Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Sports CDP Crash Course - Data Talks

Today I want us to do something different. Instead of talking about the future of women’s sports, I want us to dream about it, together. And not a future in the next coming 5 years, but rather, a future that happens in a mere 14 months, at the end of nex year.

"It’s December 15, 2025. We’re here, watching a sold-out stadium filled with thousands of passionate fans, all draped in the vibrant colors of their favorite women's sports team. This isn’t a dream—it’s the future of women's sports, and it's happening right now. The stands are packed, and excitement is radiating through the air. Everyone is on the edge of their seats, anticipation building as the game kicks off. But there’s something deeper at play here than just the action on the field—something that has transformed women’s sports forever. And it all comes down to one thing: data."

"Today, every single one of those fans has been a part of a carefully crafted experience. The club didn’t just sell tickets and hope for the best—they used data to get to know their fans, to understand what they love, and to make sure this experience is unforgettable. And that’s why, game after game, season after season, these same fans keep coming back. Women's sports have always had the heart, the passion, the talent. Now, they’re proving to the world they can deliver the profits too."

"Let’s break it down. When we talk about 'harnessing data,' we’re not just talking about numbers. We’re talking about deep insights into who these fans are, what makes them tick, and how clubs can connect with them in meaningful ways. With data segmentation, women’s sports clubs can categorize their fans based on behaviors, preferences, and spending habits. It’s like having a crystal ball that tells you exactly who’s most likely to buy tickets for the next big match, or who’s going to jump at the chance to snag exclusive merchandise."

"And then, there’s gamification. Look around this stadium—it’s not just a place to watch sports; it’s a playground for fans. Before today’s match, thousands of fans played a score prediction game on their phones, eagerly inputting their guesses and earning points. Not only did it build anticipation, but the club now has something even more valuable—the fans’ contact details, and insights into their behavior. Data like this turns casual spectators into die-hard supporters who come back, time and again. Fans feel like they're part of something bigger, and they’re more likely to engage in the future."

"Now, let’s talk about the numbers that prove just how powerful this transformation has been. Research shows that women's sports fans have a higher purchase intent compared to their male counterparts. In fact, a Nielsen study found that 84% of women’s sports fans are more likely to purchase a product because it sponsors women’s sports, compared to 68% of general sports fans. This isn’t just about loyalty—it’s about a fanbase that is willing to spend, and spend big, to support the teams and brands they love.

And it doesn’t stop there. Women’s sports fans are more engaged online, too. Clubs that have embraced data are seeing exponential growth in social media interactions, website traffic, and digital engagement. Fans are staying connected year-round, not just during the season."

"Fast forward to next season. Picture this—those same fans, now back in their seats, eagerly awaiting the kickoff of another unforgettable game. They’re not just here because of loyalty; they’re here because the club knows them. They receive personalized offers, exclusive content, and VIP experiences tailored specifically to their preferences. The club uses data to make sure every touchpoint, from the moment they purchase their ticket to the moment they leave the stadium, is seamless and unforgettable.

And the beauty of it all? This is just the beginning. Women's sports are proving that with the right tools, they can compete on every level—bringing in...

Today, we’re talking about something that’s absolutely essential – understanding the emotional connection with fans and how using data in a more personal way can drive not just engagement, but lasting loyalty and growth and how you are going to learn about all of this and more at the Data ‘Talks’ Revenue Conference.

Being in a sold-out sports event is an overwhelming sensory and emotional experience. From the moment you step into the stadium, there’s an electric energy in the air that feels almost tangible. The hum of thousands of conversations, the constant buzz of excitement, and the occasional roar of a chant rising from the crowd wash over you as you find your seat. You can feel the anticipation building, almost like static electricity, as fans from all corners of the stadium unite in their passion for the game.

At times, the crowd falls into a tense silence, but even then, there’s a crackling energy that hovers in the air, as if everyone is holding their breath, waiting for the next moment to explode.

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion." These are the wise words of Dale Carnegie. This sentiment cuts right to the heart of why personalising your fan engagement strategies is so important. Fans, especially in sports, don’t just make decisions based on logic or pure reasoning. They are driven by emotion – the thrill of victory, the pain of defeat, the pride in their team, the connection with their favourite players. In sports, emotions run deep, and that’s what makes this industry so unique.

Nudge theory, developed by behavioural economist Richard Thaler, tells us that people can be "nudged" into making certain decisions or behaviours through subtle changes in how choices are presented. And it’s not about making people do something; it’s about gently guiding them, often by tapping into their emotional triggers.

Think about it this way: if you want fans to attend more matches, buy more merchandise, or sign up for exclusive memberships, you need to nudge them toward those actions. You do that by making it emotionally compelling and easy for them – not just telling them logically why it’s a good idea. This is where data comes in, and it’s more crucial now than ever.

With the right data – and I mean personal data – you can understand what really motivates your fans. You’re not just treating them as one large group of people who love football or rugby; you’re treating each fan as an individual with unique preferences, passions, and emotional drivers.

This is where sports organisations can truly elevate their strategy. By using a Customer Data Platform (CDP) like Data Talks, clubs can bring together all the fan data in one place. This allows them to not just track who’s attending games or buying merchandise, but also to understand what resonates with individual fans: their favourite players, the games they never miss, or even the emotional moments they care about most.

When you have that data, you can personalise your communications, offers, and experiences. Instead of sending a generic email about the next home game, you send a personalised message to a fan who always attends derby matches, reminding them of how important their support is for that specific game. It’s a subtle nudge, but it works – because you’ve tapped into their emotions.

And why is this even more important in sports than in other industries?

Well, sports fandom is inherently emotional. Unlike other businesses where customers might be more logical in their choices, sports fans are loyal, often for life. They identify with the clubs they support, emotionally investing in every win, every loss, every season. This gives sports organisations a unique advantage – but it also means you need to be more thoughtful about how you engage them. You can’t rely on rational messaging...

When it comes to leveraging fan data to drive ticket sales, merchandise revenue, and high-value sponsorships, you need a partner you can trust. That’s where we come in at Data Talks.

At Data Talks, we’re proud to partner with a diverse range of sports organizations across various countries and sports. From the passionate football supporters of 1. FC Magdeburg in Germany to the committed fans of the Vålerenga in Norway and PAOK FC in Greece, our reach is broad. We also work with AIK, the trailblazing Lewes FC—known for their gender equality stance, and FK Crvena Zvezda, helping these clubs not only understand but also engage their supporters on a deeper level. But our expertise isn’t limited to football and ice hockey. We’re also working with the Swedish Golf Federation, Dolphins - which is competing in the Australian National Rugby League and the Austrian Handball Federation, to name a few.

No two clubs are the same, which is why we tailor our approach to meet your specific needs. For instance, when 1. FC Magdeburg wanted to increase merchandise sales, we helped them initiate a campaign encouraging fans to print their names on their jerseys to increase purchases. The outcome was impressive sales and a clear understanding that targeting specific groups can create fantastic results.

To check their strategy, 1. FC Magdeburg divided their audience and sent the same campaign to two different groups. Group one targeted those who purchased a shirt this year, but also spent a minimum of 90 EUR in previous purchases—a small but promising group of 1,200 recipients. Group two went broader, reaching all supporters who bought a ticket in the last two years, totaling a whopping 38,000 recipients.

The smaller group saw outstanding results—a jaw-dropping 66% open rate, a 6% click rate, leading to 20 orders and 1431 EUR in revenue from 1100 recipients. The larger ticket buyer group also held its own with a superb 54% open rate, and 6% click rate, resulting in 90 orders and a revenue of 7384 EUR from the expansive pool of 38,000 recipients. 

While both groups had fantastic open rates, the segment that had previously bought merchandise stole the spotlight with higher conversion rates. Proportionally, this smaller segment generated significantly more sales. In fact, if that segment were as large as the the segment that had previously bought tickets, the numbers would have skyrocketed to 630 orders versus the already impressive 90 orders from the ticketing segment.

The message was simple yet impactful – a warm reminder that time was running out to secure tickets for the upcoming match.

The combined results from both groups brought in a total revenue of 8 815 EUR in the Fan Shop. Here’s the takeaway—the Data Talks Customer Data Platform (CDP) empowers clubs to go broad or laser-focused. Both approaches yield great outcomes, and the real magic happens when you pinpoint the right strategy, connect with the right audience, and present them with an irresistible offer. 

Similarly, we helped SC Fortuna Köln prove the power of fighting until the last moment with their last minute ticket campaign. With just 20 hours remaining before a match, Fortuna strategically targeted around 9,000 profiles in their database who had not yet purchased tickets. The result? Despite the short ticket-buying window, the campaign led to an impressive 83% increase in ticket sales. The success of this initial campaign was just the beginning. Fortuna Köln recognised the vast possibilities that the Data Talks platform offered. Beyond overcoming their first challenge, they now look forward to utilising the platform’s advanced features, including segmentation, personalisation, and automation.

Fortuna Köln’s success story is a testament to the transformative power of data-driven strategies and the seamless collaboration with Data Talks. As the club continues its journey, it remains committed to embracing...

In this episode, we’re excited to welcome Stef McLaughlin, the Commercial Manager at Lewes Football Club. This pioneering club is renowned for its commitment to gender equality in football. Lewes FC is breaking new ground with its inclusive approach, from breastfeeding facilities in the stands to offering a diverse range of healthy vegan options on match days.

Join host Lorraine Moalosi as she sits down with Stef to explore her role at Lewes FC and how the club pushes the boundaries of traditional football culture. Discover the innovative steps Lewes FC is taking to broaden the horizons of the football community and make the sport more welcoming to all.

Tune in to learn how Lewes FC sets a new standard for inclusivity in football and hear firsthand about their groundbreaking initiatives that are changing the game.

