Free White Paper: The Key Trends set to Shape the Digital Sports Industry in 2016

We are living through one of the most extreme transformational shifts in human behaviour, herbal where everyone is a media owner and brands no longer have all the power.

These two truths create unparalleled opportunities, but also threats.

Businesses are changing, traditional marketers are under pressure, impulse decision making is across the board and confusion is rife.

We’ve seen record numbers in both broadcast rights deals and sponsorship revenues, participation levels have risen and a plethora of new brands have entered into the sporting world, all keen to get a piece of the action.

Undoubtedly, 2016 will bring a wealth of new openings for businesses, but with them comes uncertainty and a lack of direction.

Knowing these opportunities and the challenges they’ll bring, we’ve put together this detailed guide looking at the key trends that are set to shape the digital sports industry in 2016.

In this guide, you will read about:

– The growth of influencer marketing and its impact on generating sales

– The opportunities in mobile marketing for customer acquisition

– How Facebook will become the dominant advertising platform

– What 2016 means for Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram

– How to utilise your video marketing budget to reach sports fans

– Is virtual reality all it’s cracked up to be?

– How eSports is becoming a phenomenon

Below is an exclusive extract from the white paper. To read more, please click here.

INFLUENCER MARKETING TAKES OVER

Influencer marketing is the use of trusted personalities and influential accounts as brand advocates. Influencers come in many forms, from the unofficial Facebook pages with hundreds of thousands of fans in deep debates about their sports club, to the parody Twitter accounts that post memes and funny quotes purely for entertainment value.

Influencers are a force. They are not just an additional media platform to connect with the audience, they are the only real media platform that connects.

Many smart brands have been executing strategies with influencers for almost a decade with the attempt of having an impact on engagement and conversion levels.

Nike and adidas are known for their blogger outreach campaigns, sending apparel and footwear to bloggers and influencers for the amplification and abundance of ‘earned media’.

These businesses recognise the ‘klout factor’ that influencers have and the opportunities for consumer engagement on a higher scale than traditional advertising.

Clever brands recognise the human element between the influencer and the consumer, which cannot be replicated in any other form of advertising and so they’ve been responsible for some of the biggest viral trends.

“When KSI mentions a new football game, I have to try it. I know he won’t put his name to a game that isn’t worth it.” Real Madrid fan

Influencer marketing offers a solution to cutting through the saturated timelines to reach fans and potential customers by pushing branded messages through a trusted source.

Studies have shown that teenagers trust influencers more than the biggest celebrities in film, TV and music.

A study in 2015 of 125 marketers showed that businesses made on average $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, making it very effective in driving tangible business value.

Unsurprisingly, the cost of using influencers is increasing. The price in 2013 for a branded Vine generating three million loops (views) was $400 compared to $10,000 to $15,000 in 2015.

With 60% of marketers set to increase their influencer marketing budget in 2016, this year looks like it will be a profitable one for influencers.

To read the full white paper, please click here.