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SBJ Marketing: Combating "Zoom Fatigue" In Virtual Experiences


On a quick, and altogether too rare, trip into Manhattan last week, I couldn’t see inside any Midtown retailer -- all their windows were boarded up, in anticipation of post-election demonstrations, which never materialized. Here’s hoping for more clarity in general, after a decidedly opaque 2020.

 

WORDS OF WISDOM

  • “You will ultimately be defined by the sum total of your responses to circumstances, situations and events that you probably couldn't anticipate, and, indeed, probably couldn't even imagine. So just keep your eyes on the course and be ready to move in different directions, depending upon the crises and opportunities with which you are faced.” -- David Stern

 

MARKETERS LOOK TO SPICE UP VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

  • Experiential marketing vanished back in March, replaced largely by Zoom "experiences." Yes, these Zooms don’t quite provide the sociability or human contact we crave. But as GMR Chief Partnership Officer Adam Lippard observed, "Your choice is doing nothing, so…"

  • So, after eight months of pivoting from experiential to virtual, is there a model that works? “It took convincing, but now clients understand that a videoconference and a virtual experience are vastly different,’’ said Intersport President Brian Graybill"There absolutely is Zoom fatigue, so the experiences had better be anywhere from unique to never been done before."

  • Octagon President of Marketing & Events for North America Lou Kovacs cited two “experiences" on behalf of MasterCard as paradigms: A culinary presentation pairing tennis star Naomi Osaka with chef/restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson, and virtual tours of Wrigley Field with the head groundskeeper addressing field maintenance and the head chef preparing the perfect Chicago hot dog. "That pairing of on and off court is powerful, especially now," Kovacs said.

  • The few actual events Octagon has been able to put on for clients -- like Kentucky Derby watch parties on behalf of MGM -- produced better-than-expected results. "There’s pent-up demand, not just for sports, but for social interaction," Kovacs said.

  • Chrissy Delisle’s events company, The Delisle Group, normally stages dozens of culinary events around sports, including The Masters, Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby. Last night, the San Francisco-based outfit staged its first live event since early this year -- an outdoor, socially distanced dinner for 50 at the Thomas Keller Golf Classic in Napa. Delisle also has produced 20-25 virtual experiences with top chefs, with more holiday-themed chef experiences planned for the rest of the year. 

  • "Everyone’s getting virtual fatigue, so an emcee is a must," she said. "And 45 minutes to an hour is as long as they should go. Studios get stuffy, so we did some events from a vineyard. And everyone wants to go behind the scenes, so don’t forget that."

 

Octagon set up a virtual tour of Wrigley Field on behalf of Mastercard

 

BIG QUESTIONS FOR THE BIG GAME

  • Those in sports business know Super Bowl week is an industry convention followed by a football game of some consequence. However, the more people we talk to about the upcoming Super Bowl in Tampa, the more convinced we become that it won’t be much more than the football game.

  • Hospitality commitments are plummeting daily and any form of client entertainment takes approval four or five levels up from a normal year, because of COVID liability concerns. Companies are starting to reduce commitments or fold up entirely and allocate more money to the 2022 Super Bowl site: the new SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

  • QuintEvents Partner John Langbein said sales of ticket and hospitality packages for events later in 2021 -- like the Kentucky Derby and golf's U.S. Open -- are robust. For Tampa, “we went from the strongest Super Bowl demand in history last year [in Miami] to one that’s a question mark. We know there’ll be limited inventory, which could help pricing, but there’s a certain amount of people that are just scared to go."

  • “The hospitality and events side of Super Bowl is just getting obliterated,’’ said IPG 360 CEO Jeff Marks, who has been to every Big Game since 2011, but will be sitting this one out. “It’s hard to imagine how any of those big corporate parties can even be held.”

  • ICM agent Mark Zimmerman normally books talent clients like Mike Golic for 10-15 Super Bowl appearances. This year, he’s guessing it will be only a few -- and none are booked yet. “It’s hard to see any big brand sending 100 people and their best clients this year," Zimmerman said. "And now, every expense is scrutinized." Said Intersport's Brian Graybill: “I’ve heard less enthusiasm and conversation around Super Bowl than at any time in my career. No one’s going to question staying at home; someone will question if you go, so most people are keeping their powder dry."

 

 

FILLING SEATS

  • Because of the make-good economy, sponsors and their agencies have been telling us for months that they have excess inventory -- as far as media and hospitality assets -- often with no firm date as to when those can be used. So maybe durable goods are the solution.

  • Furniture licensee DreamSeat -- which sells commercial-grade team-logoed sofas, club seats, recliners, and office chairs ranging from around $180 to more than $1,000 -- has lately been supplying teams with its furniture to use as make-goods for suite- and season-ticket holders, as well as other commercial rightsholders. “We’ve done co-branded chairs for team sponsors, mostly NFL," said DreamSeat President Chandler Suprina. "It’s a way to have an enduring presence when everyone’s working from home and no one’s inside stadiums, and we deliver them in a week."

  • DreamSeat added an NFL license to its MLB, NBA, NHL and collegiate offerings this fall, and is selling to consumers through Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Fanatics and its own zipchair.com site.

  • The company’s commercial side, which supplies logoed furniture to many college and pro sports teams for their offices and training centers, still represents the lion’s share of the business, and adds authenticity. However, during the pandemic, commercial sales have slowed and consumer sales are up, reflecting a positive trend for “domestics” that extends across licensed sports products. "We’re hoping a lot of people stay working from home," said Suprina with a laugh.

 

DreamSeat added an NFL license to its MLB, NBA, NHL and collegiate offerings this fall

 

SPEED READS

  • Youth sports apparel brand Outerstuff, one of the NFL’s largest and most tenured clothing licensees, has extended its longtime league rights for four more years after this season. “They’ve been a key partner of ours for a long time, they are important across the industry and they’ve been a great partner for the NFL in the youth area, which is particularly important,” NFL Senior VP & Head of Consumer Products Joe Ruggiero told me.
  • Avocados From Mexico, which is skipping a TV ad during this season's Super Bowl telecast, is “reaching out to retailers about a football-focused marketing push tied to the ‘Big Game,'" per Ad Age. The brand “will send stores free ‘Make The Big Game Your Bowl Game’ displays including in-store signage” featuring Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews. One brand that will have a TV ad during this season's Super Bowl -- WeatherTech.
  • Bubba Watson and Ping have agreed to a lifetime contract, which is a "rarity in an industry where most club and ball agreements last only a few years," per Golf.com. Meanwhile, Golf Digest notes Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau have re-signed with Bridgestone to play its golf balls.

 

 

 

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Something on the marketing beat catch your eye? Tell us about it. Reach out to either me (tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com), Ted Keith (tkeith@sportsbusinessjournal.com) or Austin Karp (akarp@sportsbusinessjournal.com) and we'll share the best of it. Also contributing to this newsletter is Olivia Green (ogreen@sportsbusinessdaily.com).