Today, we're diving into a topic that's crucial for any club looking to dominate on a global scale: international expansion. Specifically, we'll explore how you can leverage supporter data to identify and target untapped international markets, creating tailored campaigns that truly resonate. By the end of this episode, you’ll have practical insights into how to use gamification, segmentation, and A/B testing to grow your global fanbase and boost your bottom line.

To kick things off, let’s talk about why data is your best friend when it comes to expanding internationally. Unlike a one-size-fits-all approach, data allows you to understand the nuances of different markets—what motivates fans in one region might be completely different from another. Take for example, a club like Bayern Munich. By analyzing supporter data, they could discover that fans in Southeast Asia are particularly passionate about youth development. With this insight, Bayern Munich could tailor content, merchandise, and even partnerships that highlight their FC Bayern Campus, which would resonate strongly with this audience. But data does more than just tell you what fans like; it helps you reach them effectively through strategies like gamification, segmentation, and A/B testing. 

First up, let’s talk about gamification—a fun and engaging way to draw in new supporters. Imagine launching an app-based game where international fans can “manage” their own version of your club, making decisions on transfers, line-ups, and match tactics. The game could be tailored to introduce club history, player stats, and match highlights, gradually turning casual players into passionate fans.

For example, Bayer Leverkusen could create a campaign where fans from targeted regions, say India and Indonesia, earn points for engaging with the club’s content, buying merchandise, or attending virtual events. These points could be redeemed for exclusive digital content, discounts, or even a chance to meet players virtually. Gamification not only attracts new fans but also provides you with valuable data on what motivates these fans, enabling you to refine your strategies further.

Next, let’s discuss segmentation—a critical tool for identifying the right supporters to target with your campaigns. The key here is to group your international audience based on specific attributes like age, location, spending habits, or engagement levels.

Let’s consider VfL Wolfsburg, which might discover through data that they have a significant number of highly engaged fans in China who frequently engage with digital content but have never purchased merchandise. A segmented campaign could target this group with a special offer: a limited-edition Bayern Munich jersey that celebrates Chinese New Year, bundled with a virtual meet-and-greet with a popular player.

In this case, the segmentation attributes would include:

Location: China

Engagement Level: High digital interaction

Purchase History: Low merchandise purchases

The relevance? The offer ties directly into the cultural context of Chinese New Year, combined with the emotional appeal of meeting a player, making it more likely to convert these highly engaged but non-spending fans into buyers.

Finally, we can't overlook the importance of A/B testing. This is where you take your segmented audience and test different versions of your message to see which one resonates best.

For instance, let’s say you’re RB Leipzig, and you’re trying to increase ticket sales for a pre-season tour in the United States. You might A/B test two different email campaigns: one that highlights the opportunity to see new star signings in action, and another that emphasizes a family-friendly experience with activities for kids.

By running these tests, you can determine which message drives more conversions. If the family-friendly message performs better, you now have...

In this episode guest host Karen Ramirez, founder and skipper of Sporting Sheroes, tackles the critical issue of media visibility for women’s sports.

Karen explores the current state of media coverage, highlights key findings from the Women’s Sports Trust Visibility Report, and discusses the challenges and opportunities for enhancing the profile of women’s sports. She shares practical tips for athletes, teams, and clubs to boost their media presence and engage with fans more effectively.

Tune in to discover how you can contribute to driving greater recognition and support for women’s sports, and join our community in the movement toward more equitable media coverage.

In this episode, we’re joined by Carl-Erik Moberg, the CEO and Co-Founder of TicketCo, a leading company providing digital ticketing solutions for sports organizations, events, and venues. Carl-Erik’s entrepreneurial journey began at just 16 years old, when he launched his first venture in waterskiing courses and event ticket sales. Since then, he has successfully managed over 20 restaurants and venues and expanded TicketCo across Europe.

Join your host, Lorraine Moalosi, as she chats with Carl-Erik about his inspiring journey, the innovations driving the ticketing industry, and the strategies that are shaping the future of sports and event ticketing.

Hello and welcome to another episode of "Sports CDP Crash Course." I'm your host, Lorraine Moalosi, and today we're unveiling two secret tricks that successful sports organisations are using to fully leverage the power of social media. These secrets are game-changers and can set your organisation apart from others. 

There are many different metrics sports organisations use to measure the success of social media posts and campaigns. Some consider followers, likes, or shares to be the most important metrics to follow on social media. While these are great metrics if that's what you're focusing on other metrics that we at Data Talks focus more on include the actions that the supporters take after seeing your post. Actions such as buying tickets because they saw a post from your sports organisation asking them to buy tickets for an upcoming game or to buy merchandise so that they can wear the club's colors to the upcoming match that they have already purchased tickets for. 

Of course, not everything is about money or revenue. However, every business, sports organizations being no exception, wants to make as much revenue as possible while also ensuring that it's giving its customers, supporters in our context, the best experience. That's what our vision for the sports industry is. We want in the business of making sure that Sports organizations understand that they can create sustainable Revenue by thriving or rather by exceeding fan expectations and so there are two tricks that successful Sports organizations used to fully Leverage The Power of social media and that's what we're going to discuss in today's episode. 

1. Converting Social Media Followers into Known Contacts Using Gamification

Let's start with the first secret: converting social media followers into known contacts using gamification. Think about all the followers you have on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. While it's great to have a large following, these followers are just numbers until you convert them into known contacts. This is where gamification comes in.

One effective method is through score prediction games. Fans predict the scores of upcoming matches, and in return, they provide their contact details to participate. Another fun approach is the "Wheel of Fortune" campaign, where fans can spin a virtual wheel for a chance to win prizes, again in exchange for their contact information.

Now, let's explore why this sets successful sports organisations apart.

Benefit 1: Enhanced Fan Engagement

Firstly, gamification significantly boosts fan engagement. When fans participate in games like score predictions or wheel spins, they become more involved with the team. This interactive approach keeps them excited and invested in the outcomes of matches, fostering a deeper connection with the organisation.

Benefit 2: Building a Rich Contact Database

Secondly, these gamification strategies help you build a rich contact database. Converting followers into known contacts means you now have valuable data like email addresses and phone numbers. This data is gold for your marketing efforts, allowing you to reach out directly with personalised offers and updates.

Benefit 3: Increased Loyalty and Retention

Lastly, gamification increases fan loyalty and retention. When fans feel like they are part of the action, they are more likely to stay loyal to the team. They enjoy the thrill of participation and are more likely to attend games, purchase merchandise, and renew season tickets.

Using a Sports CDP to Find Lookalike Audiences on Advertising Platforms

Now, onto our second secret: using a sports CDP to find lookalike audiences on...

Our next guest is the CEO of Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Jason Brisbane. Jason is also the current Chair of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region of the Global Institute of Sport. Jason previously worked as the Head of Community and Grassroots Development at the NFL - leading on the strategic and operational growth of NFL Flag in the U.K across both schools and community settings. He was also the Head of Student Services and Academy tutor at Bolton Wanderers Football Club. Moreover, Jason was a professional athlete playing for the San Diego Chargers in the NFL and for teams in Finland, Spain, and Switzerland, and is a qualified teacher”.

Join your host Lorraine Moalosi, as she talks to Jason Brisbane about daring to do things differently in the sports industry.

Hello and welcome to another episode of "Sports CDP Crash Course." I'm your host, Lorraine Moalosi, and today we're discussing an exciting topic: how sports organisations can sell more tickets to tourists. 

The relationship between tourism and sports is truly symbiotic. Tourists travel to experience new places and cultures, and sports events offer a perfect opportunity for them to immerse themselves in the local spirit. Meanwhile, sports organisations benefit from the influx of tourists, who bring in additional revenue and spread the word about their experiences far and wide.

Take clubs like FC Barcelona, Manchester United, and the New York Yankees, for example. These teams have some of the largest shares of the tourist segment. Their iconic stadiums and rich histories make them must-visit destinations for sports fans from all over the world. So, how can other sports organisations tap into this lucrative market? Let's dive into five concrete examples using strong Sports CDP use cases that can help ticketing and marketing managers in sports organisations achieve this goal.

1. Geo-Targeted Marketing Campaigns

First up, geo-targeted marketing campaigns. A CDP allows you to segment your audience based on their location. You can target tourists who are planning to visit your city or region with tailored marketing messages.

Imagine knowing that a large group of tourists from Japan is visiting your city. With this information, you can create specific campaigns in Japanese, highlighting upcoming matches, special ticket packages, and exclusive experiences at your stadium. Geo-targeting ensures your message reaches the right people at the right time, increasing the likelihood of ticket purchases.

Partnership with Local Tourism Agencies

Next, let's talk about partnering with local tourism agencies. By integrating your CDP with data from tourism agencies, you can gain insights into tourist demographics and preferences. This information can help you create joint promotions and packages.

For example, you could collaborate with local hotels to offer special deals that include match tickets as part of a tourist package. This not only boosts ticket sales but also enhances the overall visitor experience, making your sports event a key highlight of their trip.

Personalised Communication

Our third use case is personalised communication. A CDP allows you to personalise your interactions with tourists by understanding their preferences and behaviours.

If a tourist has shown interest in certain types of matches or events, you can send them tailored messages that highlight those specific games. For example, a family visiting from Brazil might receive information about a family-friendly match, along with details about kid-friendly activities at the stadium. Personalised communication makes tourists feel valued and increases the chances of them purchasing tickets.

Enhancing the In-Stadium Experience

Fourth on our list is enhancing the in-stadium experience. A CDP can provide valuable insights into what tourists enjoy most about their visit, allowing you to tailor the in-stadium experience to meet their expectations.

For instance, if data shows that tourists love behind-the-scenes tours, you can offer exclusive tour packages that include a match ticket. Additionally, you can use real-time data to provide tourists with personalised recommendations for concessions, merchandise, and activities within the stadium, ensuring they have a memorable experience.

Post-Visit Engagement

Last but not least, post-visit engagement. A CDP helps you stay connected with tourists even after they’ve left. By collecting data on their visit, you can send follow-up communications that keep them engaged and encourage them...

