Fan Engagement: The NEW Holy Grail for Sports Brands

Sport is a universal passion. In any country and in any language, sport inspires like nothing else. It offers a constant source of conversation, community, and connection. 

In a digital economy now worth over $4 trillion, the sporting industry itself is undergoing a dramatic transformation. 

And not just on the field with enhanced player performance or data-driven recruitment, but also off the pitch through immersive and innovative fan engagement — such as VR experiences, instant access to match highlights, or real-time goal footage. Simon Morris, Adobe vice president marketing EMEA & APAC shares his insights to the new holy grail for sports brands.

Explore the partnership between FC Bayern and Adobe.

The diversification of the modern sports fan

The acceleration of digital in sport has put a sense of urgency on every club and organisation around the world to become digital, with much of that change taking place over the past few years.

As physical and digital converge in sport, a new breed of digital-first, always connected fan has emerged.

I’m one of them, having been a season ticket holder at English football club Arsenal for 30 years. As with any modern sports fan, I want to be constantly connected to my football club, whether that’s through real-time team news, notifications on the latest transfer rumours, match ticket availability, or the latest offers on merchandise, all pushed to my device of choice.

Ultimately, the delivery of these experiences boils down to how well clubs understand their supporters, and how they can use that understanding to better personalise their content. That’s why data — and how we collect it — plays such a critical role in creating the experiences that modern sports fans crave. 

Building a global sporting brand through digital experiences

As with any business, the need to continue driving growth and generating revenue opportunities for sports clubs is paramount — and digitalisation is fundamental to this growth, transforming sporting clubs into global brands that attract new waves of fans in their millions. 

For example, Arsenal’s fanbase is estimated to be upwards of 750 million people, so I often bump into fellow supporters while travelling. These fans are just as passionate as myself, and possess the same desire to feel constantly connected to the club. 

Many sports clubs attract new fans by playing friendly matches and tournaments abroad, but they’ve retained those fans by keeping them engaged and connected through digital experiences, such as exclusive player interviews on social media or behind the scenes footage through dedicated club apps.

Redefining the digital sports experience 

In response to the shifting expectations and demands of the modern fan, many of Adobe’s customers in the sporting world are embracing the large scale digital transformation currently dominating the industry. 

For example, Spanish football club Real Madrid are passionately recreating the community spirit of supporting the iconic Los Blanco’s, but at global scale. Another European football giant, FC Bayern, is also looking to push the boundaries of how digital can redefine the fan experience and attract new audiences.

Both are leveraging the power of data-driven, personalised experiences within Adobe Experience Cloud — including Adobe’s Real-Time Customer Data Platform — to meet and exceed the needs of millions of supporters worldwide.

Outside of football, Major League Baseball in the United States is partnering with Adobe to be able to deliver new levels of personalised, seamless experiences to its millions of fans — bringing the unique and traditional atmosphere of the ballpark to people across the world.

Thriving in today’s digital economy

Even in our digital-first world, it’s still creativity and personalised connections that we crave most as a people and a society. And perhaps nowhere else is this better personified than the world of sport, where we become unexplainably (almost unavoidably) attached to our favourite clubs and players, for life.

Building these long-lasting connections is what will allow the sporting clubs and organisations of the future to flourish — and it’s a truly exciting time to be a part of it.