Maximising Sponsorship ROI in an Omni-Channel World Norris Scott is Vice President of Analytics & Insights for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), leading the league’s Analytics & Insights team. As a valued resource for the NASCAR industry, the A&I team manages the measurement and analytics of data across broad and varied verticals including: social and digital media, broadcast, traditional consumer and category research, fan engagement, and sponsorship valuation. The A&I team cultivates insights and then provides strategic guidance across a range of different business channels. Specifically, cross-platform data analysis helps the entire NASCAR ecosystem glean more meaningful insights related to fan consumption patterns, social and digital engagement, sponsorship activation efficacy, and ROI best practices. NASCAR effectively uses data to drive, measure, and prove ROI for teams, tracks, official partners, and media partners. Prior to this role, Scott managed the NASCAR Partnership Marketing Department (including the relationships with the league’s most prominent sponsors for 11 years) and the NASCAR Commercial team (a cross-functional strategic group focusing on optimizing Official Partner sponsorships). Before joining NASCAR in 2005, Scott was Senior Director, Sports Management at ESPN/ABC Customer Marketing and Sales, where he developed and managed the integrated sponsorship sales of several marquee properties, including the National Football League, College Football and the Bowl Championship Series. He previously served in the Corporate Sponsorship group at the NFL, as well as managing ABC Sports’ marketing rights for the first-ever College Football BCS and sponsorship sales for ABC’s Triple Crown TV. He holds a BS in Corporate Communications from Ithaca College. Norris Scott, Vice President, Analytics & Insights, 550 South Caldwell, Charlotte, NC 28202, USA Abstract Many big brands use sports marketing as an important ingredient in their overall marketing mix. As today’s sports marketing landscape is constantly evolving, rights holders need to adapt to meet the new demands of clients. Conversely, big brands need to adapt to stay current with consumers and fans. This paper showcases NASCAR’s progressive approach to meeting these changes through relationship management that focuses on social and digital initiatives. Omni Channel strategies using data are a focal point for NASCAR in their effort to drive value to partners. KEYWORDS: sports, sponsorship sales, analytics, omni-channel marketing, social media, digital, relationship management, mobile, fan engagement INTRODUCTION entertainment, winning the crowd means In the 2000 action-adventure Gladiator, winning the crowd in the arena, plus the Proximo tells Maximus that a great gladiator crowd watching on television, plus the is one who wins the crowd and, by doing so, crowd engaging on mobile, plus the crowd he will also win his freedom. I have found on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Snapchat Proximo’s advice to be spot on throughout etc, plus the crowd wearing a virtual-reality my career in sponsorship at NASCAR. One headset, plus the crowd streaming via OTT, needs to focus on the consumer and the fan plus the crowd sending gifs . you get the first in order to win in the sports business. idea. The new buzzword to describe this In ancient Rome, winning the crowd was phenomenon is omni-channel marketing. done in the arena. But in today’s world of 318 Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing Vol. 4, 4 318–328 © Henry Stewart Publications 2050-0076 (2017) 01_Scott_JDSMM_V4.indd 318 3/17/17 6:40 PM Scott Omni-channel marketing is much more use 3 of those devices daily, winning the than just a buzzword for cross-channel crowd can be challenging. marketing with finesse. It is about delivering Another report by Adobe states that a true, consistent, and continuous experience roughly 1 in 3 consumers watch live sports across all channels and devices. Put simply, on something other than a traditional it means delivering the right content to the television. Adobe found that 50 per cent right audience with the right message on of millennials polled watch live sports on the right platform at the right time. The smart televisions, mobile devices, or gaming onus is on properties and brands alike to consoles. As a result, according to AOL’s meet the crowds on the channels they are State of Video Advertising report, nine in 10 choosing to consume. Consumers want this, media buyers are shifting dollars from linear they expect this, and they definitely notice television to digital channels, reallocating when it does not happen—and aren’t shy an average of 10 per cent of their television about expressing their feedback on social budgets.2 More specifically, since 2012 media. over 300 per cent more buyers have shifted According to a study by Adobe, 66 11–20 per cent of their company’s or per cent of device owners get