When The Whistle Blows – Exclusive
Manchester-based sport and music agency Ear to the Ground has released the latest instalment of its Fan Intelligence Series – When the Whistle Blows.
The new whitepaper looks at how brands can get more from their Premier League partnerships, based on changing fan expectations, the rapid growth of technology and blurring lines between sport and entertainment.
Ear to the Ground’s fan intelligence team point to five key areas of opportunity for brands to stand out this season, maximising the platform of the biggest, richest and most prestigious league competition in the world.
In this exclusive excerpt for Sport Industry Group, the authors address the potential of harnessing music and ‘alternative’ idols.
The clout of alternative idols
This summer, much has been made of Ronaldo’s big money transfer to Juventus and the shift from unquestioning loyalty from teams to superstar idols. With 78% of football fans thinking regularly about their favourite player and 35% even dreaming about them, there has never been a better time to tap into the power of idols.
However, it’s not just the global superstars who are creating strong personal brands. A new niche of “alternative” football stars are driving loyalty among fans. Whether it’s James Milner embracing his “boring” online persona or cult Leicester City player Cristian Fuchs integrating his #NoFuchsGiven brand into FIFA 18, players are using social media to carve out a niche among discerning fans.
Global technology company Beats by Dre saw the potential of tapping into this trend by featuring cult former Manchester United and France player Patrice Evra in its global World Cup advertising campaign. Although he’s a player nearing the end of his career he has a huge social following and has created a hilarious online persona complete with his own tagline (#ILoveThisGame). It just goes to show that it’s worth thinking a little differently when it comes to choosing talent.
Supercharge football with music partnerships
In recent years, football has moved closer to the music and fashion zeitgeist, reflected most visibly in London, Paris, and Berlin but making its presence felt in culturally-savvy cities like LA, New York and Tokyo.
Brands and rights holders have been waking up to the potential of using music to give football extra cultural clout and relevance. Whether it’s trap artists in Paris or the grime scene in London, music is now firmly part of the cultural DNA of football.
UEFA, for example, has been using music as a way to reach new audiences beyond its core of engaged football fans. Taking inspiration from the Super Bowl half time show, UEFA created a new entertainment ritual ahead of the Champions League final, featuring a global artist performance ahead of the big match.
This year was the turn of Dua Lipa, who performed to an audience of hundreds of millions ahead of the Liverpool v Real Madrid final in Kiev. The performance may have left football purists scratching their heads, but the tactic was extremely effective in reaching out to a younger female audience. Our research showed that 50% of conversation was driven by fans under 25, while 42% of the conversation came from female fans. By crossing over with music, UEFA was able to create relevance for its showpiece annual event beyond its core audience of football fans.
