Sports Stars + Brands = A Winning Combination
As
consumers migrate to specialized media content across multiple
platforms, sports entertainment has led the way beyond a broad-based
market to niche content and individualized viewing.
Having
strong affinities for college and pro teams, sports enthusiasts have
embraced the transition to anytime, anywhere media content. Cub fans in
Cedar Rapids want to know how today's game affects the standings while
Yankee fans in Austin want to stay current on Derek Jeter's latest
at-bat.
What does the shift to individualized content mean for consumer brands trying to reach their target audience?
For
decades, sports stars have been effective at making the "double play"
of excellence on the field and in the advertising arena. Buick needs
the cool factor of Tiger Woods while Hanes needs the stylishness of
Michael Jordan to reinforce or supplement their brands' strengths and
weaknesses.
As
sports entertainment leads the transition to individualized content
across multiple media channels and platforms, consumer brands may find
that marrying themselves to the right sports star can help them
effectively reach their target audience as they expand their media
outlets. As
an example of the diversity of talent available for new media outlets,
below are a few athletes whose "influential" ratings most closely match
the advertising superstars Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods: 
Source: E-Score®
Celebrity is conducted weekly among a representative sample of 1,100
respondents ages 13+ and encompasses measures of awareness, appeal, and
a diverse list of 46 key attributes. 
Source:
E-Poll Market Research Product and Category Usage Survey conducted in
June 2008 among a representative sample of 4,000 respondents ages 13+.
HD Ads Improve Recall & Purchase Intent
HDTV
penetration in U.S. households has reached 32% according to the
Consumer Electronics Association. By the end of 2008 there will
be an estimated 48 million HD households across the United States.
Where are the opportunities for advertisers during the ongoing
transition from standard definition to HDTV?
Findings
from an E-Poll ad effectiveness study recently presented at the
Advertising Research Foundation conference indicate that
high-definition ads not only look better, they sell better.
The
study, performed in conjunction with Discovery Networks and media
buying firm Starcom, found that the increase in brand recall among HD
viewers was nearly two and a half times that of SD viewers.
Intent
to purchase was 55% higher when ads were seen in HD vs. SD.
High-definition viewers were more likely to purchase sooner, and 41%
more viewers found ads “very enjoyable” in HD.
Clearly,
the value of an impression is higher in the HD environment. How long
that premium lasts depends on the rate of HD adoption. As HD becomes
the norm, the transition premium may evaporate. But for now HD is still
very special in its ability to engage the audience.
Source:
E-Poll Market Research and Discovery Networks HD and SD Study on Ad
Effectiveness
presented June 2008 at Advertising Research
Foundation
conference.
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