March M(ad)ness

Don’t ask me who’s playing because I don’t know. I just wanted to use this as a clever title for this month’s blog post. I stopped playing basketball when everyone got taller than me – which didn’t take very long if we’re being honest.

Speaking of sports, I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about ways to advertise to sports enthusiasts. Our Media Director at work knows this area of expertise very well, so hopefully, I can do this blog post some justice using what I’ve learned from him.

Sports Apps

It’s no surprise everything you do and opt-into is being tracked and recorded. If this is news to you, I welcome you to crawl out from the rock you’ve been under. Once you’ve downloaded the app, agreed to the terms and conditions, we know. If you fit our criteria, we may not target you within the app itself but we can hit you on other platforms. Pretty cool, right?

OTT (Over-the-top)

If you have a sports channel on your Fire Stick, Roku or any other streaming device, this is yet another way we can reach you. You’re not getting out of the ads on Hulu by being on your phone. Odds are you’re getting served the same ad that’s on your TV while you’re scrolling through Facebook. Your IP address is on both your TV and your phone… nice try!

Podcasts

I can name quite a few people who listen to sports podcasts (and or) sports radio. Again, we know what you’re into and can use it to our advantage. I wouldn’t be mad getting an ad for local beer and wings if they’re airing an MLB game. I probably don’t fit the criteria, but I’d take that over an ad for make up any day.

Stadiums

Budget provided, there’s a lot you can do within a sports stadium. Sponsorships, signage, your brand can even be a part of the language used by the announcers. The plus side is you really know your audience – those attending the event. They have no choice but to sit there, so use your messaging to your advantage, as it’s going to capture all of the eyes attending.

Purchase History

If you’re a frequent shopper at Dick’s Sporting Goods – I’d imagine there’s a good chance they have your email. Rewards programs track your purchase history, so they know how many golf clubs you’ve purchased in the past 5 years and send you coupons via mail to get you to buy a new one. Maybe you need your 100th pair of golf shoes. It’s all advertising, folks.

Score

It’s your agency’s job to make sure all tactics make sense for your brand and prove a positive ROI. Your creative needs to make the receiving party do something – whether that’s a purchase of equipment, an event ticket, or wings and beer at your local restaurant to watch the game. Knowing your audience and what motivates them to behave the way we want to is all part of the way advertising works. We’re just that into you, as you’re quite the catch. Pun intended.