Middlesbrough and Rangers to wear Safe Gambling Shirts next week

As part of Kindred Group’s commitment to its unique model of sponsorship, Middlesbrough and Rangers will wear shirts with bespoke branding during this year’s Safer Gambling Week.

Middlesbrough FC will wear shirts with a newly designed logo highlighting Kindred’s ‘Zero % Mission’ in its EFL Championship fixtures against Wigan Athletic (19th October) and Huddersfield (22nd October). The branding will replace the standard Unibet logo. 

And during its Premier Sports Cup game against Dundee (19th October), the Gers will also replace the Unibet branding and wear kits emblazoned with the ‘Zero % Mission’ branding.

Safer Gambling Week is a cross-industry initiative to promote safer gambling in the United Kingdom and Ireland and raise public awareness of gambling safeguards and best practices.  It runs from October 17th- 23rd.

Kindred Group – which incorporates eleven of Europe’s most successful online gambling brands including 32Red and Unibet in the UK – is committed to providing customers with a safe and entertaining gambling experience.

As part of its ‘Zero % Mission’ strategy, Kindred’s ambition is that zero percent of its revenue will be generated from harmful gambling by the end of 2023 – with the latest data showing around 3% of revenue is derived from high-risk players with a steady downward trend. 

Kindred implements a series of early detection measures, focusing on educating customers on safer gambling and engaging when it identifies signs of changed behaviour. And, in nearly 85% of cases, customers who receive an intervention go on to reduce their risk – with the Group now focused on improving that figure through increased awareness on its platforms of responsible gaming tools to keep gambling safe and enjoyable via its Zero % Mission.

Neil Banbury, General Manager UK, Kindred Group: “We’re committed to implementing a new kind of sponsorship model together with the clubs and communities we support. As we enter Safer Gambling Week, it’s a good time to reflect on the continued progress we have made in terms of protecting customers, as well as the improvements we continue to make through advances in our technology and processes. We are on a journey and still have further to go, but we are confident that our approach is delivering results”.

In its UEFA Champions League away tie against Napoli, Rangers FC will once again promote ‘Team Talk’ – a mental health initiative run in conjunction with the Rangers Community Trust and Kindred. It had previously worn shirts endorsing the project during the UEFA Europa League Final in May.

Team Talk is a weekly programme run in conjunction with the Rangers Charity Foundation and funded by Kindred Group. It assists men across Glasgow who are seeking advice and help in discussing their mental health. The programme is in its second year, and has helped hundreds of men in the city thus far.

Additional digital ‘Zero % Mission’ branding will be visible on official club channels including website and social media, LED advertising, and screens.

ICC announce global partnership with Aramco

The International Cricket Council (ICC), today announced a global partnership with Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies.

The partnership will include Aramco sponsorship of all major men’s and women’s ICC events scheduled until the end of 2023, including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, the ICC World Test Championship Final in the UK, and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.

It will connect Aramco with a global cricket audience of more than one billion cricket fans, as the company expands its mission to deliver affordable, reliable and more sustainable energy to customers around the world.

The partnership is rooted in both organisation’s drive for excellence, and Aramco has been granted naming rights for ICC Player of the Match awards, which celebrate elite performances throughout each event.

It also reflects a shared focus on sustainability and innovation, as the ICC moves towards making cricket a more sustainable sport. Aramco recycling machines will be installed across all seven match venues in Australia for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup later this month. Plastic waste recycled from these machines will be converted into clothing for future ICC events.

ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said: “We are delighted to welcome Aramco into the family of ICC global partners. Our shared commitment to excellence is the foundation of the partnership and we are looking forward to working with Aramco on our major men’s and women’s events through to the end of 2023.”

Aramco Global Public Affairs General Manager, Talal Al-Marri, said: “This represents a significant addition to our network of global partnerships and we are pleased to join forces with the ICC. Excellence is one of our core values and this is reflected in our support of cricket at the elite level. It is a sport that demands high levels of focus, teamwork, discipline, integrity and ability — and these are all attributes that we value highly at Aramco.” 

