Sport Industry Group

19 May 2010

Richard Brinkman, Head of KantarSport, a solution from KantarMedia, explains to Sportindustry.biz why the role of research in sport marketing campaigns is evolving dramatically.

It is a well-worn truism that there is a statistic for everything. In sport, this is especially true. Number of yards run. Tackles made. Serves in. Putts holed. There is no part of the game left unanalysed. No stone unturned.

So why do we feel the need to dissect the performance of our sporting heroes so thoroughly? The answer is down to a single emotion. Passion. The passion that fans feel for sport means that there is no limit to their thirst for information or their desire to compare the feats of individual athletes or players against their peers.

There are distinctive parallels between this passion and the approach of businesses wishing to analyse their investments in sport. Whether it be financial return on investment or identification of demographic groups to target, any brand or rights holder is required to prove their case and justify the means by which they go about it.

The traditional methodology applied to such research however has proved increasingly flawed.

The reliance on such statistics in isolation has given false impressions of the reality of things and, whilst in many cases delivering short-term gain on the surface, the overlying reasons for engagement have not translated into benefits where it truly matters in the long-term – a company’s bottom line.

The solution lies in applying a joined up approach to research. It is not sufficient, for example, to use one research approach to quantify media value and another methodology entirely to apply that media value to the demographic of the audience.

These ends need to feed in off each other and provide a deeper insight into the behaviour and purchasing patterns of the fan. Inconsistency in approach will lead to inconsistency in results.

As an industry, we are still too heavily reliant on TV exposure numbers which give an idea of scale but little in the way of depth of understanding. Essentially, the only figures of value are the ones which let you know how to interact with your target audience. The question is less how many and more why, when and who.

Whilst media value remains important it needs to dove-tail seamlessly alongside the plethora of other research approaches increasingly used to give a clear and complete view of the whole picture.

The realisation of this fundamental mantra has prompted a change of approach towards sports marketing research and forms the central ethos behind the new KantarSport solution in the wake of its evolution from its previous TNS Sport moniker.

Industry techniques are improving in this regard and there is now a more joined-up thinking applied to campaigns which is beginning to reap very real dividends for clients on their bottom line. Or to use sporting parlance, results gained.

So you see, fans and businessmen are more alike than you think.