In-person events are starting to make a comeback. Loud and exuberant cheering is part of the human experience, after all. Can we blame ourselves? Like the Roman gladiator sport that filled the Colosseum to the brim with fans to witness exciting, though gory, athleticism, modern-day sporting and concert spectacles draw crowds just the same.
I guess being present at live spectacles is in our DNA. And whether you’re cheering on your favorite sports teams (Go Warriors!) or groovin’ to the electrifying beats of your favorite pop stars – I’m a self-professed BTS stan – the collective fan experience is prime real estate for brand and product advertising.
Today, stadium advertising is a lucrative way to connect fans’ live concert or sports-going experience with their favorite brands or products. That means having a captive audience with self-professed interests that make it easier for brands to target stadium advertising to the likes and needs of attendees.
Here are some ways brands can leverage the collective power of fan culture.
Stadium Advertising is a collective experience
Unlike billboard advertising, which caters to broad swaths of people, stadium advertising brings together sports, concert, and entertainment fans over a collective interest. This makes it easier for advertisers to cater to the specific needs and neighboring interests of these groups of people. Plus, with the availability of stadium attendee statistics – which can vary depending on venue – dialing in on the backgrounds of attendees and their possible interests can significantly leverage your advertising needs.
Secondly, sporting events usually have down-time between platys and quarters, making it more likely your ad will be seen by fans waiting for the playing to resume. Much like the traditional commercial break at home, this is a great opportunity to entertain stadium attendees and invite them into your brand’s personal story and message.
Stadium Advertising can be broad or localized
Stadium advertising is not just for the big leagues. Sure the NFL, NHL, and MLB stadiums may have the means to cater to bigger and highly-funded brands, but that doesn’t mean smaller or local businesses can reap the benefits of stadium advertising either.
College sports leagues, high school stadiums, and even local city venues can be a great opportunity to feature rising or local brands, products, and services. Advertising in the communities where a business conducts its practices makes it much likely that the advertiser will understand the specific needs of that community and make it possible to tailor their ad content to speak to and connect to that audience. Much like its digital counterpart, stadium advertising can be highly effective if displayed strategically and in front of the people looking for the services or products most.
Stadium Ads varies in type and scope
When you think about the many types of ads and placements that are available through digital marketing, it can be easy to gloss over the versatility traditional print stadium advertising can offer. But that’s not all. Now, many stadiums and venues offer the luxury of digital advertising as well, making it easier to implement static and digital ads.
Whether it’s stadium walls and furniture, courtside banners, concourses surrounding the court, or scoreboard, your content has the potential to be viewed by a wide audience. This audience can easily be doubled if the event is being televised and broadcast across televised and digital platforms.
Is Stadium Advertising worth it?
Ah the joys of marketing! What other practice offers a return on investment that is risky at best. Well okay, there’s the stock market and gambling, proving that when there’s cash to burn it will, well, burn. Determining whether stadium advertising is worth it largely depends on your overall marketing strategy. Generally speaking, however, any marketing effort carries risk.
The cost of stadium advertising can vary greatly and be dependent on several factors that include but are not limited to location, time, and design. It’s also wise to consider the geographic locations it makes most sense to advertise in and to ensure your marketing efforts don’t go unnoticed.
Here are some tips to consider when incorporating stadium advertising into your overall marketing strategy:
• Ad size and format
Every stadium and event venue has specific sizes and formats available to display ads. Oftentimes, you’ll have to work with a representative from the venue before launching an ad campaign. This is where designing the ad in-house cam saves you a lot of money. Nowadays, there are also direct ad service agencies that work directly in the realm of stadium advertising, helping you every step of the process.
• Create a captivating ad
Sporting events and concerts can already be a highly stimulating experience, which can often cause less effective ads to be lost in the heat of the action. Taking into consideration the evens at which your ad will be shown can help influence the level of engagement needed for the ad and how it can best attract the attention of attendees.
• Feature a call to action
If your ad doesn’t feature a call to action for a potential consumer, then you’re
leaving behind a potential customer. More than enchant the viewer, a successful billboard advertisement has to influence a consumer to take action to research your brand or product. Interactive ads or features can help stadium for concert attendees interact with your brand and product.
So there you have it. Is stadium advertising still worth it in this day and age? You bet it is. It’s a tried and tested marketing effort that will continue to evolve and change as time goes on. And if the experience is a positive one, attendees will leave the venue as newfound fans of your own brand.
Disclaimer: This article contains sponsored marketing content. It is intended for promotional purposes and should not be considered as an endorsement or recommendation by our website. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and exercise their own judgment before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article.
