CMOs for several major pro leagues said at the '15 IMG World Congress of Sports that they are spending fast-increasing amounts of time on how to best leverage the power of digital platforms such as online, mobile, social and over-the-top. As a result, the once-traditional lines between media content and marketing are blurring more than ever. NFL CMO & Exec VP Dawn Hudson said, "We know the majority of our fans don't attend games, but watch on TV. And the majority of those fans have a digital device with them to further their engagement. And that's just the tip of the iceberg still to come. People aged 18-34 are avidly sports fans, but you see cracks in TV viewership and engagement because they're used to getting content digitally. Generation Z coming up behind them is not about two screens, but five screens. So it's incumbent upon us to figure out how to leverage all those screens. And we can't make the mistake that content delivery is marketing." MLS CMO Howard Handler added, "We'll create more than 600 hours of non-game programming during the course of the season. Content is the ultimate marketing vehicle as a league today.”
YOUTH PARTICIPATION NECESSARY: The panel spent a significant amount of time discussing challenges with youth participation, which is declining for nearly every major sport. Studies consistently show that youth participation is a powerful determinant of future fan avidity. Hudson said, "The reasons behind the declines are complicated. There are a lot of factors. But in the end, access is important. So a lot of what we're doing is around finding ways to boost that access.” NBA CMO & Exec VP Pam El said basketball has a particular advantage when it comes to access because of how easy it is to play alone and in urban areas. "We are aggressively developing additional youth participation programs around the world,” she said. “It is a major strategy and focus for us.” Handler said video games, particularly the globally popular "FIFA" series from EA Sports, which includes MLS, also play a key role. "There is a direct link between playing that game and fandom in our league,” he said.
FAN ACQUISITION A BIG CHALLENGE: The CMOs agreed that fan acquisition is one of the biggest challenges they face, even for mature, healthy properties such as the NFL and NBA. For all of the reach and power of pro sports, there was clear agreement that there is still much that can be done to build audience scale meaningfully. "Our biggest challenge is getting eyeballs on the sport," LPGA Chief Commercial Officer Jon Podany. "Most women's sports are challenged in terms of getting into the conversation. But we are entering an era where we have unprecedented cooperation and awareness from our [media and corporate] partners." Hudson added, "The next generation of fans will consume content and media very differently. That will create a dramatic change." NASCAR CMO & Exec VP Steve Phelps: "Everybody has to find what they have of value and uniqueness and work from there."
