The contents table

1. There is room for women!
2.as well as for elderly
3.Esports and young people
4. Sustainability and accountability
5.Intercepting and accounting

1. There is room for women:

Sports are, after all, a very large social mirror. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that women are playing a bigger role in this industry. Even spectators for sports like soccer are becoming increasingly female. Consider the media interest generated by the most recent European Women’s Soccer Championships, which were held in Italy.

The female target market for marketing plans in the sports industry has grown as a result. The difference is still substantial, and the trend is continuing apace.

All of this is well known to the companies, and several ads are being run in this manner. We single out a few of them for their sharpness, like the Nike and North Face advertisements “Dream with us” and “She moves mountain,” as well as the British government’s “This Girl Can” initiative.

2. As well as for elderly:

Although the population, particularly in the Western world, is becoming older, it is also getting more active and vibrant.

As a result, “seniors” are (and will continue to be) a key target for sports marketing due to their increased spending power (an aspect not to be overlooked).

In this regard, the Adidas “Break Free” ad is a really intriguing and daring example.

3. E-sport and young sports:

The older portions of the population were the focus of earlier sports marketing trends, but this one is mostly about the younger demographic, which is also among the most difficult for businesses to target. Fundamental to doing this, though, is learning to recognizspe the trends the market is going through.

Young people are increasingly becoming involved in the so-called e-sports movement, which blurs the distinction between the gaming industry and the more broad-based sports industry. The number of “electronic sports” enthusiasts is predicted to reach 250 million by 2021. And by 2022, this industry’s revenue will range from €1 billion to €650 million.

4. Sustainability and accountability:

Younger generations are becoming more and more interested in another aspect: brand attention to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.

It is clear that people are more sensitive to these concerns. You only need to look around, from Fridays for Future to social media hashtags to “vintage” TV advertising. However, these statistics show that 66% of customers are even willing to pay more to reward the firms that are dedicated to having a beneficial social and environmental effect (nielsen.com).

5. Intercepting communities:

There are extremely close-knit groups of sports fans, enthusiasts, as well as technicians and specialists.

It is essential to intercept these communities. And there are numerous methods to achieve it: for instance, through the analysis of Big Data; by taking use of influencers and micro-influencers (and we’ll come back to them in the following two paragraphs); or, even better, by combining the two approaches.

But there is one viewpoint that is becoming more and more decisive. And it is a side that is “in the shadows,” if you will, to the point that it is sometimes referred to as “dark social.” It is just the “private” portion of the internet, which includes WhatsApp groups, chats, and closed groups on social media. It’s a rapidly expanding area of the internet where individuals are speaking more openly about their thoughts and beliefs.