Another busy week of learnings. Some highlights below.
Learning From Rog: I’m not sure if there is anyone more joyful or entertaining when talking about his craft than Men in Blazers co-host Roger Bennett. For all things football, Bennett is able to weave in humor, logic and all sorts of joyous fandom, which is a big reason why the “Men In Blazers” network has grown well beyond its original footprint for fans on any level.
So, is soccer in the U.S. finally coming out of the “permanent emergent: space in the U.S.? Bennett thinks so, and it’s tied to what he identified as the “Hybrid identity” of the American fan. “The American fan of today is not tied to geography; the fan can live in LA and support not just one team but maybe a few. That is a totally different mindset than fans in most parts of the world, where you support your club from where you were from and don’t even think about another club. It would be heresy.” The “Hybrid identity” has been key in growing support of soccer not just for MLS or NWSL, but for the best of global football where the fan coming to the game can have interest in multiple clubs, or athletes without having to give up their soul for life.
Wise beyond her years: One of more impressive folks at Sportico Influence was Erin Matson, the 23-year-old head coach of the NCAA Women’s Field hockey champions at the University of North Carolina. As the youngest head coach in the NCAA, Matson has garnered lots of attention on the chance she has been given and the success she achieved in year one. One of the tidbits that might give her a bit more understanding, a s well as even a competitive edge? She is the first, and right now, only NCAA coach who has been part of NIL as a player and now as a coach. That understanding of literally walking in an athletes shows, one who are pretty much her age, brings lots of respect and a POV that has been earned.
More On America’s Game: Army-Navy is more than a football game, it’s a must engagement, and no one does the engagement better than USAA (The United Services Automobile Association the Texas-based Fortune 500 diversified financial services group of companies offering banking, investing, and insurance to people and families who serve, or served, in the United States military).
Now if you have watched almost any sporting event in America for the past decade or so, you can’t miss the story of USAA. Other than big pharma, sports gambling, male enhancement drugs and Geico, their ads are everywhere. We often wondered how or why the need for advertising on such a grand scale, when their competitors can appeal to any consumer and their offerings are tailored to those in, or with relatives close to, military service. In reality, that number of potential engaged partners is massive, and their experiential events dovetail really well around Army-Navy and all that this year, New England, can offer. By owning so many aspects of the game, they speak to their current and potential consumers in a way few brands can; they are passionate, engaged and loyal, and Army-Navy is the rallying point.
Even more impressive than the space that USAA owns in the advertising and broadcast space around the game is how they engage media. On Friday, they set up a Radio Row of stations from around the country at the Westin Copley Place which is second only to the legendary Radio Row at Super Bowl (although the College Football Championship and the Final Four are also comparable, but they are title games, not a one off rivalry).
Major markets like Washington and San Francisco as well as national affiliates like ESPN Radio and Sirius XM all show up to talk rivalry, history and the college experience in sports. USAA supports the participants with many requisite commercial buys, but the buys are not just commercials; there is great time put in to make sure the content for the stations that come is worthy of the time. The storytelling could always be done remotely, sure. But to have hosts from Seattle to Nashville on site to engage, creates not just a great deal of good will but also an experiential factor for the hosts which really brings value add.
There are also so many little things that get done…from the challenge coins given out to media, to branded door tags and hotel keys, to other special events that make the experience of the fan so special and deep.
Then there is the game day itself. Regardless of the historic outcome that occurred on Saturday, few times, especially in December, will fans walk through the gates as long as three and a half hours before kickoff. That happens for thousands for Army- Navy, and USAA creates, a unique fan experience that is both hands on and virtual, to keep those at the game engaged for hours around all the on field pageantry. The fan fest is INSIDE the gates, not outside, which is the norm in many places, so the idle hands and minds, especially the younger more active consumers, will have lots to do and try once their parents make it through security and into the stadium area.
The game itself is one large activation for USAA, from vignettes to new military member swear ins. While other sponsors like Chevrolet find their way into the narrative, the overwhelming and effective storytelling done by USAA, which rarely makes a proactive push to tell their own story through the media, is both subtle and very effective. They know how to message to their consumer and build pride and equity to current members and those on the cusp, all tailored around the largest rivalry game in America.
It is an event to behold, and an activation to admire.
Three Lessons From Omar: Also at Sportico was the always insightful Omar Raja, who continues to expand his, and the overall digital presence at ESPN.
Three quick takeaways:
Meet Fans Where They Are: Often times teams, athletes, leagues try to be everything for everyone when in reality they aren’t looking and listening and watching where their core community is congregating. The teams and leagues that are growing their social engagement…not just their numbers…are the ones that spend time to understand and cultivate an established audience first, and the only way to do that is to know where they are engaging, and what they are looking for.
Explain What We See Every Day: He talked about the effective use of YouTube as a tool for reaching an audience, and sometimes the simplest of ideas have worked the best, because they are the things we see every day. The UFC for example, has grown engagement by explaining to fans what they do…how a weigh in works, why athletes put Vaseline on their skin, what foods help cut weight etc…they aren’t glitzy, they are simple and direct and answer that “I had no idea” question that the casual fan wants to learn and the die hard fan understands as value add. Many times the rush to create content is for what we think we want the consumer to know, vs. what is right in front of us and can be addressed, and explained, pretty easily.
Don’t Waste A Users Time: Often times the mistake brands and even teams have made is to do too much or deliver too many messages in video form, especially on a platform like TikTok. Thinking through the choice of images and delivering the simplest visual message possible to an audience that is attention challenged, has deliver more impact and resonance than videos that are slickly produced. Tell them what you want to know right away, and make it easy to share the message.
Onward!
The Continued Debate As We Move To A New Year: Amplification vs. Enagagement…