How Sports Clubs Can Kick Marketing Goals Beyond The Cookie

Football player waiting for the moment of kick-off

In preparation for the sunsetting of third-party cookies, Jake Leong, strategic account executive, Cheetah Digital is here to explain how sports clubs can expect to adapt to this mammoth change.

The most important ingredient of any sports club is its members. To attract and retain members, sports clubs must connect with fans on the right channels at the right time. But given the death of the cookie is imminent, how do sports clubs encourage fans to share information? You know, the “good stuff” that goes beyond names and email addresses, from who they’re attending matches with and how far they travel to watch their team.

It all starts with understanding the ‘value exchange.’

Savvy sports clubs know that it doesn’t always have to be a discount or a red-letter prize that entices fans to share their details. Access to exclusive content and community initiatives can also be the catalyst for zero-party data collection.

According to Cheetah Digital’s report for sports teams and associations, 55% of fans will share psychographic data points like purchase motivations and product feedback with sports brands. Even more, half of all fans surveyed say they desire incentives like coupons, loyalty points or exclusive access in return for their data.

Unlocking revenue from your ‘known’ audience

Give fans what they want and when they want it, and you can turn an “unknown” audience into a “known” audience. “Known” fans offer a lot of potential in the form of direct revenue, partner revenue, and participation – a solid win for sports clubs.

With data shared from fans directly to their clubs and leagues, known as zero-party data, it’s possible to know what makes fans tick as well as the best ways to engage with them.

Great examples of sports clubs getting it right across ANZ

Whether to boost match-day excitement, connect with fans, monetise a global audience or increase content relevancy to reach a specific demographic; the following sports organisations are creating innovative and impactful digital experiences that drive results. From New Zealand to the UK and over to the US, these are the ones to watch.

The All Blacks

The All Blacks rugby team of New Zealand is a standout in the space for the innovative way it collects valuable audience data and marketing opt-ins. In advance of the Rugby World Cup Final, the All Blacks tested its fans using an image of the All Blacks team, asking members to pick the lineout ball that’s covering the real match ball.

To reward fans for their continuous support, those who entered with the correct answer went into a draw to win a poster signed by the entire All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad. On submitting their entry, participants were required to enter their name and email address, providing All Blacks with valuable audience data for future marketing promotions and communications.

The Australian Open

The Australian Open must also be commended for its inspiring method of collecting marketing opt-ins. To capture rich and valuable audience data, Yahoo!7’s channel, Seven Sport, teamed up with ANZ to drive engagement amongst tennis fans with a data-centric sweepstakes.

Published to the Seven Sport website, the sweepstakes gave participants a once-in-a-lifetime chance to ask an Australian Open player any question – the ultimate prize for any tennis fan! To get involved, participants were required to submit their name, email address and phone number, and choose their favourite player who they wanted to have answer their question.

The best question of the day was then announced live on air and was answered by the winner’s chosen player.

Data for the win

Even though Australians and New Zealanders are some of the most enthusiastic fans in the world and sports like rugby, Australian rules football, tennis and cricket have historically drawn massive crowds; if sports clubs don’t keep their eye on the ball, capturing fans’ motivations, intentions and preferences at scale to provide a truly personalised experience, then they’ll lose. The only way a sports club can remain competitive in this new digital era is by understanding its fan base with data.

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