It’s a digital world. Tuesday night’s World Cup semi final between Brazil and Germany broke all records when it came to social media engagement and brands were part of the conversation.
This week’s panel for the Friday Forum takes a look at the world of Digital Sport and comes up with some thoughts and numbers on this changing world.
On Monday we will launch our Autumn Series on Digital Sport and Sponsorship but until then its over to:
Jim Glennon (JG) Chairman of Edelman Ireland, Bernard O’Byrne (BO’B) CEO of Basketball Ireland, Adie McGennis (AM) from Sigmar Recruitment, Hugh Curran (HC) Head of Sport at Atomic, Richard Pearson (JM) Founder of Pledge Sports, and Eddie Crowe (EC) Director of SportTagger
This is what they had to say…
What is the smartest digital based campaign you have seen so far this year and what made it special?
JG: I’ve always admired the risks that brands like Paddy Power take and whilst they don’t always pay off there are occasions when they do. Their Amazon stunt was a great example where a deliberately polarizing piece of content generated significant reach and engagement for the brand. The twitter backlash followed by the reveal that it was indeed a fake meant it crossed from digital into mainstream media – like it or loathe it you can’t deny that it firmly put Paddy Power front of mind with punters around the World Cup.
AM: Beats by Dr. Dre with Neymar is pretty cool. Brilliant production and it’d certainly inspire me to go out and buy some headphones
HC: Ok so it may not be wholly digital but to be honest if a campaign is going to work for me it has to be integrated. Nike’s activation around the World Cup has been epic. Adidas will win it on the pitch but for me the Nike campaign has been very strong. I do like the #allin or nothing message from Adidas but I just kind of wish they’d brought the fans into it a bit more. I’m starting to feel a bit of a disconnect between sport and fans and the Nike videos especially have all about helping fans enjoy the beautiful game. Whether that’s by helping them play like Ronaldo because of their boots or stopping the game becoming boring by striving to be the best and defeating clones and such like.
BO’B: The new Free Pint Guinness App is very engaging, not that a teetotaller like me is a prime target, but it engages a broad audience while also boosting volumes and returns for hard-pressed publicans. The Free Birthday pint and Free Pint on major sporting occasions is a very clever way of suggesting to people to visit their local hostelry on those occasions.
EC: Google’s World Cup. What made it special was the fact that a company the size of Google engaged with the soccer community while they are primarily a search engine, further proof that business’ see the link between media and sports.
In percentage terms how much importance do you place on digital as opposed to physical campaigns around sponsorship and sport?
We have drawn an aggregate answer from the answers of today’s panellists and others who voted anonymously in our members’ poll.
- Digital – 57.5% Weighting
- Physical – 42.5% Weighting
Do you think Digital is the only show in town or is it now getting saturated and in need of help from other more traditional means?
AM: Digital is just another medium and certainly not the only one. It certainly is getting very crowded and I certainly wouldn’t depend on it alone (then again, I am a bit ancient !!) Depends on what you are selling too.
HC: In my old job we used to say something. Advertising for a digital world. It’s not about Digital advertising or traditional. It’s about creating a campaign that works across channels and speaks to people who are living in a digital world. The touchpoints should reflect the community you’re trying to engage. If they’re millennials then odds are they consume most of their media via digital methods. If they’re a bit older then there is a good chance they listen to Newstalk etc. Create your plan around your audience.
RP: Digital is the new world so everyone wants a part of it. But Traditional methods still work, just look at TV and board advertisements in the WC. No not by any means is it getting saturated. It will evolve and get more sophisticated and advanced
BO’B: I think the is a definite need for balance. Digital is essential but there is a major slice of the population that responds better to more traditional methods.
Which digital element do you rate as the most effective when it comes to getting a message out around a campaign? (With 1 as most important and 6 as least)
Again we have drawn an aggregate score on the relative importance given by our membership to each of six digital elements. The one deemed most important was social media marketing:
- Social Media Marketing – 5.83 (average ranking of importance out of 6)
- Mobile Marketing – 4.00
- E-Mail Marketing – 3.17
- Search Engine Optimisation – 3.00
- Measurement and Campaign Analysis – 2.67
- Search Engine Advertising – 2.33
All our participants in the Friday Forum are full members of the Sport for Business community. To learn more about membership click here.
