Media fragmentation is a challenge for all marketers, but during a panel at the '17 CAA World Congress of Sports, two prominent sports sponsors said it opens up opportunities for a well-thought out campaign. American Family Insurance has used longer-format digital videos to help build its brand, said CMO Telisa Yancy, and people watch them. The '15 research showing that humans have a shorter attention span than a goldfish -- 9 seconds -- just is not true if you’re using the right sports properties and athletes to tell a story, she said. "I worry about fragmentation, and I also worry about content,” Yancy said. "But if you put the right content in front of the right consumer, they’ll give you not only the seven seconds, but up to 2.5 minutes, and sometimes even more.” Hyundai Motor America CMO Dean Evans went as far as to say that fragmentation is “a competitive advantage,” because he is certain he knows how to cover the sales funnel online for prospective buyers, and then how to use particular sports and TV shows to hit target demographics with a brand message. “And you don’t worry about fragmentation after that,” he said.
Quick Hits:
* Yancy, on political activism from athletes: “We do a really good job up front of vetting whether or not we’re a good fit."
* Evans, on local team deals: "Being part of local teams, like the Minnesota Vikings and the Miami Dolphins … being part of those communities, with dealers and customers, are really how you bring an emotional component to the brand."
* Yancy, on the future of sports marketing: “As long as there are rabid fans somewhere, and some live programming that drives them in, or even streaming, I think the future of the business is solid."
