3 ways to boost fan engagement for new generations
Fans are the key
Fans are the consumers that drive the whole sports ecosystem. They are the ones whose passion is at the genesis of the whole value chain. In-person, at the pub with friends, on TV, on smartphones or other devices, sports has always been a faithful companion and, over time, it has become much more than that. Sport is now a huge industry with major economic stakes and challenges for organizations that have become firms. And like every industry, its health depends on the final customer: the fans.
From local, to global and now “connected”, fans’ behaviours and their habits have significantly evolved in the XX and XXI century. Led by the digital revolution, Internet, social network; they have developed new ways to entertain themselves and to consume sports. More importantly, the new generations of fans, also called ‘digital native’ fans and mainly represented by Gen Z, seem to be less interested in consuming live sports. Last year Morning Consults revealed in one of its studies that 53% of Gen Zers were identified as sports fans, compared to 63% of all adults and 69% of millennials. And if they still consume and enjoy sports, the way they do it strongly differs from what it used to be for older generations.
This shift in new fans’ behaviors has been already identified for several years. In 2018, 71.8% of PwC’s Sports Survey respondents named it as the greatest threat to the sports industry. As a result, both rights holders and broadcasters have tried to adapt themselves, slowly moving away from a linear approach only to diversification with new formats on “alternative” digital platforms. The NFL might be one of the best examples to showcase this: the league has signed long-term agreements in March with Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX and NBC. Running until 2033, it has for main objectives to provide NFL fans an even greater access to the games they love.
“Having long-term, really good partners who can bring football at a high-production value into your household or onto your phone or on your digital device is really important to us," NFL chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp said.
This quote perfectly depicts how the fan ecosystem has become highly globalized, hyper-digitalized and fully connected. Major changes have happened in the media consumption landscape and it has empowered sports fans and subsequently raised their expectations. Fans are now looking for shorter, “snackable” content, off the field and storytelling that brings them closer to their favorite teams or players. They moved from cheering for teams only to following players more than clubs (ex: Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi’s impacts on social media with their summer transfers), from following the local club to following a big international team (or should we say a brand?), disliking a team temporarily because of a coach etc…
Governing bodies understood they had to embrace this change and are all launching various programs to have a better understanding of the market dynamic and how to keep or increase their position for the next 10-20-30 years. One of the angles is offering new innovative, immersive and engaging experiences to make the experience more fun and appealing to those young demographics.
Engaging with Fans through Interactive Experiences
For decades, sports events have been broadcasted to the fans in the same way through a passive approach where there was no opportunity for the Fan to make his/her voice heard. Showing linear games under this format is no longer enough. Consumers want to engage and immerse themselves by interacting with more experiences surrounding the events. They want excitement within a few seconds. They want to be able to comment, to make their expertise known. They want to take part and have an active role. To do so, sports entities need to make the games more engaging, using Esports codes, gamification, and interactive experiences.
Actually, it’s not surprising to find sports fans within social media (Twitter, Instagram) and gaming platforms (Twitch, Discord) as there are currently the most interactive and engaging ones. Fans can discuss, play together, challenge themselves while enjoying the content they want to see. To any sport organisation and extensively to any company, social media have become mandatory because of that. But is it really sufficient? Is engaging fans only through social media not a bit reductive? And who gets the reward? How do governing bodies understand their fan behaviors to stay in control of their future?
Sports organisations cannot only enjoy the eyeball numbers from social media, they need to engage their fans directly within their own digital platforms. Social media are a must but they need to be part of a bigger strategy. They should be used as a launch pad for personalized content and interactive experiences on organizations' proprietary digital platforms. By interacting directly with fans, sports organisations will be able to collect important first party data to better understand them and serve them. But let's be realistic, this virtuous circle can only happen if the experience is worth it and for the moment, it rarely is.
Integrating engagement modules (mini-games, polls, trivias, cheer-meters, etc.) brings a new level of interactivity in every digital touchpoint. Sports organizations can build stronger connections with fans, and so for every kind of content, should it be articles, video on demand, short clips, live games etc. Engagement modules can take several different forms to best fit with the different objectives they pursue..
Live content: the future is watching together
We have to go back to 2018 to find the first co-watching service of the new era, created by Netflix and called Watch Party. It enabled people to watch TV while chatting together on a dedicated chat. In 2020, it was rebranded Teleparty with further expansions to HBO, Hulu, and Disney+, creating the concept of Watch Party. In September, Amazon’s gaming platform Twitch launched Twitch Watch Party to enable streamers watch films and shows available on Amazon Prime with their viewers that can enjoy streamers’ reactions.
Once again coming from the tech giants, this new trend has been more and more investigated within the sports industry as it is a fantastic way of engaging audiences while watching. ESPN and Bundelsiga experimented it for Der Klassiker in November 2020. Some other big organisations such as LaLiga with LaLiga Watch Party implemented social features to their live content and BT Sport is now offering a video co-viewing experience to their subscribers. Watch parties platform developments and integrations are becoming increasingly common within the industry, recently driven by the different lockdowns that have prevented fans from getting to experience the games together in-venue. It’s even going further with some new possibilities such as choosing audio feeds, watch rooms etc. For us it represents the future of watching live content and sports organisations should take these initiatives to make the most of their live events and attract the new generations of fans with an experience that matches their expectations.
