With the evolvement of tech, Sports is becoming a medium to harbor and nurture innovative technology. To further this statement, the Sports Innovation Lab during CES 2019 stated that they saw an increase in dedicated sports tech companies over the past 10 years. These new companies are setting out to not only change the way tech is shaping sports for advertisers but audiences as well. Key changes in technology within the sports landscape include:
– Consumption of sports via new streaming platforms (Amazon, Twitter, DAZN, ESPN+)
– Tech changing the fundamental nature of the sports fan where they no longer feel a need to have unwaveringly loyalty to one team
– Sports aim to incorporate immersive media to have the face to face experience and promote collaborative viewing that is easily sharable, accessible and affordable
Brands need to become privy to the tech and sports relationship to accomplish an effective campaign. With greater interactivity around sports content, brands need to find a way to be part of the bigger conversations. Secondly, as fans move away from teams and closer to individual athletes, traditional sponsorship of teams may soon become replaced as long-term agreements with sportspeople, a powerful marketing asset for brands. This also enables brands to look into exciting matches and performance of a specific player vs branding around one team. Lastly as tech evolves, brands should be on the forefront of innovative tech. VR is projected to hold 10% of sports viewing by 2020, having exclusive content and access for distant audiences to experience games like a local, therefore brands need to not only adapt and provide a genuine voice within this new space.
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