frustrated clients’ broadcast or cable television budget when content is not synchronized across to better support their digital efforts. Case devices.1 Adobe also found that 90 per in point is Under Armour which will cent of millennials polled switch devices turn to digital communication like it has mid-activity, higher than Gen X (76 per never done before. In an interview with cent) and those 55 and older (58 per cent). Business Insider3, Under Armour’s SVP of Altogether, 79 per cent of those polled by Brand Marketing, Adrienne Lofton, said Adobe move from one device to another the brand is moving from a 70/30 split during an activity. Considering that in its TV-to-digital advertising mix to an consumers, on average, own 7 devices and even 50/50 split. The move was based Figure 1: Omni-Channel Marketing © Henry Stewart Publications 2050-0076 (2017) Vol. 4, 4 318–328 Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing 319 01_Scott_JDSMM_V4.indd 319 3/17/17 6:40 PM Maximising Sponsorship ROI in an Omni-Channel World on research into its target customer—an fans purchase at a higher rate than the NFL 18-year-old aspiring athlete who consumes (14 per cent), NHL (14 per cent), NBA media primarily on mobile devices, rather (13 per cent) and MLB (11 per cent). than television. This adds up to real revenue for our brand partners. OMNI-CHANNEL MARKETING AND SPORTS When it comes to live sports, property rights MAXIMIZING SPONSORSHIP WITH holders must think omni-channel in order DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA to maximize viewership and value for their Brands focusing on digital and social sponsor partners. We face that challenge media activation around their NASCAR every single day at NASCAR and work sponsorship enjoy equally large volumes extremely hard to provide our sponsor of active fans who engage with them partners with fully integrated solutions. In as part of the NASCAR experience. the past, NASCAR had been perceived Sunoco, for example, would likely have as highly conventional when it came to far fewer Sunoco Racing Facebook fans sponsorship; we used to place the logo of our than its current 1.7 million without the sponsor partner on the car, the driver, the pit extensive content opportunities NASCAR crew, and the television broadcast, and then generates. Sunoco Racing’s engagements call that the end of the integration. However, are highest during NASCAR events, as the media and league landscapes have thereby providing insight into the strong changed, so too has NASCAR in delivering connection fans make between Sunoco meaningful ways for sponsors to reach and and the sport they love. connect with fans. When it comes to petrol, it is hard to Today, sponsors seek partners that get consumers engaged and sharing on provide creative ideas that leverage their social media about higher octane and brand thematic and key attributes. Sponsors cleaning solvents—which, besides price, still want logos in relevant places, but the is what most fuel companies have at a main value in a sponsorship is in offering product level to differentiate themselves immersive and additive experiences to fans. from competitors. Brand building becomes Digital and social media have been huge paramount for those in the business of focal points for NASCAR when it comes commodity sales. Research indicates to incorporating our sponsor partners Sunoco’s efforts have been effective in and offering fans increasingly important generating brand affinity among NASCAR immersive and additive experiences. fans. In fact, Nielsen Social5 found that Providing fans with a consistent stream of consumers who tweeted about NASCAR engaging content and behind-the-scenes Racing are nearly four times more likely access has enabled our partners to to tweet about Sunoco than US brands on authentically and effectively interact with average. our fans. Furthermore, these interactions and There are currently 2.31 billion active engagements drive real return. According to social media users with 1.97 billion using Wasserman’s Social Media Scoreboard4 panel social media on mobile devices. Facebook study of 10,000 sports fans, 18 per cent of and Snapchat both generate billions of NASCAR fans have purchased a product or video views each day (which is just a few a service from a sponsor as a direct result of more people than would watch Maximus’ a social media post. Furthermore, NASCAR gladiatorial battles). 320 Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing Vol. 4, 4 318–328 © Henry Stewart Publications 2050-0076 (2017) 01_Scott_JDSMM_V4.indd 320 3/17/17 6:40 PM Scott Figure 2: Sunoco Racing Social Media Posts It quickly becomes clear that mobile on-site signage and category exclusivity. is now truly competing with television Content integration across digital, social, and any other screen as America’s ‘First and mobile notably ranked ahead of more Screen’ – we are becoming a ‘mobile first’ historical value drivers such as usage rights world.