advertisements that incorporate elements of your favourite sport within them.

MULTI-POINT ENGAGEMENT

Sports-based marketing need not limit itself to marketing during games. Experiential sports marketing can be conducted across both online and offline channels in diverse ways to generate both,non-transactional and transactional fan engagement. Thus, by running a campaign around a single sports event, you could actively engage sports fans at multiple time-points.

WHAT BUSINESS SENSE DOES IT MAKE?

The objective of all marketing activities is to promote brand awareness and boost sales. As demonstrated by the Tata Tea campaign above, experimental sports marketing is one of the best ways to reach a large audience and get them to have a prolonged exposure to the brand experience. This would easily translate into higher sales for the brand. Even for mid-sized brands with a limited marketing budget, including experiential sports marketing within the marketing mix makes a lot of sense. With the awareness regarding importance of sports in promoting good health driving a growing number of people to participate in sports, it is no surprise that we are seeing a lot more brands showing keen interest to associate themselves with sports and sports teams. Whether you are a start-up looking to expand your reach or an established brand seeking to increase your market share, there will always be exciting commercial gains that sports marketing can deliver for you.