We’re thrilled to welcome Kirsty Burrows, Head of the Safe Sport Unit at the International Olympics Committee, to today’s episode. Kirsty’s impressive credentials include serving as the IOC Lead Safeguarding Officer at Games-time, Academic Director of the IOC Certificate: Safeguarding Officer in Sport, member of the Council of Europe’s Pool of Experts in Safe Sport, and author of the IOC Safeguarding Toolkit (2017).

In this insightful conversation with Lorraine Moalosi, Kirsty discusses the importance of embedding safeguarding into an organization’s DNA rather than viewing it as an abstract concept. She also addresses the challenges faced by international organizations in enforcing safeguarding measures globally and offers practical advice for sports organizations aiming to integrate safeguarding into their culture and operations.

This special episode highlights the essential role of safeguarding in sports and reminds us of the people behind the extraordinary achievements at the Olympics.

Join Karen Ramirez, founder of Sporting Sheroes, on this DataTalk Sports CDP Crash Course Podcast episode as she previews the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games.

Discover the exciting firsts and ongoing debates, from gender parity and family provisions for athletes to the inclusion of new sports like surfing and breakdancing. Learn about the significant changes in women’s sports, including improvements in uniforms and the introduction of prize money for Olympic Gold medalists in athletics.

Tune in for a comprehensive overview of the upcoming Games and how they're set to make history.

Hello and welcome to "Sports CDP Crash Course," the podcast where we dive deep into the strategies and insights that can help sports organisations thrive by propelling them to the centre of fans’ hearts and actions so they can become a core part of their fans’ lives. 'm your host, Lorraine Moalosi, and today we’re talking about how to sell more season memberships during the summer.

1. Gamification

First up is gamification. People love games and challenges, and a CDP can help you tap into this enthusiasm by creating engaging gamified experiences. You can encourage first time membership signs up by using gamification to draw in new fans. Use score prediction games and wheel of fortune to entice them into not wanting to miss out on the action.

You can design loyalty programs where fans earn points for attending games, purchasing merchandise, or engaging with your content on social media. These points can then be redeemed for rewards, such as discounts on season memberships or exclusive merchandise.

Imagine a fan competing to reach the top of the leaderboard by attending the most games or sharing the most content. This not only drives engagement but also fosters a sense of community and competition among fans, making them more likely to commit to a season membership to continue participating.

2. Having a Preference Centre

Next, let’s talk about having a preference centre. A CDP allows you to create a centralised hub where fans can manage their preferences. This means they can choose what type of content they want to receive and how they want to be contacted.

For example, some fans might prefer email updates, while others might want push notifications or SMS messages. By respecting these preferences and delivering content in their preferred format, you increase the chances of your messages being read and acted upon. This personalised approach can significantly boost the effectiveness of your membership campaigns.

3. Teasing Exclusive Offers

Our third use case is teasing exclusive offers. A CDP can help you identify your most engaged fans and offer them exclusive early-bird deals or sneak peeks at upcoming promotions. By segmenting your audience, you can create a sense of urgency and exclusivity.

Imagine sending a special offer to your top 10% of fans, giving them first access to new season memberships or exclusive events. This not only makes them feel valued but also encourages them to act quickly to secure their spot, driving early sales and creating buzz around your memberships.

Join host Lorraine Moalosi in an insightful conversation with Thomas Rypens, Direct-to-Consumer Director at Club Brugge. Discover how Thomas oversees fan engagement through ticketing, merchandising, and digital strategies, while leading Club Brugge's Customer Experience team.

Gain valuable insights into fan behaviour and the pivotal role of innovation in shaping the future of sports. Tune in for an engaging discussion that explores the evolving landscape of sports industry dynamics.

Hello and welcome to "Sports CDP Crash Course," the podcast where we dive deep into the strategies and insights that can help sports organisations thrive by propelling them to the centre of fans’ hearts and actions so they can become a core part of their fans’ lives. 'm your host, Lorraine Moalosi, and today we’re talking about a crucial topic for ticketing managers and marketing managers: how to sell more season tickets during the summer. Whether you're part of a federation, a league, or a club, these five concrete examples will help you boost your season ticket sales and ensure packed stands when the new season kicks off. Btw we have also created a cheat sheet that sports organisations can use to sell out tickets no matter where they find themselves in the sports’ annual cycle. If you would like to receive this, make sure you contact me and I will send it over to you.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the first strategy for selling out season tickets this summer:

1. Personalised Email Campaigns

First up, personalised email campaigns. For this, it is important that all your data is collected from your various sources and merged in one place, to give a comprehensive and complete understanding of each fan and their consumption and purchase behaviour, amongst other things. This means you can send highly targeted emails based on individual preferences, past purchases, and engagement history.

Imagine being able to segment your audience and tailor your messages. You could send a special offer to a fan who hasn't renewed their season ticket yet, highlighting the games they are most likely to be interested in based on their past attendance. Or, you could send a ‘thank you’ message to loyal season ticket holders, perhaps offering them an exclusive discount for referring a friend. The personal touch not only improves open rates but also drives conversion.

You don’t have to stop it emails though, you can do this via SMS, Viber and WhatsApp too.

2. Dynamic Pricing Strategies

Next, let’s talk about dynamic pricing strategies. You can analyse purchasing behaviour and demand patterns to adjust your pricing strategy in real time. For example, if you notice a surge in interest for certain matches or seat locations, you can dynamically adjust prices to maximise revenue.

Additionally, you can identify which segments of your audience are more price-sensitive and might be incentivised by early bird specials or bundle deals. This kind of flexibility ensures that you’re not leaving money on the table while also keeping your fans engaged and happy.

3. Enhanced Social Media Targeting

Our third use case is enhanced social media targeting. Did you know that you can integrate the Data Talks Sports CDP with social media platforms such as Meta and Google Ads to sharpen your targeting precision? By integrating your CDP with social media platforms, you can create lookalike audiences based on your most loyal season ticket holders. This means you can run highly effective ad campaigns that reach potential new fans who share characteristics with your current ones.

Imagine being able to target ads specifically to fans who follow similar sports, live in the same area, or have shown interest in similar events. This precise targeting can significantly increase the likelihood of converting these new prospects into season ticket holders.

4. In-App Personalisation

Fourth on the list is in-app personalisation. If your organisation has a mobile app, integrating it with your CDP can take fan engagement to the next level. You can provide personalised content and offers based on the user’s behaviour and preferences.

For example, if a fan frequently checks scores or watches highlights...

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of sports, business, and gender equality with Fanny Almersson, a passionate researcher and PhD student at the Stockholm School of Economics. Fanny shares her personal journey—from playing football as a young athlete to her current role studying the inner workings of successful women’s clubs in the Nordics.

Discover how sports shaped Fanny’s character, teaching her teamwork, resilience, and the value of hard work. Hear about her inspiring mission to create more opportunities for girls in sports and ensure they benefit from the same transformative experiences she did. Join us for an enlightening conversation celebrating the power of sports, research, and equality. Whether you’re a sports enthusiast, a business aficionado, or simply curious about the impact of gender inclusivity, this episode is a must-listen!

Hello and welcome to yet another exciting episode of the “Sports CDP Crash Course”, I’m your host, Lorraine Moalosi, thank you for joining me. Whenever I interview people I usually start off with an ice-breaker so I thought that this time I would start with a joke since I am riding solo. Here goes nothing and everything, Did you hear about the football team that couldn't get a stadium Wi-Fi signal? Turns out, they needed better "reception"!

Speaking of better reception - today we are discussing how to convert social media followers into known contacts. This is the most effective way of making sure that stadiums are always filled out at every game so that the team playing on the field can have the best reception ever while the team off the pitch continues to create sustainable revenue for the sports organisation in question. Whether you're part of a league, club, or federation, turning those likes and follows into tangible data can significantly enhance your marketing efforts and fan engagement. So, let's get started.

Our first strategy is to offer exclusive content. Fans crave unique, behind-the-scenes access to their favourite teams and athletes. By providing exclusive content like training sessions, player interviews, or early announcements, you can encourage fans to register with their email addresses to gain access. Promote these offers across your social media channels to capture the interest of your followers. One of our customers has been capitalising on their OTT platform to ensure that fans who cannot attend games for any reason can still be part of the action by purchasing a season pass or a single match ticket.

Next, consider running contests and giveaways. These are incredibly effective at drawing in fans who love the thrill of potentially winning something. You might offer signed merchandise, free match tickets, or VIP experiences. To enter, fans simply need to sign up with their contact details. Promoting these contests on social media ensures you reach a broad audience and turn that excitement into valuable data. Another one of our customers used an advent calendar to introduce its fans to club sponsors and allow fans to win something or receive something at a very exciting and crucial time - Christmas.

Now, let’s talk about gamification, one of the most engaging methods to convert followers. By incorporating game-like elements into fan interactions, you can significantly boost engagement. For example, you might create a fantasy league where fans can build their own teams, predict match outcomes, or participate in weekly challenges. To join, fans need to register with their contact details. This approach not only gathers data but also keeps fans deeply engaged and coming back for more. It’s very important to highlight the fact that converting social media followers into known contacts is not something to be done as a one-off thing but rather this should be done continuously. Gamification is one of the most exciting ways to do this without exhausting your supporters. We talk about this in-depth in our course for C-level executives, “The 4  Fundamentals of Selling Tickets and Merchandise”. Make sure to enroll to learn more. In the course, we give an example of a club who managed to get just under 12 000 followers to convert to known contacts through gamification in one single campaign. This is not something to miss so make sure you enroll.

Similarly, you can use quizzes and polls. These are great for sparking interaction while collecting contact information. Create quizzes on sports trivia, player stats, or upcoming fixtures, and require fans to submit their answers via a form. Polls on social media about favourite players, match predictions, or fan experiences can also help in gathering valuable insights and contact details. Another effective strategy is offering personalised experiences. Fans love to feel special, and providing opportunities for personalised interactions...