Creating Loyalty with rewards and gamification
Unique fan experiences usually come alongside premium activations and ultimately benefits for fans they can redeem in the physical and/or digital world. Loyalty programs are not a new concept, but Web3 alongside new technologies (Blockhain, NFT) have opened up new possibilities, creating new points/virtual currency systems, badges, reward, rankings for creators etc. These are great ways to create retention and engagement. It drives traffic, increases the time spent on platforms and reinforces the global relationship sports organisations have with their community. And above all, there’s nothing more powerful than rewarding users (coupons, exclusive merchandising, customized premium experiences, etc.) for participating in the overall game experience (or in the organisation’s day to day), for their loyalty, and for their willingness to share their experiences around them. Such programs are key to creating engaging experience, independently of what happens on the field.
Some clubs and franchises have already implemented loyalty programs but it was especially focused on the in-venue experience and for specific members. Back in 2013, Winnipeg Jets launched their Loyalty program: season seat holders, share partners, and wait list members could earn Jets Points which could be redeemed for exclusive benefits, including once-in-a-lifetime experiences, auction items, autographed memorabilia and special promotional offers. 8 years laters, loyalty programs can be scaled up tenfold to reach out to the entire community. They can be tailored with different levels of offers, and be applied within a global and omnichannel strategy, encompassing multiple touchpoints (Ticketing Platform, Website, Mobile App, partners platforms, NFTs etc.)
User Generated Content: Letting fans to be actors of their own consumption
Like we said, in the past, fans were passively consuming sports content delivered to them by the broadcasters and media. Then the internet came and people were able to go grab more information on different platforms (new digital media, clubs’ platforms…). Now that fans know so much more about their favorite sport and athletes, and that social media has created a new generation of influencers, everyone can and now wants to create content and be part of the story. The most authentic ambassadors are no longer exclusively athletes or world champions, but rather ordinary fans who share their own experience with the organisations. Sports fans have become a media on their own, the most watched ones have become digital influencers, extending the boundaries between the new and old consumption patterns. User-generated content (UGC) is slowly but surely finding its way into sports organisations’ digital strategy and becoming a growing piece of the overall narrative of competitions. According to the State of User-Generated Content 2021 Report, 93% of marketers agree that consumers trust content created by customers more than content created by brands. People trust people.
Indeed, the integration of customer-generated content provides an authentic experience for new fans and strengthens the fan community in the long term because it inspires loyalty. Most of UGC Content is produced through social media (although more advanced systems are being put in place), thanks to social media handles. And as social media makes it easier for sports organisations to interact with fans, it is also a place to give back to them through recognition.
We have seen many examples of organisations using UGC to promote their brands and to reach out to a broader audience. Arsenal Football Club launched #ArsenalRecreated on TikTok to let their fans reproduce classic Gunners moments on the pitch from their home. Nike created a UGC feed on their SNEAKRS mobile app through the #Kickcheck dedicated hashtag to let users share insider news on the latest releases and collabs with sneaker fans.
Sports organisations have even opened their own content to fans in order for them to share it, giving them the opportunity to become a real actor in the media landscape. Major League Baseball launched MLB film Room to give fans access to watch, create, customize, and share baseball highlights and videos on social media in a few clicks. The platform gathers more than 3.5 million clips from the early stage of the league, with 30+ filters to easily create content.
UGC strategy is a boon for sports organisations to embrace new sports fans' consumption and bring them into the narrative. It is easy since almost all fans have a video-capable smartphone to hand and, there’s a psychological element to it as everyone loves to chime in and tell their side of a game.
Another consideration is the upfront cost which is much lower than traditional video production. Given the huge impact of fan-generated content that goes viral, the potential return on investment is massive for a sports organisation that would like to reach new audiences. In many ways, there are still a lot of opportunities for organisations to drive measurable business value through embracing a User Generated Content strategy
Going further
Interactive & Immersive experiences, watch parties, gamifications & rewards, UGC, all these mechanisms have proven to be efficient within any strategies that aim to connect more with the audience. It seems that clubs, leagues, broadcasters, etc. are slowly embracing those opportunities but still have room to grow to have full experiences and journeys for their fans. And as the world is changing at a fast pace, with new connected generations rising, it’s imperative to reach them and satisfy them. New generations want to connect socially and be part of the story. One way streets to tell stories aren’t good enough anymore.
And if we take a look at what’s happening right now and what will happen in the next few years, sports organisations have a unique opportunity to lead the way under the Web3 creation and regain the value of their Fans. Decentralized projects and web3 applications running on blockchains are opening up a new era for the Internet. An era where collaboration and co-creation are king. And this will definitely create new offerings and a new bunch of possibilities...as long as sports organisations are willing and ready to make and let their IP live into this new world.