One on one
“I want them to analyse everything we’ve collected from our partners, then get them thinking about whether that challenges core assumptions”
deal with. They often run email marketing campaigns like we saw in the early 2000s – ‘spray and pray’. When we come in, we tell them about their fans without even examining their data – and that blows their mind. They’re like, ‘Most vendors come in, look at our data, then help us figure things out.’ Our approach is completely different. I want them to analyse everything we’ve collected from our partners, then get them thinking about whether that challenges core assumptions, or is validating what they’re doing. Xtreme: What can you tell an organisation based on that data? Walker: If their consumers tend to be more value-based, or they
Walker: Back in 2017 and 2018, there was a huge rush to buy esport teams. Esport has been a bad experiment for some of these guys – they did not realise that it was actually an events business, rather than a digital cross-selling opportunity. Now they have to reimagine how they integrate with the digital platform, so partnerships with EA or other gaming platforms bring consumers into their viewing environment. Or they try to emulate that interactivity during viewing, with a chat or some kind of betting during the game. They are trying to understand how they might take advantage of microtransactions and e-commerce during a stream. But it’s no longer a case of: ‘We need to own an esport team, because esport is going to be massive.’
give to charities; if they tend to be more sustainable, or buy from sustainability brands. We can tell them if their fans tend to be parents – you might see that a lot of your consumers are also buying children’s things. Or we can see that your fans are skewing towards women’s sports, because they have subscriptions to different women’s sports platforms. With that, we can really help with e-strategy and merch. But most importantly, assist them in identifying brands they should be working with. If we see that everybody who overlaps with your brand is buying Louis Vuitton, go talk to Louis Vuitton. Xtreme: Are there any specific insights around esport or gaming you have noticed?
FUTURE FOCUS Sports Innovation Lab’s ‘fluid fan’ concept reveals a community- based audience, looking for good storytelling
MONETISATION
COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL
Storytelling (short- and long-form content) is essential and there is demand for it beyond game-time
Consistent, accessible content is necessary and presence on digital channels is key (social media, OTT, etc)
Consumption is a quality-over- quantity game, and an alignment with fan values nets real profits and brand affinity
© Sports Innovation Lab
EXPERT KNOWLEDGE With experience as both a pro athlete and organiser, Ruggiero – along with Walker’s data crunching – has a clear view of the industry
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 FEED:XTREME 35
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