Formula E announce record-breaking audience figures

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has grown its cumulative audience for Season 8 beyond the record-breaking levels achieved the previous season with a four-way battle for the championship, a new qualifying format and a return to racing in Asia contributing to the new highs.

Among a series of broadcast presentation and sporting enhancements introduced for Season 8, a new qualifying format saw all 22 drivers compete in two groups with the top four in each going into a head-to-head knockout ‘Duels’ tournament.

A first for world motorsport and a popular innovation for fans, the cumulative audience for qualifying increased 49% compared to audiences for the traditional fastest-lap format in Season 7.

The biggest-ever ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar of 16 races in 10 world cities included a return to Asia with successful debuts in Jakarta, Indonesia, and a double-header in Seoul, South Korea, to close Season 8.

The Jakarta race in June was the first Formula E race in Asia since 2019 and was the most-watched domestic race in the championship’s 100-race history with a cumulative audience of 27.6m in Indonesia.

Live viewers made up the majority of Formula E’s audience for the first time in Season 7 and that trend continued in Season 8 with a 10% increase in live audiences YOY to 216m, part of a 20% growth in total cumulative audience to 381m.

The combination of enhanced scheduling consistency and improved coverage of more competitive racing contributed to significant increases in audience engagement. Total viewing hours for Season 8 races increased by 58% compared to Season 7 and the championship enjoyed a 28% YOY increase in the average viewing duration per live race.

Across Formula E’s social and digital channels there were significant gains in video views (+165% vs. Season 7) and engagements (up 49%) as a refreshed social media content strategy came into effect.

Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer, Formula E, said: “The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is building a passionate global fanbase, establishing itself as an appointment-to-view, premium live sport. Millions more fans tuned in to watch last season than ever before thanks to consistent scheduling, improved broadcast presentation and sporting innovations like our game-changing qualifying format. The championship went down to the wire in Seoul with four drivers vying for the title and Stoffel Vandoorne emerging as World Champion.”

“We thank our global network of committed broadcast partners for their contribution to delivering a record-breaking Season 8. We will work together to build on our momentum and reinforce Formula E’s emergence as a mainstream sport for the next generation.”

The new Gen3 race car was unveiled earlier this year in Monaco as the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built. It will debut in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on 14 January 2023 in Mexico City at the start of Season 9.

Role of Web3 in creating fan experiences panel to be held at iSportConnect Brands Masterclass

We have a panel on that very topic at our Brands Masterclass on October 19.

We will be joined by Mason Edwards from Tezos Foundation, Stuart Ramsey from Socios.com and Tom Fleetham from Zilliqa.

We will be joined by brands such as Dr. Martens plc, Socios.com, New Balance, Grind Coffee Co, Adobe, Britvic plc, PlayStation, TeamViewer, Mukuru

There are only a few places remaining so make sure you sign up here: https://share.hsforms.com/1pMHXEN6UT1-s62O4iA0bCQ31xsb?_hsmi=227076374&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9P2xgrbPIrmS1tYRs3d4ZVDnz1EYd7Hc7oWkKaH4ZnKGTjkTwlAXwRllPF9ZU4WckF0EswBmO9kSg8SNMi3JM8QvV0vw

Member Insights: “When it comes to maximising sponsorship investment, it is essential to explore every avenue”

Ben Phillips is very experienced in the world of sports technology, he has previously worked at Infront and InCrowd. He is now at Outbox, a leading white label ticket supplier.

When it comes to maximizing sponsorship investment at sporting events, it is essential to explore every possible avenue of delivering a brand’s message to the fans they are seeking to communicate with. As the consumption habits of sports fans evolve, the availability of alternative communication channels that sports organisations can offer, as well as brands’ decisions to adopt new sponsorship opportunities is also evolving.

Historically, live sporting events have been a lucrative avenue for brands to gain high level exposure to large audiences via traditional in-venue inventory, such as LED/ big screen display advertising programme sponsorship and on-site activation. These methods of communication to fans offer incredible brand exposure and the chance to deliver your message to a large audience at a very high level, but are generally more difficult to quantify and are often considered to be less targeted.

