The changing nature of content is forcing sports marketers to play by new rules to connect with fans, said panelists in the opening session of the ‘15 Intersport Brand Engagement Summit at the Westin Chicago River North. The goal is to create more content that gives fans and consumers a sense of inside access. "Social content is the new rule," said Intersport Senior VP/Sponsorships & Events Jason Langwell. "As new channels open up, rougher is better in terms of content." The new rules of engagement will be tailored-made for a variety of consumers, said White Sox Dir of Marketing & Analytics Beth Grabowski. "We are moving into an era of customization," she said. "It is about us getting more comfortable with companies taking on more information. It is upon us to then serve our customers." NBC Sports Ventures VP/Sales Steven Justman said sports provides the best vehicle to offer consumers premium content. He said, “There are many definitions of content, but it is [primarily] to entertain and engage. Sports is the best platform to do that." But not all brands are able to distribute content as they please. PNC Financial Services Group VP/Corporate Sponsorships Molly Sapienza noted the particular challenges that face financial institutions. "We are a highly regulated industry as to how we communicate with customers,” she said. “We are not able to push out unique content. As relates to sponsorship, it is more about industry news. We are looking for opportunities for teams and properties to produce unique content that we can sponsor. We are looking for special material that we can partner on, and it's about having multiple touch-points in a meaningful way. "
TRYING TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS: Gatorade Global Dir of Sports Marketing Jeff Kearney said the brand will continue to push to make more meaningful connections between consumers and athletes. "People want to get closer," he said. For beer giant A-B InBev, one of the new rules is to use consumers to help deliver the marketing message. "The biggest change for us is going from a world of mass communication to a mass of communicators," said A-B Head of Global Experiential Platforms Eelco van der Noll. "It is now almost that you are putting themes out there. The audience will do that work for you." van der Noll also addressed the corruption scandal surrounding FIFA, of which A-B is a long-time sponsor. "We all woke up with the front-page news," he said. "All I can say is we, as a company, are holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards."
