The big sporting brands know this and use the relevant tools – the same products that are curated by Ideation Station – primarily for content creation and fan engagement, but also for the collection of data that enables them to continuously grow their fan base and improve on their communications. 

“All three pillars are equally important, as they all feed into each other,” says Moyo. “But if I had to pick one that would be beneficial to future strategies, it would be data. In-depth data allows us to know who our customers are and communicate better with them via their preferred channels and at times when they are most responsive to our messaging.”

While the objectives of sports marketing have traditionally been to reach as many new and loyal customers as possible – be heard and sell – the 21st century consumer doesn’t want to be shouted at or sold to, they want campaigns and strategies that relate to them, ideas they can engage with. 

Today’s sports marketing goals have shifted to a focus on mass engagement, and achieving this degree of success will depend on the diversity of your digital media and your use of the three main pillars of the sports marketing trifecta. 

“Content is what will attract consumers to your brand,” continues Moyo. “Once they are engaging with your content, you can start having a conversation. If the content puts the fan in a good place, then they are more likely to take in other messages that a brand puts out.”

As sports sponsorship spend comes under scrutiny and stakeholders justifiably demand tangible ROI that is reflected at the tills, today’s brands want bottom line growth. As organisations become smarter in how they are utilising their sponsorship budgets, we are seeing more creative uses of the sponsorship space in South Africa.

A good example of this is how Carling Black Label created the "Be The Coach" campaign in 2011. Aiming primarily for the passion point and using product sales as a secondary part, the campaign allowed fans to be the quintessential armchair coach that always knows best about which players to pick for the team.

Using purchase as a point of entry, the campaign built a database of over 10 million interactions over a seven week period.  Tickets for the historic match set new records with 85 000 fans attending and millions more watching at home. Consistently tweaked over the years, the campaign keeps on getting good results.

“Brands need to make the fan feel like they are the only person being spoken to,” says Moyo. “By offering them content and communication that is dedicated and focused towards them, a fan will feel the value-add. The more merit the brand adds to a viewing or live experience, the bigger the brand affinity.”

Today’s modern technologies have created new ways for sports fans to engage with what they love. Likewise, teams have more opportunities than ever before to interact with their fans. Aggregating all that fan data and putting the insights derived from those previously-discrete data sets into action, helps organisations to take advantage of these opportunities and create modern fan and consumer experiences.

“At the end of the day, if a brand isn’t adding value, then why is it in the space?” concludes Moyo. “The future lies in enhancing the entire event experience, whether a fan is at the live event or not.”

For more information, visit www.ideationstation.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.