Targeting Sports Fans (and Who Your Clients are Overlooking)

BY Rachel Cagle
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When you picture sports fans, you probably imagine someone on the edge of their seat in front of a TV screen wearing their team’s merch. If you pictured that, you’re almost always right. According to VAB’s Best Seats in the House study, 72% of sports fans say their home is their favorite place to watch sports. Why? Home viewings give them front row seats (92% of fans say) and the “off-​the-​field” coverage is a crucial component of the viewing experience for 68% of fans. This consumer behavior is fantastic news for TV advertisers.

If your clients are targeting sports fans with their advertisements, they should be placing their ads on TV, not in stadiums or arenas. Not only does TV viewing of sports give advertisers the ability to get increased exposure of their ads, avid sports fans are 24% more likely to research a product or service they saw advertised on TV than one they saw advertised in person at a game. TV ads are also 40% more likely than ads in a stadium or arena to result in purchases from avid sports fans.

Are your clients primarily targeting male sports fans? If so, they’re missing out on the primary responders of ads during televised sporting events. Female sports fans are 32% more likely than males to purchase an advertised product or service and 26% more likely than males to research a product or service they saw in a TV ad. Perhaps this is because female sports fans tend to have more of an emotional connection to sports than males (59% of female fans compared to 51% of male fans).

Need more information on your client’s target audience before making your next ad campaign pitch? AudienceSCAN on AdMall from SalesFuel has data on numerous sports-​related audiences, from general TV Sports Watchers to specifics such as Minor League/​College Baseball Fans. On their profiles you can learn the specifics of each audience’s demographic, purchase intent and marketing information.


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