As the ability to collect and understand fan data has evolved in line with advancements in technology, opportunities for brands to deliver more personalised and target messaging have emerged. These data-driven methods of communication offer unique opportunities for sports organisations to deliver targeted sponsorship products which allow partners to communicate directly with fans throughout their event experience, starting the moment they decide to purchase a ticket.

What makes ticketing unique from every other element of an event, is that no matter who a fan is or what access they have, whether they are a general admission or hospitality guest. The single common factor that binds every fan attending an event is that they hold a ticket. And in that, hold a direct channel of communication between the event, its partners, and each individual fan. 

With the increased availability and adoption of digital ticket fulfilment, the ability to better understand who fans at each event are, has never been greater. Alongside enriched fan data, digital ticketing has also opened opportunities for brands far beyond the traditional methods of simply placing a logo on a ticket or confirmation page.

Branded ticket allocations to reward customers and create positive brand sentiment

Brands can take advantage of sets of event tickets which they can offer exclusively to their audience as part of a sponsorship agreement. This is nothing new, but allocating and distributing tickets digitally enables brands to collect additional customer data, whilst event organisers can maintain visibility and control over ticket allocations.

Fully branded ticket journeys to create a deeper association between a brand the event

White-labelled digital ticket solutions offer the opportunity for brands to create personalised ticketing journeys for their customers. Keeping their brand and its association with the event at the forefront of the fan journey and maximising value for both the brand and the event organiser.

Personalised branded messaging pre and post event, directed specifically at those who had a ticket

Full visibility of the data for each ticket holder at all stages of the ticket journey, even when a ticket is transferred or shared multiple times, means event organisers and associated brands can share highly targeted messaging, tailored to each individual fan regardless of whether they attended or not.

Opportunities to surprise and delight by enhancing attending fans experiences through the ticket with exclusive offers and promotions

The use of digital tickets can extend far beyond entry to a venue, into other areas of the event experience such as merchandise or food and beverage. Leveraging this functionality, brands can share real-time, targeted offers exclusively to ticket holders which will enhance their overall experience.

For event organisers, the benefits of utilising an effective digital ticketing solution stretch beyond the direct and personalised messaging opportunities it can create for brand partners. 

New and unique sponsorship packages (to expand existing agreements or create new brand partnerships)

Adapting the method of ticket delivery and ticket journey tracking means sports organisations and event organisers can offer targeted sponsorship products that expand their existing offering.

Diversification of ticket distribution to a larger addressable audience by leveraging partner channels

With the ability to digitally control and manage sponsor ticket allocations, event organisers can make their tickets available to brand new, expanded audiences via their partners communication channels.

Enhanced data collection opportunities as a result of reaching new, untapped audiences

By reaching new audiences through partner channels, event organisers open the opportunity to grow their future addressable audience by collecting data from potential fans who they are yet to reach independently.

Expansion into closed, ticketed events in the virtual world

By embracing digital ticketing alongside the emergence of Web3, event organisers can begin to explore closed events in the virtual world which require ticketed entry. These events offer huge opportunities to target and gather data on brand new audiences, whilst offering even more opportunity for sponsors and partners to be associated with unique sporting experiences.

FIFA and Roblox announce landmark partnership

FIFA and Roblox (NYSE: RBLX) yesterday announced a new ground-breaking partnership that will offer the Roblox community, as well football fans around the world, free-to-play access to FIFA World – a virtual environment that celebrates the power of football and the rich history of its pinnacle events.

As part of its commitment to developing new football gaming titles for fans, FIFA will work with Roblox to create an exciting new online immersive experience for all football fans to hang out in social spaces, earn rewards and collect exclusive virtual items through various skill games and multiple collectors’ challenges.

The FIFA World will also host bespoke video content, built from FIFA+’s extensive library, alongside exciting in-game events, while Spain star Pedri and German icon Lena Oberdorf will feature within.

Launching today, FIFA World will continue to evolve over time and adapt to celebrate FIFA’s top tier tournaments, adjusting and adapting for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, and beyond.

