Sports properties saying they are interested in mining the advantages of Big Data is one thing. Actually making sense of all the available fan, consumer and demographic data is quite another, and that’s where Umbel is seeking to forge a niche. Company founder and CEO H.O. Maycotte has a long history in startup businesses. At Umbel, his latest venture, he’s seen the group work with auto racing’s Circuit of the Americas and help create and develop the TD Garden Business Network, a B2B program built around the Boston arena’s premium-seating areas.
“
A team or venue can literally help facilitate networking and become an active conduit in the community to bring together business. It is a very exciting opportunity that is just getting started.”
 |
Photo by: UMBEL
|
On the types of opportunities that exist for sports entities with Big Data: We all have a lot to learn from Big Data. For sports in particular, I believe we are about to see a huge shift in the way fan-based data is collected, understood and acted upon. The notion that a team, league or venue can actually take ownership and control of their fan data directly, and treat it as an asset, is a paradigm that will empower better fan experience and more effective business strategies across the board.
On the challenges to adoption and implementation: Less than tradition, I believe it is more about the lack of sufficient expertise. In general, teams don’t have a lot of human capital to devote to undefined or unknown initiatives. There is also a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem where there is a capital expense in data that is required to properly build a system plus a need to have significant human resources that are scarce and expensive.
On what brands want in their sponsorship spend: Brands want clear metrics around results. They are also interested in expanding the relationships of the brands, teams and fans beyond just an impression to more of an integrated fan experience. This is where Big Data should be applied: in unlocking the ability to create more custom, relevant experiences and build relationships between fans, brands and teams at scale.
On dealing with fan reluctance to share data: When a fan grants access to his or her data, it is an honor and a responsibility. Agencies, Big Data companies and internal marketing teams alike must fully respect the fan and their data and intelligently enhance their experience so that they will continue to have trust and build relationships that last. Delivering value for data sharing is the unwritten yet very important rule. The faster you can deliver that value, the better.