In this episode, we explore sponsorship, a fundamental way to fund your sport at any level. Whether you're an elite athlete or part of a grassroots team, securing sponsorship can seem daunting. We’ll address common doubts, such as not having a sponsorship package ready, feeling not good enough, and not knowing where to start.

Join Karen Ramirez as she shares practical advice on creating a compelling sponsorship package, identifying potential sponsors, and marketing your proposal effectively. She also discusses setting clear expectations with sponsors and delivering on your promises to build lasting partnerships.

Whether you're in a local rugby team, an ultimate frisbee squad, or a solo athlete like a gymnast or sprinter, this episode will provide actionable insights to help you secure the funding you need.

Join host Lorraine Moalosi on the Sports CDP Crash Course Podcast as she talks with Philip Nordfeldt, Senior Vice President of Sales at Data Talks. With over 25 years of experience in ticket sales, Philip shares his expertise on putting fans at the center of sales strategies and optimizing ticket sales for sports events. He discusses the unique challenges of the sports industry, strategies for maximizing matchday revenue, and balancing innovation with profitability.

Philip also discusses navigating GDPR while embracing new technologies and shares his vision for the sports industry's future. Tune in for valuable insights on enhancing fan engagement and achieving commercial success in sports.

Social media is a very valuable tool for brands and sports organisations are not an exception. Sports organisations in general have been very good at leveraging social media with some of the most followed social media accounts being that of sports organisations such as clubs like Real Madrid with 138 million followers and leagues like the NBA with 88 million followers on Instagram. This incredible feat does not just stop at the organisation level but is even stronger at the individual level with Cristiano Ronaldo being the most followed person on Instagram with 580 million followers.

Apart from followers, social media has helped increase viewership of sports content with 51% of fans getting sports content on Facebook, 46% on YouTube, 31% on Instagram, and 25% on X formerly Twitter. Social media is incredible and many sports organsations are doing their best to leverage it. However, there is one mistake that is common to all sports organisations, despite size, region, or sports. This mistake is not prioritising turning social media followers into known contacts in the sports organization’s contact database instead.

When a user creates a social media account, they usually use either their email address or their phone number to do so. This information stays in the platform and does not get transferred to the sports organisation for numerous reasons, data protection being one of them. While sports organisations can benefit from fans' engagement with their content, they lose out on one important thing - the ability to communicate with their fans directly and one-on-one. Even in Whatsapp groups that fans willingly join, sports organisations can only communicate with their fans en masse and never individually. This poses several challenges such as: 

1. Lack of personalisation: Communicating with a large group en masse lacks the personal touch of individual interactions. Tailoring messages to suit each recipient's preferences, interests, and needs is impossible when communicating to a large audience.
2. Low engagement: Holding the attention of a diverse audience can be difficult. Maintaining engagement becomes challenging without the ability to interact directly with each person. 
3. With the messages being generic and meant to appeal to most people, there can be a lack of relevancy or even depth. This means that conversion rates may be even smaller.

Although personalisation has become a bit of a buzzword, it is an essential part of marketing today. There is simply no personalisation when it comes to social media. Even the advertising platforms on social media are limited to basic segmentation attributes such as age, geography, and sex, However when sports organisations convert social media followers into known contacts in their database, they can begin to merge their fans’ contact information with their other data such as ticketing, merchandise, OTT, app and website usage, etc. This will increase their ability to segment further with attributes such as preferences, purchase, viewership, and attendance behaviour. 

So if you are a marketer working in the sports industry today, make sure that you check out our Data Talks Sports Platform demo so you can see firsthand how you can do all of this. Not only will you be able to convert social media followers into known contacts in your database through tactics such as gamification and of course merging all this data with your other data but you will also be able to find out which supporter segments you should target with your campaigns and the best way to send out relevant offers to those segments in a way that supporters will appreciate.

From being a tennis player and captain of her tennis team at her university in the United States to managing brave new sports at Infront Sports & Media, our next guest is a highly motivated businesswoman who wants to inspire people and make a difference by being goal-driven and willing to go the extra mile to reach new heights. Having been the team captain in a very diverse environment throughout he college career in the US, Anja Luethi is eager to use her acquired knowledge and skills to advance diversity and inclusion within the sports industry.

Welcome to part two of “Turning Your Fan Database into Revenue”! In this episode, we dive into a real-life case study featuring Mark Scanlon, the director of the League of Ireland, part of the Football Association of Ireland, who has been utilizing Data Talks’ sports customer data platform to great effect.

Mark joined Stefan Lavén, CEO and founder of Data Talks, at Sports Pro Live, where he shared League of Ireland’s remarkable journey of growing its supporter base, leveraging fan data to boost revenue, and enhancing the overall fan experience. Discover how they used data insights to better understand their audience, increase engagement, and ultimately drive commercial success.

Tune in to gain valuable insights from this partnership and learn how harnessing fan data can transform your sports organization’s strategy.

In the Data Talks Sports CDP Crash Course Podcast episode, guest host Karen Ramirez, founder of SportingSheroes, explores strategic data use in winter sports. Despite the shift to spring and summer, Karen stresses the importance of reflection and strategic planning during the off-season.

Karen outlines a three-stage process: review, innovation and model, refinement, and implementation. She highlights data scrutiny, refined communication strategies, and insights to drive innovation.

Listeners are encouraged to leverage data for efficiencies and explore new marketing and sponsorship ideas. Karen emphasizes holistic planning to align initiatives with goals.

As teams refine strategies based on past data, Karen advises onboarding new practices and fostering a forward-looking approach, underscoring sponsorship's value in fueling sports passion and competitiveness.

When it comes to leveraging fan data for commercial success in sports, there are several common questions that organizations often ask. These include: What kind of fan data should we collect? How do we collect fan data effectively? How can we ensure the privacy and security of fan data? What strategies can we implement to increase fan engagement and attendance? How can we leverage fan data to optimize revenue streams? What technologies and platforms are available to help manage and analyze fan data in sports?  As you can hear, there are a lot of questions sports organisations ask and I am sure you have your questions too. 

We often try to answer these questions on this podcast but before I tackle some of them, there are two other resources available to you that I would like to highlight. Firstly, it is our newly launched course, “The 4 Fundamentals of selling tickets and merchandise” which is available for enrollment on Udemy. From the course you will learn about the cost of doing nothing, that is, not taking any decision or action towards addressing the changing economy of a sports organisation and its audience. You will also learn about the role the 4 fundamentals play in helping you increase your sports organisation’ average revenue, ticket, and sales and negotiate sponsorship agreements of higher value, amongst other things. During the course, you will gain insights from sports organisations that have already leveraged the 4 fundamentals to see how they apply to you. This is not a course to be missed because it addresses all the questions in this podcast and so much more. 

The other resource is our CEO and Founder Stefan Lavén’s tech show at Sports Pro Live 2024 on this very topic, Turning Fan Data into commercial success but this time with the League of Ireland, one of the sports organisations we work closely with. This will be another moment for you to take inspiration from a club that is already addressing these questions but this time straight from the horse’s mouth. We will make the session available to listen to on the podcast in the next coming week so if you are not already following the podcast, make sure to do so so you never miss inspiring, practical content ever again. Go on do it now.

Now back to the common questions that get asked when talking about turning fan data into commercial success. Starting with, What kind of fan data should we collect? At the very least, sports orgnisations should be collecting their supporter data with contact information, website data, form data, ticketing and merchandise data and partnership and sponsorship data. Beyond that, it depends on the data sources the organisation has. Do you have OTT, an app, a loyalty program, a newsletter, membership etc. Then this should all be collected. But then what do you do with this data.This data must be merged, cleaned and deduplicated so it can give you more insights into your fans behaviour and their lifetime value to the organisation. The questions, How do we collect fan data effectively and How can we ensure the privacy and security of fan data? Have the same answer. And that answer is by using technology, more specifically a sports cdp - a tool that collects and merges all your data in one place and then gives you actionable insights that you can then use to have dynamic real time segmentation that will ensure your organisation is response to its fans’ needs. Other technologies fall short in these categories so that is why I can unequivocally say every sports organisation needs a sports cdp like the one Data Talks offers. That also answers the question, What technologies and platforms are available to help manage and analyze fan data in sports? A sports CDP is the simple answer. Data Talks’ sports CDP utilises primarily zero party data and first party data making it GDPR compliant. If you want to learn more about this, our course is available for enrollment on Udemy. 

I have answered all...

In this episode of our podcast, we welcome Ashlea Block, Head of Customer and Community at PlayHQ, an Australian company offering all-in-one sports management software tailored for sports organizations and their stakeholders. Ashlea, a member of the 2022/2023 Sports Pro New Era cohort, joins host Lorraine Moalosi to discuss the vital role of community in sports. Tune in as we delve into Ashlea Block’s journey and insights in the world of sports management and community engagement.

Did you know that 71% of sports industry leaders say that increasing ticket and merchandise sales and negotiating sponsorship agreements of higher value is their very top priority? All these three key elements can be lucrative revenue sources for sports organisations when done right. As part of Data Talks’ vision of creating a sports industry that thrives on exceeding fan expectations to create sustainable revenue streams, we are proud to announce the launch of the Data Talks course, “The 4 fundamentals of selling tickets and merchandise”. In today’s episode, we will focus on the course, everything you need to know about the course, and how to enroll.

“The 4 fundamentals of selling tickets and merchandise” course is designed for C-level executives in sports to help them create sustainable revenue streams using their supporter data. Every club faces financial challenges, and in this course, we get to the core of the issue. We dissect clubs' struggles today, pointing directly to the missed opportunities in leveraging supporter data effectively. We don't just talk theory – we dissect real-life case studies from global sports powerhouses in Germany, Australia, Greece, and Sweden. You will get to see firsthand how men's and women's clubs have harnessed the 4 fundamentals, propelling them to unparalleled success. 