“As part of our commitment to grow football and develop ways for new fans to engage with the sport, FIFA’s immersive experience on Roblox will provide football fans with a hugely exciting new way to interact with friends, celebrate the rich culture and heritage around the world’s biggest sports competition, and demonstrate their creativity and national pride through various features and mechanics,” said FIFA Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai.

“FIFA believes that such a multi-layered experience will result in a truly inclusive and fun gameplay – in turn, engaging new and existing football fans from across the globe, as well as promoting the values of the sport to an even broader audience.”

Christina Wootton, VP Global Partnerships at Roblox, added: “We believe discovering and enjoying events together with friends from all over the globe is a unique experience that often can’t be replicated in the physical world. With FIFA World, fans are able to come together to celebrate and express their fandom with one another, support their favourite teams, and get access to FIFA’s top sporting events year round.”

Spain and FC Barcelona star, Pedri, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to see FIFA and Roblox come together, and I can’t wait to be a part of FIFA World as it continues to evolve! The football fans I see in the stands every week love gaming and it’s great to be taking the FIFA World Cup to them in the digital space and interacting with them directly in our Roblox world.”

Germany and Vfl Wolfsburg midfielder, Lena Oberdorf, added: “Fans are the lifeblood of our game, and so to be involved in this project as we meet them in the world of Roblox is a hugely exciting opportunity. We love celebrating with the fans, and now we can do it in FIFA World as well as on the pitch. It’s fantastic to see FIFA and Roblox using this opportunity to give a huge platform to the women’s game, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the experience in 2023 as we head to Australia and New Zealand.”

Wasps become second Premiership Rugby club to enter administration in matter of weeks

Rugby club Wasps have been forced to cancel this weekend’s game against Exeter Chiefs and are looking likely to enter administration in the coming days.

Wasps follow Worcester Warriors into administration, both clubs will be automatically relegated.

A statement from Wasps Holdings today said: “Since filing a notice of intention to appoint administrators on 21st September, we have been working tirelessly to secure the long-term future for Wasps Holdings Limited, and all of the organisations and clubs that sit within the Group.

“Negotiations to secure deals that will allow the men’s and women’s rugby teams, netball team and the arena and associated business to move forward are ongoing. However, it has become clear that there is likely to be insufficient time to find a solvent solution for the companies within the group, and it is therefore likely that they will enter into administration in the coming days with a view to concluding deals shortly thereafter.

“While the companies within the Group all represent strong and viable businesses, the reality is that they have insufficient cash at this time to continue to fund operations until these complex negotiations have concluded. 

“We have therefore been asking potential funders and investors to provide bridging finance to provide enough time for a solvent solution to be found. Regrettably, this has not been possible to date, although we will continue to pursue this until the very last opportunity.

“In light of the current situation, we have therefore taken the decision to withdraw the Wasps Men’s team from this Saturday’s league fixture against Exeter Chiefs. This was an extremely difficult decision to make and we recognise that this will not only impact on our players, staff and supporters, but also Exeter Chiefs and the wider rugby community. However, we strongly believe it is the right course of action when, at this time, we are unable to meet our regulatory requirements in the absence of fully concluded deal negotiations.

“We understand that this news will be disappointing and concerning for everyone involved. Our immediate focus will be on ensuring that all of our players and the staff of Wasps and the arena are fully updated and given the support they need.

“While these are challenging times, we remain confident that new owners will be found that will allow the clubs and businesses within the Group to move forward.”

Member Insights: Why inclusion in sports marketing starts behind the camera

In this month’s Digital Café – David Granger, Content Director at Cinch, looks at how diversity and inclusion needs to include production crews – and the results can be pretty powerful.

At Red Bull Media House, we had a (female) global head of social media. Each year she would guard against a highlights reel of female athletes to mark International Women’s Day.

The arguments were 1) we should showcase women’s achievements all year round 2) to demonstrate progress we need to have more women behind the camera as well as in front.

And that should, arguably, apply for all inclusion tactics. In 2022, Statista stated 75 per cent of all NBA players in the US are African American, while career site Zippia says the mix of digital media producers
in the US is 71 per cent white and African American 7 per cent.

