The fourth edition of Sports Marketing 360 took place in front of a sold out delegation at the BT Auditorium in London and a global audience around the world watching the live webcast courtesy of Octopus Media Technology. Here, Byron McCaughey, Account Manager, Braben (the PR Partners of SportBusiness Group Conferences and Events) takes us through some of the key points of the day.
 
1. Charlie Wijeratna, Executive Director, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, unveils some interesting stats: 3m fans in UK, 16m fans globally, 32,000 on a paid waiting list for season membership. Spurs also have an eye on commercialising global markets – they currently make almost no revenue outside UK.
 
2. Olivier Bremont, CCO, Volvo Ocean Race, said that the Volvo Ocean Race focuses on multiple investment platforms including the ports, teams, partners and an increased focus on licensing revenue with brands such as Puma.
 
3. Jez Jowett, Global Social Media Director, Cake, Havas Sports & Entertainment, gave some insight into brands social media campaigns – 67% of people will re-tweet if you ask them to and once you have an established community, encourage conversation by posting questions, not statements. He gave the example of Smirnoff Vodka who asked “Do you like small or large events” which received hundreds of comments and interactions.
 
4. Josh Robinson, Director of Consultancy, Sports Revolution & SMG Sport, compares digital media to glue that sews together a campaign and avoids ‘dead-end’ media.
 
5. Tim Duncalf, Director Oxygen8 Communications, talks mobile and the trials of Near Field Communications (NFC). “The new wallet in your pocket” will allow you to swipe your mobile for contactless payments, exchange digital content and information collection.
 
6. Andrew Steele, Olympic and Commonwealth Games Sprinter said that brands that look to invest in developing sports professionals have the opportunity to create a ‘culture’ rather than just a ‘winner’.
 
7. The success of a particular sport (traditional or ‘new-look’) is about taking it from being fashionable to being popular, comments John Taylor, Chairman, Sports Impact – this is the only way to secure longevity.
 
8. Tim Crow, CEO, Synergy, comments that sports marketing leverages people’s passion and social media allows people to share that passion.
 
9. The new Westfield Stratford City will see 75% of the people attending the London 2012 games walk through its doors which presents a huge opportunity for marketers.
 
10. Tim Crow discussing mobile marketing and how mass one-to-one marketing to mobile is going to be the ‘golden-ticket’ for marketers
 
To find out more about what was discussed, search #SM360 on Twitter 
 
Byron McCaughey, Account Manager, Braben (the PR Partners of SportBusiness Group Conferences and Events)