Rugby Dominates Conversation In Smg Insight Buzz Report
The 5th annual edition of SMG Insight’s SportsIndex Buzz Report has revealed the sports properties that created the highest levels of positive chatter amongst UK audiences over 2017.
Alongside the launch, SMG Insight has also announced its continued partnership with the BT Sport Industry Awards for 2018, once again supporting the International Marketing Campaign of the Year category.
Aided by the British & Irish Lions’ tour of New Zealand, the sports and sponsorship research agency has revealed that rugby was the most consistent throughout 2017 when it came to positive fan conversation.
Alongside the Six Nations Championship, the sport takes two of the top three slots, beaten only by Wimbledon, which takes the overall title of most positively talked about sports property for the year.
Cycling also cemented its place in the British sporting conversation in 2017 with the Tour de France, which in 2016 climbed from almost the bottom of the league to near the top, maintaining a top-five position this year. The FA Cup was football’s only property in the top 20.
Frank Saez, founder and managing director of SMG Insight, said that the rankings tell sports marketers a lot about how British audiences are consuming their sport.
“Despite the dominance of football in the media, our rankings show that there’s still plenty of appetite amongst UK audiences for a range of sports. Ten different sports are represented in our top 20 properties,” said Saez.
“Wimbledon’s success is testament to the quiet evolution which takes place at the tournament that keeps it relevant and exciting year after year. Wimbledon has a halo that keeps it head and shoulders above other events this year.
“A big event does not automatically mean a big positive buzz. The FIFA World Cup created net negative buzz in 2016. That improved in 2017 with the tournament making it into positive figures but it still has a long way to go to catch up with other major events.”
The shortlist for this year’s International Marketing Campaign of the Year features adidas Football’s Tango League; Beko and Betfair’s partnerships with FC Barcelona; Bridgestone Europe’s Chase Your Dream, No matter What; Manchester City FC and Wix; and Nissan and the UEFA Champions League. Find out more here.