Does it matter? Shouldn’t any digital producer worth her salt be able to tell stories, create and capture content without being influenced by their own background?

Possibly, but one company is seeing better results when creating digital sports content when there is relevance, reference and rapport between crew and athlete.

Fifteen years ago, MILE 44 started as a sports PR agency for brands and athletes. In 2017 it evolved into a content studio as sports marketing demanded more photography and video.

The company believes content should tell great stories and have purpose. MILE 44 founder, Melinda Travis said: “The goal is to create things that make people want to get up and go fucking do something after they watch it. We want to ignite whatever fire people have inside through what we create for our partners.

“We put the integrity of the sport and the athlete at the centre of everything. The athlete has to love what we create and have a good experience or we’ve failed.”

This strategy is supported by the choice of content creators. Travis observed that self-taught creatives, as opposed to traditional graduates, are less constrained.

She said: “I gravitated towards younger, entrepreneurial creators who put everything into their work and pushed boundaries. People who would be overlooked by other agencies because they were too young, didn’t have enough experience or formal training. We doubled down, not only because we were building a talented team, but an incredible community of people who did things their way. And that comes through in what we make.”

These creators are as likely to be discovered on Instagram as LinkedIn as MILE 44 is looking for people who are ”…crazy talented, have a solid work ethic and push themselves beyond what they’ve done before.” When it comes to hiring “mad creativity beats technical expertise every time. Technical stuff can be learned. Artistry can’t.”

What MILE 44 does make is energetic, edgy content around sport and athlete activations in, amongst others, power-lifting, football (the soccer variety), baseball, basketball and ice hockey.

There’s a determined, dark tonality and energy to productions which stems in part from company philosophy and in part to the producers themselves.

Because, important to the company is its strategy for inclusion in production teams. There is a strong ethos that connection between subject and producer makes for stronger content.

Travis: “Culturally relevant content comes from people who live, breathe and are culture. If the people in that room all look the same and think the same, it’s not possible.”

“We don’t insert culture on its own, we extract the culture from the individuals and build around what is authentic to them in terms of fashion, music, art, community and all the other things that they’d say defines them.”

There is also a realisation that the good intent for diversity and inclusion is not always feasible. As Travis states: “It’s hard for bigger brands and agencies who have diversity challenges to change overnight, but by partnering with us, they are at least able to do it on a project-by-project basis.”

The company, based in Los Angeles, is now expanding its footprint into Europe and, as the future of digital media in sport evolves, it will adapt to meet new expectations and requirements.

The expectations are that content will either be much, much shorter to reach the TikTok/Instagram audiences, or longer format documentaries which appeal to the Netflix/streaming audience.

And the name? Where does MILE 44 come from? “When we started, my team and I had a seven-hour drive from Los Angeles to Arizona and figured that time would force us to come up with something.

It wasn’t going well. My team was throwing out ideas. I liked none of them. As I was ranting about being so uninspired because I saw nothing but desert, we passed milepost 44. There was something about it that sign and ‘MILE 44’ that connected.

In the end, we named the company in a car, in the middle of nowhere while I was pissed at myself for not feeling productive. Very fitting!

“When we started digging into the numerology meaning of 44 which, in business, is about building for the future and feeling a responsibility to guide other people’s success. There couldn’t be anything that represents us better.”

ICC launch digital collectibles ahead of Men’s T20 World Cup 2022

Cricket fans around the world will be able to collect Crictos from the biggest moments of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, as the ICC launches a world first for the sport.

Crictos will be created by FanCraze from every game during the Men’s T20 World Cup and made available to fans in-tournament for the first time. Fans will be able to collect these exciting moments from specially curated “Crictos of the Game” Packs, available daily on Crictos.com.

Crictos are Officially Licensed Digital Collectible clips from ICC events that fans can purchase to build a collection of the marquee moments in cricket history.

Additionally, to celebrate the World Cup and reward cricket’s amazing fanbase, every match ticketholder will be gifted a Crictos Pack, introducing new fans to the next generation of fandom! Cricket lovers can use their Crictos to collect their favourite moments, to trade with their friends, and to play games to win rewards and real-world goodies.

