In this Rugby World Cup year, brands must tackle tech to turn fans into customers
International rugby is about passion, patriotism and going the extra mile, irrespective of whether you’re a player, a fan or a brand. Global sporting tournaments like the Rugby World Cup have the power to turn the most disinterested consumers into fanatics and dominate front and back pages for weeks on end.
This year’s RWC 2015 marks the biggest year for English rugby in decades. EY, the official consultancy partner for RWC 2015, estimates that the tournament will add £1bn to the UK economy, bringing in almost 500,000 visiting fans and creating 41,000 new jobs across the 13 locations hosting games. Key sponsors will pay hundreds of millions of pounds for the privilege of being associated with the event. The business opportunity is clear!
A lot has changed since the All Blacks won the 2011 final. England Rugby invested a mammoth £78m in ‘digitalising’ Fortress Twickenham back in 2011 so it would be the most ‘digitally connected’ stadium in the whole of Europe in time for September 2015. Technology and data have revolutionised the way players, teams, fans and brands engage with rugby union like never before. Smartphones, Wi-Fi connections, drones, apps, wearable tech, social sharing and selfie sticks are now enhancing the stadium and match-day experience, placing rugby at the forefront of sport’s digital revolution.
With today’s rugby fans more tech-savvy and connected than ever before, it’s incredibly important that brands fully understand rugby fans’ changing technology habits and the accompanying data if they are to engage them most effectively as customers or potential customers.
While it’s important to recognise where and how you can reach fans, it’s equally crucial to understand how fans are engaging with content on and around match day, what devices they are on and for how often, how they engage and for how long. Such understanding of data will ensure marketers are reaching the right fans with the right message at the right moment and in the appropriate location - whether that’s watching at the pub, at home or at the stadium.
RWC 2015 represents a huge opportunity for sponsors and brands to take advantage of rugby fans’ nuanced behaviours so they can create a tailored conversation on the relevant device, to transform them from rugby fan into brand advocate and ultimately customer.
I’ve put together five tips for marketers to maximise their engagement with rugby fans, whether the fans are interested, engaged or obsessed:
1. Understand the technology habits of your fans
Our recent report, titled How Rugby Union Fans Are Taking Advantage of the Digital Age, found that the average UK rugby fan has 4.6 devices in their household, giving brands countless ways to reach their fans digitally if they understand the device preferences of their rugby audience.
For example, a quarter of rugby fans under 35 watch sport on their smartphone compared to just 4 per cent of 55+ year olds. It’s necessary to analyse data on when rugby fans are consuming content so brands can target them on the right device when they are most receptive to receiving that message.
2. Make the most of the ‘second screening’ opportunity
Understandably, rugby is most often watched at home by fans (89 per cent), in the pub (35 per cent) and at a rugby club (19 per cent). Most significantly for brands wanting to engage fans, over half of rugby fans (52 per cent) multi-task on their smartphones when they watch rugby at home on the TV and this ‘second-screening’ is not just a sofa habit, with 44 per cent of fans also multi-tasking at the stadium.
3. Ensure your content will encourage social sharing
Today, a fifth of rugby fans chat with friends on instant messenger (21 per cent) about the game while watching rugby on TV, and 19 per cent like to post comments about it on social media.
Fans also admit that the 2015 Rugby World Cup will have a large impact on them with 27 per cent increasing their online sharing activity and 34 per cent saying they’ll be consuming a lot more rugby content. This offers significant scope for fans to consume and share high quality branded content.
4. Timing is everything
Our research found that fans watching at the stadium are more likely to be interacting with rugby content before the game, with 83 per cent using their smartphone prior to kick-off, compared to 74 per cent watching on TV.
Younger rugby fans aged 16-34 are more than twice as likely (48 per cent) to use their phone during the game than 55+ year olds (22 per cent). Brands need to consider the demographics of their rugby fan audience and when to best target them on match day.
5. Find your fans in the dark
Our recent survey of 900 million users found that 74 per cent of all digital social sharing in the UK currently takes place ‘in the dark’. 'Dark Social' typically occurs when online content is shared by copying a URL and pasting it into platforms such as email, forums or instant messages, rather than sharing it via established social networks.
Rugby fans echo this trend with 35 per cent sharing rugby-related content on email, 42 per cent via text and 36 per cent on IM. Any brand with a digital presence sharing content and chasing audience needs to lock down and understand its Dark Social audience if it’s to maximise its investment at RWC 2015.
Understanding your customer has always been at the heart of a brand’s success. If brands can understand the technology routines and associated data patterns of today’s connected rugby fans everywhere they will win the battle for hearts and minds at Rugby World Cup 2015. Let’s hope the England team can do the same on the field!
Rupert Staines is managing director Europe at RadiumOne. RadiumOne is hosting its yearly #AWEurope leadership breakfast at Ronnie Scott’s on 26 March. This year’s theme, will data make the difference at RWC 2015?, will be tackled by Gabby Logan, Maggie Alphonsi, Ollie Phillips, Phil Vickery and others.