Exactly a year ago now, we published our very first book on the subject of the 4 fundamentals. The book, “more supporters. Superior sales. Real revenue: the 4 fundamentals of selling tickets and merchandise was an introduction of our 4 fundamentals method to the world. With this course, we wanted to take everything a step further by supporting C-level executives’ change management in beginning to adopt more robust ways of meeting financial and commercial goals more effectively. The book is available on Amazon and all proceeds go to the Level Up foundation - an organisation that uses sports for the development of children in Uganda. 

This course is a strategic power play. Tailored for C-level executives in sports organizations – clubs, leagues, and federations – it's designed to elevate their revenue game. Whether leading a small squad or commanding a major league, these principles are universal. This isn’t a standard course but rather a winning formula adaptable to any region, season, or organization size.

By the end of the course, learners will:

1. Recognize the staggering "cost of doing nothing" in sports organizations and why it is a problem.
2. Understand the Data Talks 4 fundamentals and their pivotal role in selling tickets, merchandise, and negotiating sponsorship agreements of higher value.
3. Implement the 4 Fundamentals Method to create sustainable revenue streams for your sports organization.
4. Gain insights from global success stories, learning how the 4 fundamentals fuel increased supporters, superior sales, and substantial revenue growth.

The course is now available for enrollment on Udemy. You can preview 3 videos from the course on Udemy to get a taster of what is to come. And if you want access to exclusive deals such as a 50% discount on the course, subscribe to our newsletter today.

This week, our host, Lorraine Moalosi, sits down with Helen Ward, the all-time top goalscorer for Wales in football history, now serving as the general manager of Watford Women FC. From her debut as a striker at Watford to managing the club, Helen shares insights into her remarkable career spanning Chelsea, Arsenal, and Reading. Reflecting on her motto “find time, not excuses,” Helen discusses the evolving landscape of women’s football, emphasizing the importance of balancing passion with practicality. Delving into challenges and advancements in women’s sports, Helen sheds light on the necessity of strategic investment and normalization. Tune in for an inspiring conversation with a true icon of the game.

Out of the 10,500 athletes participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 5,250 will be men and 5,250 women. These Games will be the first to reach full gender parity in number of athletes. As a reminder that empowering and uplifting women is not just reserved for International Women’s Day, today we will be highlighting key milestones that are coming out of women’s sports and sports in general while also shedding light on some of the challenges that need to be addressed immediately, for women to be able to thrive in sports.

While it is a great milestone having the first gender-equal Olympics, a recent study by the BBC showed that more than three-quarters said they earn less than £30,000 a year from sport - with more than four in 10 earning less than £10,000 and six in 10 earning less than £20,000. This means that ¾ of elite female athletes earn less than the average £34,963 salary in the United Kingdom. The wage of elite sportswomen is a challenge that shows the importance of professionalizing women’s sports and the need to invest in them so that more commercial value can come out of them.

In the 2022/23 season, Reading and West Ham's cheapest match tickets were the most expensive in the FA Women's Super League, costing 12 British pounds. Meanwhile, the cheapest tickets could be found for six British pounds at Liverpool and Manchester United. This fact continues to beg the question, are clubs and leagues undervaluing women’s sports? If so, what should be done about it in a way that does not alienate those who have found the accessibility of women’s sports a reason to engage.

In happier news across the pond, the National Women’s Soccer League has been ranked No. 5 on the list of Fast Company’s the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. The League’s commissioner, Jessica Berman was quoted as saying, “Women’s sports is a historically under-invested asset class” However, last year attendance for regular season games grew by 26% to 1.2 million people, while viewership of CBS broadcasts leapt 41%. These remarkable numbers helped the league negotiate a landmark media-rights deal that will see 118 NWSL games broadcast across CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports each season for the next four years. This deal is worth $240 million, 40 times more valuable than the NWSL’s previous agreement.

The NWSL partnered with Liga MX Femenil to launch a new Summer Cup. All 14 teams in the NWSL and six teams from LIGA MX Femenil will compete from July 19-August 2. This new Summer Cup will take place during the Olympic break of the NWSL regular season. Not to make this episode about just the NWSL, but the Kansas City Current, a club co-owned by NFL star Patrick Mahomes, made history as the first team to build a stadium specifically for professional women’s sports. The team hosted Portland Thorns in the first game at CPKC stadium – in front of a sold-out, 11,500 crowd. 

Mercury 13, a women's football multi-club ownership group, unveiled their first portfolio team recently after acquiring a controlling stake in Como Women from Italy's Serie A. In case you are tempted into thinking that the only movement is in football, at the end of last year, Metro Bank & ECB Pledged to Treble the Number of Girls’ Cricket Teams by 2026, that’s only 2 years from now. The two organisations will work together to transform access to grassroots cricket by recruiting 6,000 volunteers to grow girls’ cricket so there are 2,000 clubs with girls' sections and 6,000 girls' teams by 2026.

It is exciting to see all the positive changes that are coming out of women’s sports and I am personally excited to see more changes like these in women’s sports.

In this episode, Karen Ramirez, founder of Sporting Sheroes, discusses leadership in sports organizations. She emphasizes the importance of fostering a positive culture, listening to all stakeholders, and leading with authenticity and integrity.

Karen offers practical advice for leaders at all levels, encouraging them to empower others, communicate clearly, and create opportunities for growth. Whether you’re a seasoned leader or considering stepping up, this episode provides valuable insights to inspire and guide you on your leadership journey in sports.

Tune in to learn how to lead effectively and positively impact your organization!

There are many factors that Sports organizations should bear in mind and consider when approaching potential sponsors. Acquiring sponsors is not just about negotiating sponsorship agreements of higher value but also about activation and promotion, understanding your audience and reach, and being able to measure and evaluate the success of the partnership, amongst many other factors. In today’s episode, we will discuss how the four fundamentals can help sports organizations achieve all of these key factors when it comes to their sponsorship agreements. Moreover, we will have a look at three success cases of organisations that successfully used the four fundamentals to achieve success in their sponsorship agreements. 

Before we go into how the four fundamentals work, let’s quickly refresh our memory on what the four fundamentals are. The four fundamentals are a groundbreaking process innovation and transformative approach that empowers sports organizations of all sizes, across seasons and regions, to harness the power of their data. By seamlessly integrating all supporter data into one place, the result is not just increased sustained revenue streams, but a genuine commitment to placing fans and supporters at the heart and centre of every initiative. These four fundamentals are: 

Grow your contact database, continuously

Collect supporter data with contact information and merge it with your other data

Find out which supporter segments you should target with your campaigns

Send relevant offers to those segments in a way that your supporters will appreciate

The 4 fundamentals help sports organisations:

1. Understand their audience’s behavior
2. Know which supporters are most likely to engage with their sponsors’ activations based on their previous purchase, viewership, consumption, and overall engagement behaviour
3. Target the right supporters with the right activations that are relevant to them and match their spending levels. E.g. Sending a champagne activation from your official drinks sponsors to your high-spenders/VIP and family car activations to your supporters who usually buy family tickets. 
4. Evaluate the performance of sponsorship activations and respond appropriately such as triggered actions depending on the actions that the supporters take.

Let’s look at some of these use cases using real-life examples of sports organisations that used the 4 fundamentals to take their sponsorship agreements to the next level.

One club wanted to Introduce an Advent Calendar to engage with supporters and connect them with sponsor offers during the Christmas holidays. They created Advent calendar with one main sponsor impersonating Santa. They had 24 sponsors for the calendar (one for each day). Their total reach was over 500k people on digital platforms while achieving great sponsorship revenue and better relationships with sponsors. This activation also resulted in Continuous database growth and engagement from supporters on a daily basis and the club continued Presenting relevant audiences to the daily sponsors afterward (connecting B2B and B2C).

Another club wanted to connect supporters to their sponsor so they created segments to target their most loyal and active supporters. They Sent emails with a message that connects supporters to the club sponsor. This resulted in an Open rate of 55.94%, click-to-open rate of 20.18% (and CTR of 11.29%) with More than 2300 supporters getting in touch with sponsors.

Another club managed to successfully build a loyal community using triggered actions while also increasing engagement with sponsors.  used Triggered Actions, a feature in the Data Talks´ sports platform, allows sports organisations to send automated emails and SMS messages to their supporters based on the supporters’ actions and behaviour. The club started a membership sales campaign. Whenever someone...

Join host Lorraine Moalosi in a new episode of Sports Crash CDP, featuring Vanessa Åsell-Tsuruga, Founder of Collective Visibility. As an Advisory Committee Member at the Indian Sport Management Association and a Digital Commission Advisor at the World Squash Federation, Vanessa’s impact on global sports is profound. A six-time marathon finisher and avid volleyball player, she brings a unique perspective. Discover Vanessa’s journey, her advocacy for diversity in sports leadership, and the transformative power of Collective Visibility in this inspiring episode. Whether you love sports or champion diversity, this conversation is a must-listen!

More on Vanesa Åsell-Tsuruga

GLOBAL CITIZEN

Vanessa is a globally experienced professional who has resided in Stockholm, Barcelona, London, Tokyo, Kobe, and Olympia. She speaks English, Swedish, Spanish, and Japanese. Beyond her career, she’s an avid volleyball player who has completed six marathons and is known to frequent places with excellent espresso.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Vanessa’s professional journey reflects her strong belief in the power of diversity and inclusion. She is the visionary founder of COLLECTIVE VISIBILITY, a global initiative spotlighting 1300+ women in 100+ countries speaking about sports. Vanessa’s mission is to ensure women’s voices are integral to sports thought leadership and included at sports summits, events, academic conferences, and media outlets. A significant achievement under Vanessa’s leadership is reaching the goal of 1000 speakers from 100 countries in less than 1 year through self and peer nominations.