ICC Head of Digital, Finn Bradshaw said: “We are delighted to be launching a world first for cricket in collaboration with FanCraze ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup through the ICC’s Official Digital Collectibles Programme. Some of the biggest moments from every match at Australia 2022 will be made available to all fans to purchase as Crictos.

“We’re also excited that every ticketholder will receive their own Crictos Pack as we step forward into a new era of cricket memorabilia. I remember keeping my ticket from the 1992 World Cup as a keepsake. It’s wonderful to be able to use new technology to create permanent mementos from this World Cup.”

FanCraze CEO, Anshum Bhambri noted: “We are incredibly proud to bring the ‘see now-buy now’ experience to the cricket digital collectibles world. Fans will now be able to buy their favorite moments from any ICC Men’s T20 World Cup game on match-day. We are also excited to introduce the ‘I was there’ ownership experience to cricket fans by gifting every ticketholder a Crictos Pack containing a digital collectible from a World Cup game that they watched live. 

“We have special pack drops, games, rewards, and amazing real-world goodies lined up for cricket fans over the course of the biggest tournament of the year. It’s exciting to be able to see how new-age fans are interacting with the sport in novel and innovative ways.”

MLB announce Sage as official partner

Sage, the global leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses is teaming up with Major League Baseball (MLB) in a multi-year sponsorship deal – the global tech company’s first North American sports partnership. As part of the agreement:

  • Sage will sponsor pitching decisions and manager interviews, providing fans insights into their decisions during games. 
  • Sage will support MLB’s Diverse Business Partners (DBP) Program, supporting minority-owned businesses across America.
  • Sage Members and Partners across the US will also have access to MLB tickets and experiences.

Sage and Major League Baseball today formally launched the new three-year partnership at the tech company’s Transform conference in Orlando, Florida. The event brings together more than 3000 customers, partners and industry experts.

Sage will integrate with MLB broadcasts by sponsoring in-game ‘Pitching Decisions’ features on select televised and streamed games. This new sponsored broadcast feature will bring fresh insights and in-depth analysis around pitching to fans of all 30 Clubs during the regular season, Postseason and All-Star Week. 

The Sage brand will appear across various media platforms covering games league-wide, including on Apple TV+, MLB Network and MLB.com, beginning with the 2023 regular season and including the introduction of “Pitcher Power Rankings Presented by Sage.”

The ‘Pitcher Power Rankings Presented by Sage’ will appear across MLB digital, social, and linear channels, enabling fans to track pitcher performance across the season with rankings that feature real-time leaderboard updates.

Sage will also support MLB’s Diverse Business Partners (DBP) Program, helping to find new opportunities and support business growth for minority-owned businesses across America. Major League Baseball continues to be an industry leader of economic inclusivity within professional sports through the DBP program. The program has cultivated new and existing partnerships with underrepresented businesses, including Black-owned, Latino/a-owned, Asian-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ-owned and other underrepresented small businesses, to serve and supply MLB entities and MLB Clubs. Since the formation of this program in 1998, MLB and its Clubs have spent nearly $2 billion with minority-owned businesses.

Noah Garden, MLB Chief Revenue Officer, said: “On behalf of Major League Baseball, I’m proud to welcome Sage to the Baseball Family. Sage is an industry-leader that shares our passions for data, innovation and technology. These are key pillars for both our organizations and we look forward to helping Sage grow its brand awareness in North America through a most creative integrated marketing campaign on our leading network of media platforms.”

Cath Keeps, Chief Marketing Officer of Sage, said: “Everyday at Sage, we’re working hard to surface insights for our customers through brilliant products and services, delivered with a human touch. Just like business, MLB is all about tight competitive margins and we are excited to partner on pitching decisions and manager interview content that bring insights to fans, and to create unforgettable experiences for Sage customers and partners.”

Aziz Benmalek, President North America at Sage added, “At the heart of our company we are about knocking down barriers for small to medium-sized businesses. In the United States, we are already passionate supporters of several programs providing support and guidance to business owners and entrepreneurs from minority backgrounds. We are proud to partner with an organization that is just as passionate about driving change through insights.”