While the NFL brand could not "be more popular right now," the int'l matches have been "running for 10 years and with that comes a commercial plateau, one that could be smashed were the sport to set up permanently in London," according to Tony Connelly of THE DRUM. NFL UK CMO Sarah Swanson said, "I’m trying to create a sustainable fanbase here if an owner decides to bring a team over. There’s no question that bringing a team over would incrementally increase the fanbase here with a great degree of ease." Her confidence "traces back to the sport's bosses, who have made global expansion among their priorities" as viewing figures in the U.S. "stutter." While her colleagues across the Atlantic analyze the logistical hurdles, Swanson is "focused squarely on how to continue to grow a sport that already packs out stadiums and sees tickets to matches sell out in minutes." Similar to the sport’s domestic efforts, the issue in the U.K. is "how to reach other sports fans, using a blend of influencers, content marketing and esports." Swanson: "We're trying to create content and take it to channels where people are already consuming rather than expecting a new fan to come to our channels." However, the "rub" is reaching this broader audience in a way that "drives passion and loyalty is tricky when there are so many established sports." London "already has 13 professional football teams." Swanson said, "It's a massive sports market but I don't think it's saturated. I've never seen anything like the way we sell tickets in this market, it's extraordinary." M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment Managing Dir Jamie Wynne-Morgan has "every faith that the NFL is capable of doing just that in London." He said, "As an organization the NFL is well versed in creating a fanbase from scratch due to the franchise nature of the sport." While the formula "can be drawn up, its application in a city like London, which has a plethora of passionately supported sports teams already, will prove to be a truly unique undertaking." HSE Cake CEO Adrian Pettett said, "Oversupply is the big issue in sport. Marketing is about creating demand and scarcity, but the pressure to sell -- more tickets, sponsorships, media rights -- means that sports bodies often default to creating more" (THE DRUM, 1/4).
