Megatrends im Sportmarketing: Zukunftspotenziale erkennen und nutzen

The principle of evolutionary theory, i.e. the "survival of the fittest" principle postulated by Charles Darwin, also applies to modern sports marketing and figuratively states that in the long term, only those (companies) that have the ability to best adapt to the prevailing - and constantly changing - (market) conditions will survive. The term "fittest" does not mean "the strongest", as is often wrongly assumed, but stands for "the best adapted (to the currently prevailing conditions)".

In order to always be able to react appropriately to the latest developments and trends and to adapt one's own company to the new market conditions in the best possible way in terms of the economic concept of "organizational adaptation", it is therefore necessary for all stakeholders in international sports marketing:

1. Continuously identify and understand the latest trends and innovations in the sports market
2. Analyze and evaluate the resulting possibilities, opportunities and risks for their own company
3. Make appropriate decisions and derive and consistently implement adequate strategies and recommendations for action

In this article we would therefore like to - in addition to this article - 3 further innovative developments and trends that are already having a profound impact on sports marketing and will have an even greater impact in the future. Knowledge and understanding of these phenomena is essential for decision-makers in sports management in order to position themselves competitively for the future.

The trends at a glance:

1. Immersive and interactive virtualization of sports experiences
2. Exclusive content and owned formats as a barely tapped marketing opportunity in sport
3. Utilization of the possibilities of cross-over & non-endemic marketing

These technologies have certainly been around for some time, but concretely usable offers in the sports sector only exist in a niche and have not yet reached the mass market of billions of sports fans worldwide.

Hans-Dieter Gurk, technology expert and Managing Director of digital marketing agency Fellowkids, also believes that "AR and VR technology is still in its infancy". He also predicts that "the big breakthrough of these technologies is still to come", which will "fundamentally change the way fans around the world perceive and consume sport" and thus "these developments could revolutionize sports marketing in the future to some extent.

For this very reason, there is still immense marketing and revenue potential for sports rights holders such as clubs, associations, leagues and, above all, all organizers of sporting competitions in this area in the future. Further hologram technologies as well as innovative hardware solutions and glasses such as the Oculus Rift and Apple Vision Pro will further accelerate these developments.

Sports marketing decision-makers therefore have the opportunity to seize the moment and jump on board this future-oriented technology trend in good time. For competitive sports marketing of the future, it is important to identify the corresponding usage options now, create existing revenue potential in the AR and VR cosmos and implement them through appropriate product and service offerings so that your own company will benefit in the future by making the best possible use of the opportunities offered by these immersive technologies!

1st NBA Virtual and Mixed Reality Games
The NBA offers virtual reality broadcasts of games where fans can enjoy a 360-degree view of the court. This enables an immersive experience that differs significantly from traditional television.

2. augmented reality at the DFL Supercup

In addition to the AR usage option in the stadium, an AR offering for viewers at home is to be created in the future to make watching the match even more interactive and immersive.

3rd Manchester City VR Experience

The club has developed its own VR platform that allows fans to enjoy a virtual stadium experience. In combination with exclusive content and interactions, this creates a new form of fan engagement. For example, stadium tours or match broadcasts are offered in VR.

4th Formula 1 AR Experience
Formula 1 uses augmented reality to give spectators detailed insights into race cars and tracks. For example, fans can follow the race interactively from the driver's perspective and change their view independently or call up technical information and interactive 3D models via a special app.

Producing and providing their own exclusive content, which goes beyond purely sport-related content, enables athletes to reach completely new people - who may not actually have an affinity for sport - to tap into new target groups, increase awareness of their own person beyond sport and specifically control and increase their own popularity, image and brand value.

All of these positive effects can ultimately be monetized in increased revenues and fees in the marketing of the athlete as well as in traditional advertising contracts. These independently produced formats can also be additionally monetized through paid product placements or targeted marketing to presenting partners.

As a professor of sports management at the Euro-FH, Silja Schröder deals with the topic of sports marketing, among other things, and states: "Only a few athletes are currently taking advantage of the opportunity to regularly provide their followers and fans with exclusive additional content that goes beyond pure sports reporting through independently produced formats, which means that the obvious revenue and marketing potential in sports marketing is often not yet sufficiently exploited".

German basketball star Dennis Schröder uses his social media presence, especially his YouTube channel, to give fans personal insights into his private life and career. Through regular updates, personal stories, being accompanied on trips by his own cameraman and direct "behind the scenes" content, he reaches additional audiences and also builds an even closer relationship with his fans, which ultimately has a positive effect on his brand and thus the marketability of his person.

For example, FC Bayern Munich's "Copy the Penalty" challenge with the involvement of numerous stars (such as from ski jumping or basketball), in which people shoot a penalty in a certain way and perform an individual cheer, which Harry Kane and Thomas Müller then have to imitate. In this way, the participants hope to increase their reach in each other's target groups as well as cross-over follower potential.

The most recent and probably most prominent example of the use of this tool in sports marketing is the ongoing presence and integration of US rapper Snoop Doog in various roles at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Among other things, Snoop Doog was a torchbearer and commentator at equestrian competitions, cheered as a noble fan at gymnastics competitions, sat in the stadium at tennis matches, watched skateboarding and commented on the badminton match between the USA and China. He also tried out various Olympic sports such as swimming and pole vaulting under the guidance of camera crews, of course, and appeared in eye-catching outfits at various competitions such as show jumping.

Of course, the US megastar is not just doing this for fun - the reason for his appearances is that the American broadcaster NBC has hired the rapper as a "special correspondent". The rapper's quirky assignment costs the broadcaster a rumored 500,000 US dollars per day as well as other TV ratings-dependent bonuses, making a total of up to 15 million dollars due for Snoop Dogg's assignment at the Olympics. The New York Times wrote: "The network hopes that Snoop Dogg's aura as one of pop culture's most recognizable and beloved figures will captivate viewers of all ages.

And so it is - the rapper's fame and popularity - especially beyond the sports scene - is paying off and contributed, among other things, to a 79 percent increase in awareness of the event and viewership of the 2024 Olympics in the USA compared to the previous Olympics in Tokyo.

Another example of the use of the non-endemic marketing tool is the integration of TikTok star Khaby Lame, who is the most followed person on TikTok worldwide with over 162 million followers, at the Hahnenkamm ski races in Kitzbühel. The social media star posted videos of the event on his channel, which generated more reach and attention worldwide than all the usual broadcasts of the race on national and international TV channels combined - and above all in target groups that had probably never heard of the Hahnenkamm race before. In addition, the high-reach athlete Alica Schmidt was also part of the ski event in Kitzbühel to get people who were previously less interested in skiing excited about the event and the sport via social media posts. The well-known streamer Pascal Gurk has also been used as a commentator for soccer matches on MagentaTV to get the GenZ interested in soccer.

Hans-Dieter Gurk also states: "The integration of influencers with a wide reach in co-streaming has long been a well-known sports marketing tool in e-sports and will continue to find its way into traditional sports in the future".

These three trends in sports marketing may not all be completely new, but there are still enormous opportunities and potential for successful use in the sports marketing of the future, particularly due to their non-universal use in combination with the associated immense revenue and marketing opportunities.

In order to be able to benefit as much as possible from this in the sports marketing of tomorrow, decision-makers should be as familiar as possible with these phenomena, trends and developments, understand the mechanisms behind them and, based on this, develop completely new innovative products and services or adapt existing offers to the new possibilities - survival of the fittest!