GLOBAL SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Vanessa’s diverse career encompasses sponsorship activation, content, and sports marketing across various sports and properties, including FC Barcelona, NBA, Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry, Davis Cup, French Open, World Athletics, World Para Athletics, Rakuten Eagles, Rakuten Monkeys, Stockholm Marathon, and the Swedish Floorball Federation. She is also a member of the World Squash Federation Digital Commission.

Vanessa holds a senior management role in the Marketing Division of Japanese internet services giant Rakuten, where she manages a diverse team of digital and creative talents from 11 countries.

ADVOCATE

In 2023, Vanessa was recognized as a LinkedIn Top Sport Management Voice, LinkedIn Top Brand Management Voice, and LinkedIn Relationship Building Voice.

Media trained and with a background in journalism, she’s a brand voice in digital sports experiences, fan engagement, and sponsorship activation. Vanessa moderates discussions with industry leaders and serves as a brand ambassador for a women’s career website, sharing insights at global events and podcasts.

ACADEMICS

With a Master’s in Olympic Studies, she is a dedicated Ph.D. student at Waseda University, Tokyo, researching the inclusion of women in sports thought leadership within the Sport & Entertainment Management Lab.

Indian Sport Management Association advisor: Objective is to become the driving force in the development of sport management scholarship in India.

Welcome to our new episode, where we sit down with Deji Akande, the visionary CEO and Founder of Gateway Sports & Entertainment.

As a next-generation sports marketing and entertainment agency, Gateway is at the forefront of representing world-class talent, collaborating with global brands, and supporting ambitious rights holders to craft authentic stories and forge meaningful partnerships. Join your host Lorraine Moalosi, as we delve into Deji’s world and uncover the incredible impact he is making through Gateway Sports & Entertainment.

Embark an interesting conversation with an ambitious and determined entrepreneur who is passionate about creating real impact through action.

In previous episodes, we had a re-introduction to the 4 fundamentals of selling tickets and merchandise and negotiating sponsorship agreements of higher value. Thereafter, we looked at use cases for increasing ticket sales using the 4 fundamentals, in particular, how a Swedish Hockey League club generated 2.5 million Swedish crowns in revenue in the space of only two weeks, how a football club playing in the highest division in Greece, manage to more than double their average ticketing order revenue from €19 to €42 in less than a year and finally how a professional rugby union club in the UK sent an email campaign to a target group of 250 people that generated a revenue of £5,000.

In today’s episode, we will continue down a similar path of discussing more use cases of how sports organisations successfully use the 4 fundamentals to meet their business goals. As always, we use real-life examples. The emphasis for this episode is on using the 4 fundamentals to sell more merchandise. So, how have some of the world’s most successful sports organisations used the 4 fundamentals to sell more merchandise?

1. One club wanted to leverage matchday performance to increase merchandise sales. They had just played a very dramatic match which resulted in victory at the very last minute. So what did they do? They created a social media campaign based on the pitch's success - they promoted the jerseys of the player who had scored in the last minute. Thereafter, they reached out to the fans with a special offer directly linked to the campaign. The results were a 66% increase in sales, their best-ever e-store sales results, at the time. They also saw sales increase by 91% compared to the day before the game.
2. Another club did not just want to increase their merchandise sales, they also wanted to how they should approach their targeting when it comes to said merchandise sales. So they created a campaign to sell more shirts with name prints and compare the results of targeting smaller vs larger segments. The first segment they targeted was current shirt owners with merch order values higher than 90 euros. This segment consisted of 1200 recipients. The other segment was anyone who bought a ticket in the last two years and this segment comprised 38000 recipients. The results were a combined 60% open rate, 6% click rate and 110 items sold which generated 8800 EUR in revenue. When analysed proportionally, the smaller segment had 7 times better results than the larger segment. 
3. Another club wanted to sell limited edition alternate away jerseys so they targeted club members with pre-order offerings. They thereafter extended the campaign offering the jerseys to non-members. The initial phase of the campaign achieved a 61% open rate and a 7% click-through rate, resulting in a revenue of 21,100 AUD. The collective revenue generated from campaigns targeting both members and non-members amounted to 45,329 AUD. This particular case shows the power of iterating the same campaign with different segments.

From these three examples, it is evident that the 4 fundamentals are a powerful tool to use when wanting to increase your merchandise sales. Let’s conclude this episode by revisiting the 4 fundamentals. The 4 Fundamentals is a groundbreaking process innovation and transformative approach that empowers sports organizations of all sizes, across seasons and regions, to harness the power of their data. By seamlessly integrating all supporter data into one place, the result is not just increased sustained revenue streams, but a genuine commitment to placing fans and supporters at the heart and centre of every initiative. These four fundamentals are: 

1. Grow your contact database, continuously
2. Collect supporter data with contact information and merge it with your other data
3. Find out which supporter segments you should target with your...

In this month’s guest appearance on our podcast, Karen Ramirez, founder and skipper of Sporting Sheroes, discusses the Women’s Sport Trust report on 2023 visibility and potential shifts in 2024 audiences.

Uncover rising stars and key tournaments in golf, rugby, and cricket, along with insights into sports sponsorship trends. Explore the impact of new Olympic sports like breakdancing and skateboarding. Karen also highlights emerging sports, such as paddle and pickleball, and speculates on their growth potential.

Tune in for Karen’s “rising five” in women’s sports and engage with her on Instagram at Sporting Sheroes.

In this episode, our Lorraine Moalosi sits with Meskerem Tadesse Goshime, the Head of Women’s Football at the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Meskerem shares her inspiring journey from a young football enthusiast to a key figure in the development of women’s football in Africa. We explore the progress made, including increased acceptance, growing competitiveness, and the emergence of talented players. Meskerem discusses the importance of investing in developmental competitions and professionalizing women’s football leagues.

Join us as Meskerem shares her vision of empowering the next generation of girls in Africa to pursue football careers.

Two weeks ago, we briefly touched on the 4 Fundamentals - a groundbreaking process innovation and transformative approach that empowers sports organizations of all sizes, across seasons and regions, to harness the power of their data. This process allows sports organisations to integrate all supporter data into one place, to increase sustained revenue streams while placing fans and supporters at the heart and centre of every initiative. In this episode we weill discuss the 4 fundamentals in greater detail and discuss how you can use them to take your organisation to the next level when it comes to ticket sales.

1. Grow your supporter base, continuously - Your supporter contact database is the foundation of all campaigns and any other interaction a sports organisation might have with its supporters, that is why this is the first fundamental. 
2. Collect supporter data with contact information and merge it with your other data - By collecting your supporter data with contact information and merging it with your other data, you create a holistic view of each fan and gain a deeper understanding of each fan’s specific characteristics, preferences, and behaviors
3. Find out which supporter segments you should target with your campaigns - finding the right audience to target with your campaigns allows your sports organization to create more effective, efficient, and personalized marketing campaigns. This helps build stronger connections with the supporters, driving engagement, and ultimately achieving the organization's goals.
4. Send relevant offers to those segments in a way that your supporters will appreciate - do your supporters want to receive emails or SMS, do they want to receive season tickets offers or single tickets or even family tickets? It’s not enough to only collect and merge support data so that you can understand your supporters. It is not enough to find out which supporter segments you should target with your campaigns either. You have to make sure that after all doing all of that and the first fundamental, which is to grow your supporter base continuously, you send out relevant offers to your supporters in a way that they can really appreciate. 

By using the 4 fundamentals of selling tickets, many sports organizations across the world have managed to take their ticket sales to the next level. For example:

1. A club playing in the Swedish Hockey League, the highest hockey league in the country, saw a 12% increase in ticket sales, amounting in 2.5 million swedish crowns revenue in the space of only two weeks, after using the 4 fundamentals.
2. They started by creating different campaigns for different home games for that month
3. They sent 20 email and 4 sms campaigns to various segments (differing from 330 to 10220 recipients)
4. All of these campaigns and sendouts were done by only one person, proving how applicable and robust the 4 fundamentals are for sports organisations of all sizes
5. Another club, this time a football club playing in the highest division in Greece, manage to more than double their average ticketing order revenue from €19 to €42 in less than a year.
6. They created specific segmentation on returning supporters and ran a campaign for the upcoming match 
7. The campaign ran approx. 5-7 days before kick-off, during that time, the club sent out reminders to everybody who had opened the campaign but not made a purchase
8. Supporters were given the opportunity to upgrade their seats and the rest as they say is history 
9. A professional rugby union club in the UK sent an email campaign to a target group of 250 people that generated a revenue of £5,000.
10. They achieved such remarkable results after merging membership and ticketing data for their last 4 games
11. They then identified segments that should be targeted based on tickets the club wanted to sell.
12. Finally, they

This week our guest host Karen Ramirez, founder of Sporting Sheroes, introduces a powerful concept: “No doesn’t mean no, it means not over.”

Inspired by Kanya King, founder of the MOBO Awards, Karen explores the idea that setbacks and “no” moments in sports and life are not definitive endings but rather opportunities for new beginnings.

She reflects on recent sports events, emphasizing the resilience showcased by athletes and coaches in the face of challenges. Karen uses examples like the GB Women’s Hockey Team’s Olympic qualification and Sarina Wiegman’s contract extension to illustrate how setbacks can lead to renewed determination and fresh possibilities. She introduces a three-pillar framework—investment, belief, and coaching of skills and mindset—to guide individuals and sports organizations in navigating their paths to success.

Did you know that the event tickets market worldwide is projected to reach a revenue of US$85.07 billion by the year 2024? Hello and welcome to the Sports CDP Crash with me your host Lorraine Moalosi.  In today's episode, we'll be highlighting the significance of focusing on selling tickets in the sports industry. 

To kick things off, let's revisit that staggering statistic I just mentioned. According to Statista, the event tickets market worldwide is projected to reach a revenue of US$85.07 billion by the year 2024,. Yes, you heard that right - $85.07 billion. That's not just a number; it's a testament to the thriving industry that revolves around live experiences.

