A new year brings the buzz of championship games, entertainment award shows, music festival lineup releases, and exciting event announcements. With the addition of the Winter Olympics and World Cup, 2018 is set to be a major year for live events.
With a significant investment within a very small window of opportunity, it is crucial marketers make the most of capturing audience attention and make a lasting impact.
However, only 35% of marketers consistently measure the impact or effectiveness of their sponsorship activities. 1
Brand marketers who choose to measure the effect of their sponsorship dollars tend to primarily focus on reach and awareness
tactics.2
To help your brand achieve the greatest ROI from live event initiatives, Exponential developed a playbook of winning strategies for brand marketers across all verticals to drive measurable results during pre-game, gameday, and post-game.
Leading up to events, athletes are perfecting their skills, artists are finalizing their set lists, and celebrities are drafting their acceptance speeches on tiny pieces of paper. Although it may seem like the pre-game is just the warm-up, brand marketers have the opportunity to make major impact. In our connected world, anticipation is everything for audiences; content teasers excite and impact an audience nearly as much as the final product.
Take the Big Game for an example. When looking at search term data for “Super Bowl Commercials 2018”, you’ll see spikes in interest leading up to game day and then an abrupt decline.
Two weeks before game day, we see significant activity from consumers as sponsors introduce and tease out content. Search data peaks on the day after the Big Game when media coverage is at its height and quickly declines thereafter.
Users’ anticipation for sponsorship content was even GREATER than the afterglow. Surprised?
PRE-GAME IS ESSENTIAL TO A BIG WIN ON GAMEDAY
By monopolizing on their anticipation, you’re setting yourself up for great success on gameday.
It’s gameday. You’re excited, probably nervous, but most of the work’s already been done for you. Your spot is finalized, your social team is at the ready, and you’ve capitalized on your audience’s anticipation! What’s the catch? Pun intended. Gone are the days where you have your viewer’s undivided attention.
To win game day, you need to maximize audience impact by distributing your content wherever your audience’s eyes will be: everywhere.
61% of adults aged 18+ use a desktop or laptop simultaneously while watching TV, 51% use a smartphone, and 25% use a tablet. Even during the big game, it’s hard to maintain audience attention. 6
Connect with your audience during all stages of the purchase funnel, through all ad sizes, mediums, and devices.
Game over. The post-game… the aftermath. What do you do now? Sit back, take a deep breath, count the number of impressions until interest quickly fades, and then back to the drawing board? Not quite!
The sponsorship of the future is about making victories last much longer than 30 seconds. In 2017, an average 30 second TV spot for the Oscars cost $1.9 to $2 million,7 according to Kantar Media.
WHEN PLANNING YOUR NEXT EVENT SPONSORSHIP, ASK YOURSELF WHAT’S MORE VALUABLE – AN ADDITIONAL 30 SECONDS ON AIR, or reaching relevant audiences online and connecting impact to measurable results?
Combine Real-Time Machine Learning with VDX Connect
for an all-encompassing solution, providing a seamless and consistent experience, and ultimately driving measurable results.
Coaches and players, performers and their audiences, sponsors and consumers. They all need each other to win.
Why should sponsorship efforts stop at branding metrics when you can physically drive users to purchase? A partnership with Exponential will ensure that the impact of your event sponsorship doesn’t fade with time but delivers lasting ROI with your customers and brand ambassadors.
Please contact sales@exponential.com for more information about how to engage in a partnership with Exponential.
1. Hartley, Paul. “Measuring the Value of Sponsorships: The High
Impact but Oft-Forgotten Area of Brand Research.” FreshMR, 24 Mar. 2015,
www.marketstrategies.com/blog/2015/03/measuring-the-value-of-sponsorships/.
2. Nanji, Ayaz. “How Marketers Measure the
Effectiveness of Sponsorship and Event Initiatives.” MarketingProfs, 20 Nov. 2013,
www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/12106/how-marketers-measure-the-effectiveness-of-sponsorship-and-event-initiatives.
3. “Commercial Trends in Sports 2017.” What
People Watch, Listen To and Buy, Nielsen, 9 Mar. 2017,
www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports/2017/commercial-trends-in-sports-2017.html.
4. Molla, Peter Kafka and Rani. “2017 Was the Year
Digital Ad Spending Finally Beat TV.”Recode, Recode, 4 Dec. 2017, www.recode.net/2017/12/4/16733460/2017-digital-ad-spend-advertising-beat-tv.
5. Google Trends Search Function
6. “Devices Used Simultaneously
While Watching TV Among US Internet Users, by Generation, July 2017 (% of
respondents in each group)” eMarketer 8 Jan, 2018, www.totalaccess.emarketer.com/chart.aspx?r=215458
Data is from the January 2018 YuMe and Nielsen
"Connected TV Fast Forward." 2,410 US internet users ages 18+ were
surveyed online during June 27-July 11, 2017
7. Berg, Madeline. “ABC Oscar Ad
Revenue Tops $115 Million Despite Last Year's Low Ratings.” Forbes,
Forbes Magazine, 23 Feb. 2017,
www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2017/02/23/abc-oscar-ad-revenue-tops-115-million-despite-last-years-low-ratings/.