But what's even more intriguing is the projected annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2028) of 2.54%. This growth is expected to result in a market volume of US$94.06 billion by 2028. Now, you might be wondering, why are these numbers so crucial? The answer lies in the heartbeat of any sports event—the fans. Selling tickets is not just about filling seats; it's about creating an unforgettable experience for the supporters. The revenue generated from ticket sales is the lifeblood of sports organizations, enabling them to invest in talent, infrastructure, and overall enhancement of the fan experience.

This all means that as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of sports and entertainment, teams and organizations need to prioritize the sale of tickets. This not only ensures a steady revenue stream but also strengthens the bond between the team and its fan base. Consider this: when fans attend live events, they become part of something larger than themselves. The atmosphere, the camaraderie, the shared passion—it's an emotional connection that goes beyond the game itself. And this emotional connection translates into brand loyalty, with fans more likely to support their team through thick and thin.

Speaking of loyalty, did you know that despite many sports organisations having hundreds and thousands of social media followers and supporters, in quotes, many of them know zero to a few of those followers? Very few organisations know what their supporters are buying from them, how often they buy, and how recently each supporter bought something from the organisation. The trap that these clubs fall into is not growing their supporter base, continuously and not collecting supporter data with contact information, and merging it with their other data. What do I mean by this?

It is impossible for any sports organisation to know:

1. The kind of tickets each of their supporters buy, for example, are they buying single tickets or season tickets
2. When do they buy the tickets and how much do they usually spend in one go whenever they buy said tickets

It is hard to know this information for a hundred supporters, in real time, let alone for a couple of thousands or millions. That is why we at Data Talks came up with the 4 fundamentals of selling tickets. The 4 Fundamentals is a groundbreaking process innovation and transformative approach that empowers sports organizations of all sizes, across seasons and regions, to harness the power of their data. By seamlessly integrating all supporter data into one place, the result is not just increased sustained revenue streams, but a genuine commitment to placing fans and supporters at the heart and centre of every initiative. These four fundamentals are: 

1. Grow your contact database, continuously
2. Collect supporter data with contact information and merge it with your other data
3. Find out which supporter segments you should target with your campaigns
4. Send relevant offers to those segments in a way that your supporters will appreciate

These four fundamentals are powered by our sports platform that:

1. Collects data in one place so it gives you a complete view of each of your...

Our next guest is a former American football player who played for the University of Iowa, London Blitz Football, and the Italian National Team.

Palmer Foster, now the Director for the UK and Ireland here at Data Talks, went from ensuring that his teams won on the field to becoming a sports business and technology expert with a Master of Science in Business Management from Durham University Business School.

Today we sit down with Palmer to discuss his journey in sports and the work he is doing to transform the UK and Irish sports industry’s commercial performance. 

Last week, we discussed the sports trends you should leave in 2023. If you haven’t heard that episode yet, we encourage you to listen to it after this one. In today’s episode, we focus on the trends you will see in 2024! If you find this episode useful, leave a review or a comment to let us know. And if we have left out anything, don’t hesitate to give us that feedback, too. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

• The rise of original content

The rise of original content in sports has been a significant trend in the last couple of years. According to FrontOffice Sports, the live sports hiatus during the 2020 pandemic might be one of the most pivotal moments in the history of streaming and subscription video on demand (SVOD). The success of Michael Jordan’s Last Dance and Netflix’s Formula 1 “Drive to Survive” are examples of how sports content has become a core element of the content strategy of subscription video-on-demand providers. As competition stiffens, companies are looking for better differentiation strategies, and sports content is proving to be a reliable measure to influence consumer behaviour. So, if you are a sports organisation, you might want to think about creating compelling original content to attract more global fans and to tell the story of why your organisation is different. 

• More partnerships with VOD OTT platforms such as Netflix, prime and Apple TV

This trend ties back to the first one. As the appetite for original content increases, so will partnerships between sports organisations and video-on-demand OTT platforms. For example, more sports rights are moving to streaming services (e.g., NFL Thursday Night exclusively on Amazon Prime). Therefore, Leagues and clubs/teams must create new digital and DTC products and services that complement traditional broadcasting revenue. This can be done through creating your own platforms or partnering with already existing ones. 

• Growth of the Asian Market and continued acceleration of Saudi

In 2024, we can expect to see much growth in Asian Sports marketing, including West Asia, that is, The Middle East. For example, in November 2023, last month The Sino-Singapore International Sports Industry Fund, a joint venture between China National Sports Group and Singapore’s White Group, which aims to accelerate the development of the sports industry in China and beyond, was signed. When it comes to the Middle East, according to a survey by PWC, while respondents expect the annual growth rate of the global sports market to slow to 3.3% over the next three to five years, respondents, in contrast, expect the Middle East to grow by 8.7% over the same period.

• Women’s Sports to reach $1bn valuation quicker than first predicted

Deloitte predicts that women’s elite sports will generate global revenues of US$1.28 billion in 2024 (£1.02 billion). This is the first time that annual global revenues for women’s sport will have surpassed US$1 billion. This total is at least 300 per cent higher than Deloitte’s previous valuation three years ago. The two most valuable women’s sports are projected to be football (US$555 million, 43 per cent) and basketball (US$354 million, 28 per cent), while the largest geographical markets in 2024 are forecast to be North America (US$670 million, 52 per cent) and Europe (US$181 million, 14 per cent). 

• African sports on the growth

According to PwC’s Global Sports Survey 2023, Africa is expected to grow 8% over the next 3-5 years. Africa's Sports Economy: Current Context, Challenges and Opportunities report explains that Africa’s expected sports business growth is driven by a...

Today marks the last Tuesday of the year. To finish the year off with a bang, we thought we would go down memory lane and look at some of the biggest things to happen in ticketing, merchandising, sponsorship, social media and overall business performance. There was so much to talk about but so little time so we whittled down to only 15 highlights. Without further ado, let’s get right to it.

1. The NFL remains the most valuable sports league in the world thanks to guaranteed television deals that could be worth more than $126 billion by 2033
2. Women’s elite sports to generate more than $1 billion in revenue in 2024 breaking the billion-dollar barrier for the first time
3. Most expensive season ticket in the Premier League in 2023/24 could be found at Fulham, with tickets in the Riverside Stand costing up to 3,000 British pounds. Meanwhile, the most expensive season ticket at Sheffield United cost 491 British pounds, or around 26 British pounds per game. 
4. Two of the top five Wikipedia articles of the year are the 2023 Cricket World Cup, and the Indian Premier League, placing third and fourth respectively, beating out the films Oppenheimer and Barbie and even Taylor Swift. If you are wondering which articles took the first two top sports, that would be ChatGPT and Deaths in 2023. 
5. Most watched sports content on Netflix? Formula 1: Drive to Survive: Season 5 with a whopping 90 million hours watched.
6. A new women’s sports attendance record was set in 2023: In a space dominated by women’s football, the Nebraska v Nebraska-Omaha volleyball game set a new women’s sports attendance record with just over 92,003 packed into Memorial Stadium. This record was previously held by the FC Barcelona v Wolfsburg game which saw a then record attendance of 91,648
7. Sam Kerr was the number one searched Australian in 2023
8. Both the England women’s national football team and the netball team made it to the final of a major tournament on foreign soil for the first time in 2023. However despite losing out on the titles for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and the Netball World Cup 2023, both teams set new records for England Sport.
9. Team sponsorship revenue for US major pro sports leagues

Ever heard of the Five-A-side Approach to Athlete/Sponsorship relationships?

In this episode, Karen Ramirez, the founder of Sporting Sheroes, talks about the relationship between athletes and sponsors. She shares five straightforward tips for both athletes and sponsors to ensure a smooth and successful partnership. Karen emphasizes the importance of professionalism, clear communication, and mutual respect. As the year ends, she encourages listeners to set goals for the next sporting year and supports those considering sponsorship.

Tune in for practical advice on building positive connections in the world of sports.

In this episode, we dive into the dynamic intersection of sports, AI, and data with Rajesh Dusouza, the Business Development Director at Data Sports Group. With over 20 years of experience in the sports industry, Rajesh shares insights into the transformative role of AI and data technologies, shedding light on their impact on player development, fan engagement, and overall sports management.

Rajesh emphasizes the democratization of AI tools, making them accessible to non-technical professionals, and shares success stories of clubs leveraging gamification and moment marketing for increased fan interaction and sponsor engagement. Looking ahead, Rajesh predicts significant advancements in adopting AI and data-driven technologies in the sports industry, with smart stadiums and enhanced fan experiences leading the way. 

We are officially in the last month of 2023. In anticipation of a new season, 2024, today on the podcast, we will be focusing on Sports Trends to leave in 2023. Every year, new practices, technologies and so on are introduced. While some are here to stay because they provide sports organisations and the communities they operate in a lot of value, others should be retired to never be seen again in 2024. And that is what we will be focusing on in this episode. If you find this helpful episode, remember to leave a review or a comment to let us know. And if we have left out anything, don’t hesitate to give us that feedback, too.

But without further ado, here are sports trends to leave in 2023:

1. Jumping on trends too quickly

NFTs and Crypto Curriencies have been one of the biggest trends of 2022 and 2023. Although we advocate for embracing new technologies, this should be done with caution. According to the BBC, Major League Baseball, Formula 1, Mercedes-Benz and Cristiano Ronaldo are all facing class action lawsuits over their promotion of failed crypto-exchange FTX. Although we do not know the ins and outs of what went wrong, we know that sports is a game of trust. Fans trust their favourite leagues and athletes and as such, with great power comes great responsibilities. So take your time when working with new technologies. Do your due diligence. Look at the long term impact and not just at the short term rewards.

A perfect example of how to proceed with new technologies is how FC Barcelona rejected higher bids from cryptocurrency sponsors and settled for a lower offer from Spotify as a shirt and stadium sponsor. According to Leader Insights, The club has reasons to want to distance itself from cryptocurrency platforms. The club had previously had to cancel an NFT deal with Ownix shortly after announcing it due to crypto fraud allegations involving someone who helped arrange the deal.

2. Not managing expectations when trying new technologies

Remember the Metaverse and the promised enhanced fan engaged, according to Robots.net despite the initial excitement and hype surrounding the metaverse, it has largely failed to live up to its lofty expectations. CoinDesk write that 

The Metaverse Is Struggling to Hold Onto Users and Sports Could Fix That. Although the industry has an opportunity to be pioneers in this technology, something that is rarely associated with the industry, when experimenting with new things, it’s always great to start with a small group and then take it from there. This way, you can save on resources while being innovative.

3. Making women’s sports an afterthought

There are still clubs who udnerfund their women’s teams and just copy men’s clubs’ strategies in their approach to their women’s clubs. Some clubs even allocate whatever is left over from the budget to the women’s side instead of budgeting according to the needs of the team. This trend needs to stop in 2023. The numbers show that women’s sports is a great investment opportunity so clubs should treat them as such. And women’s teams are very much supported by society especially the younger generation so le’t not make them an afterthought.

4. Giving away too many free tickets to women’s games

Women’s sports teams often give away a lot of tickets. This is great because it increases accessibility which men’s sports don’t often have, especially at the top leagues. However, there should be a balance. If women’s sports organisations cannot sustain themselves due to low revenue, this puts the entire industry at a danger of perpetuating the status quo that says, women’s sports aren’t worthy becuase they don’t make much money. So let’s find the balance between tickets given away and tickets sold.

If you want to find out more on the trends that you should be following in 2024, make sure to listen to our podcast episode next week. 

Welcome to a momentous occasion! Today marks our 100th consecutive episode of the Sports CDP Crash Course, and we’re flipping the script to bring you a celebration like no other. Today, the host is our CEO and Founder, Stefan Lavén, but spotlight is on a remarkable individual who’s been the heartbeat of our podcast journey—Lorraine Moalosi.

Lorraine is more than just a name; she’s the soul of our podcast. Her dedication is unmatched, and her leadership in Communications and PR at Data Talks has been instrumental in shaping our narrative. As the mastermind behind Data Talks’ “Women in Sports: Beyond the Hashtag” initiative, she is a beacon for positive change and inclusion in the sports data realm. And for our loyal listeners, she’s the voice that guided you through the captivating journey of 99 Sports CDP Crash Course episodes.

So, here’s to Lorraine Moalosi, the driving force behind our podcast and a true champion of progress. Join us as we delve into her insights, celebrate the journey so far, and anticipate the exciting road ahead. This 100th episode is not just a milestone—it’s a testament to the power of passion, dedication, and the incredible stories that shape our sports data narrative.

Join Karen Ramirez in this month’s podcast as she talks about the exciting rise of women’s rugby. From university teams to the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby Club tournament launch, Karen explores the game’s journey, emphasizing its impact on communities and players.

As we look forward to major tournaments like the Women’s Six Nations Championship and the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Karen highlights how women’s rugby breaks away from its elitist image and makes a positive difference. She shares inspiring stories of trailblazers like Maggie Alphonsi and Zainab Alema, showcasing the game’s diversity and inclusivity.

Tune in to learn how women’s rugby is not just a game but a force for positive change on and off the field!

In this episode of Sports CDP Crush Course, we host Nancy Hensley, a dynamic leader in AI and data-driven technology and a founding member of Mercury 13. This revolutionary ownership group focuses on acquiring majority stakes in women’s football teams across Europe and Latin America. Nancy shares her journey into the sports industry, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI in reshaping how sports are consumed.

The discussion explores Mercury 13’s mission to challenge the ownership paradigm in women’s football, advocating for sustainability and profitability. Nancy underscores her commitment to empowering female athletes through data and analytics, promoting a player-centric approach.

For more insights and to connect with Nancy, check out her profiles on LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Most clubs overcomplicate the process of creating effective sports marketing campaigns while others oversimplify this. Finding the right balance can be a complex task, and mistakes can happen. In this episode we discuss ten common mistakes that clubs may make when developing their sports marketing campaigns:

One, some lack clear Objectives: Failing to establish specific and measurable objectives for the marketing campaign can lead to aimless efforts and difficulty in evaluating success. For example for your next campaign, are you focusing more on increasing attendance first and foremost or are you interested in increasing revenue? While these objectives are not mutually exclusive, for some clubs, particularly smaller clubs or women’s clubs who are still developing their audience, it can sometimes be a choice between the two. So before you start your next campaign, think through your objectives and the order in which you will prioritse them.

Something to keep in mind also is to avoid an overemphasis on Sales: Putting too much focus on direct sales or promotional offers in every campaign can lead to fan fatigue and reduce the authenticity of the marketing efforts. This is a common mistake that clubs make.

Another common mistake that clubs make is neglecting the target audience: Not understanding the preferences, demographics, and behaviors of the target audience can result in campaigns that do not resonate or connect with fans. This mistake usually arises from another mistake - Ignoring Data and Analytics: Failing to use data and analytics to inform decisions and measure campaign performance can result in missed opportunities for optimization. No matter how small your club is, you can still use data to inform all your decisions when it comes to creating campaigns. Check out our platform demo in the description below to see how this can look.

Neglecting Fan Feedback: Failing to consider and address fan feedback and suggestions can result in missed opportunities for improvement and fan engagement. Fan feedback can be a whole host of activities. For example, a drop in attendance or purchases is one of the biggest feedback possible. And if there is a tendency towards a drop or an increase in purchases at a certain time of the sports cyle or whenever your club is playing in a specific location, that is all the feedback you need to know that you need to make a change.

Another common mistake that clubs making when sending out campaigns is

Poor Timing: Launching marketing campaigns at the wrong time can cause them to go unnoticed or overshadowed by other events and promotions. This mistake is made worse by Insufficient Creative Content: Inadequate or uninspiring creative content can fail to capture the attention and interest of the target audience. For example, if you are facing relegation, it is not enough to send out your next campaign with please buy tickets for the next game. You have to use effective storytelling techniques to appeal to your fans.

In sum, to create successful sports marketing campaigns, clubs should set clear campaign objectives, avoid an overemphasis on sales, understand their supporters, through the use of data, and take on fan feedback. Avoiding these common mistakes can help clubs better connect with their fans and achieve their marketing goals.

Did you know that for some sports fans being identified with their favorite team is more important than being identified with their work and social groups, and as important to them as being identified with their religion? Sports provide a sense of belonging and identity for fans who get to experience the highs and lows of the teams winning or losing together. Sports fans are known for their intense loyalty. But I am sure you already know all this of you are working in the sports industry.

But did you know that according to a study conducted by Nielsen’s Sports, almost 40% of fans believe that male sports is money-driven. So, there is a disillusionment of sorts taking place. That is why in today’s episode we are focusing on the topic, “Fans just want to be seen” and we have a perfect example case of this.

Recently, one of our customers launched a campaign using our platform. The campaign was simply about thanking the fans for their continued support. See, this particular club had broken a lot of records, and they fully understood that this could not have been possible without the fans, and they wanted the fans to know that they knew this and appreciated it. There were no. “buy tickets now” or “buy merch here” CTAs. Just thank you. And do you know what happened next?

The club’s fans made six figures worth of purchases, of which a total of 89% was membership renewal. This campaign was the club’s biggest campaign in revenue created since starting to work with us. The moral of the story - fans just want to be seen.

So, how can you ensure that your club’s fans are seen and acknowledged?

Firstly, give credit where credit is due, just like in the example case we just looked at. Send out thank you campaigns. And get specific. Saying thank you for your support and then slapping someone’s name in the campaign might seem disingenuous. So, specify the moments in which your fans' support was crucial. E.g. maybe you recently won or lost the playoffs and got relegated to a lower league, thank the fans for being there and communicate the significance of their support.

Secondly, send out the right offers to the right segments. For example, if you have a membership scheme, why not create exclusive content, discounts and perks that you know your members will appreciate. For non-members, why not tell them a bit about the club and offer them experiences such as meet and greets so that they can become members. Remember, fans don’t want to be used for their money, they want to be seen.

Thirdly, stay consistent and transparent. Maintain consistent and transparent communication with fans regarding team decisions, policies, and changes. Even if the news is not positive, honesty and transparency can build trust. Trust is crucial to any relationship, and the fan/club relationship is no exception.

Most importantly, remember to maintain an emotional connection with your fans. That is the key to increased loyalty. An emotional connection with fans has many benefits. For example, Emotionally engaged fans are more likely to be actively involved in supporting the team. They attend games, buy merchandise, and share their passion with others, contributing to the club's success both on and off the field. When fans have positive emotional experiences with a club, they are more likely to share their experiences with others. Word-of-mouth marketing and positive testimonials can attract new fans and customers. And finally, clubs with emotionally connected fan bases are more likely to experience long-term success. This is because fan loyalty and engagement are valuable assets that contribute to sustained growth and prosperity.

In this episode, we sit down with David Kiryo, a Customer success manager at Data Talks, to explore the world of data-driven success in the sports industry. David shares his experiences working with international clubs like PAOK FC, the Dolphins in Australia, Lewes FC in the UK, and Crvena Zvezda in Serbia, helping them achieve exceptional campaign results. He emphasizes the importance of fan engagement and how it goes beyond revenue generation.

David discusses the power of Data Talks’ platform, which offers a 360-degree view of supporters, collecting data from various sources in one convenient place. He highlights the benefits of fan engagement strategies that build emotional connections with supporters. From simple giveaways to gamification and interactive campaigns, David explains how appealing to supporters’ emotions can create long-term loyalty and increased revenue.

Join us in this engaging conversation as we discover the power of data, fan engagement, and how Data Talks is changing the game for sports clubs and organizations.