Top 8 Sports Marketing Trends Brands Should Know in 2023

marketing Oct 31, 2023

Current sports marketing trends have grown rapidly, brands and organizations need to implement their best strategy to reach and engage fans.

Women in sports, AI, virtual and augmented reality experiences, sustainability initiatives, one-time sporting events, fan engagement, esports, and social activism are just a few of the sports marketing trends that are defining the industry.

Let's dive more into the top 8 sports marketing trends!

Sports Marketing Trends #1 Women In Sports

One of the sports marketing trends brands should focus on is women in sports. Women’s sports continue to significantly drive growth in the sports industry.

This emphasizes the need for sports marketers to create engaging content personalized for female audiences online and offline.

It has been shown that fans are finding women’s sports more inspiring and entertaining compared to men’s sports.

This offers an opportunity for sports marketing to be able to align their brands with values such as equality, diversity and inclusion, it helps them reach a larger audience and explore new markets.

Sports marketers should develop focused campaigns that promote women’s sporting events, that showcase the talent and commitment of female athletes.

By calling attention to the accomplishments of female athletes, brands can encourage greater interest in women’s sports amongst fans.

For example, Nike created the Dream Crazier campaign in support of Colin Kaepernick and included extraordinary female athletes such as Serena Willimans, Simone Biles, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Chloe Kim and members of the US Women’s National Soccer Team.

Brands should take advantage of the use of the female consumer market.

For one, the women’s sports apparel market in 2018 was valued at $26.7 billion. Furthermore, 80% of purchasing decisions are influenced by women. It creates an opportunity for sports brands to expand their marketing appeal to women and also gain economic benefits.

Sports Marketing Trends #2 AI

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in sports marketing not only enables data driven decision making but also enhances fan experiences, refines marketing strategies and boosts revenue for sports organizations and affiliated brands.

AI has a pivotal role in the sports marketing industry, and it helps shape the future landscape and influence on sports marketing trends.

The rise of AI as we know has transformed and continues to change sports marketing authorizing 24/7 communication between organizations and fans.

This allows for more personalized content tailored to specific individuals through conversational channels such as chatbots.

For example, an English Premier Football team, FC Arsenal creates a chatbot called Robot Pres (from Arsenal legend Robert Pires). The chatbot provides the users with results, statistics news and much more.

It communicates with fans via Facebook Messenger, Skype, Slack, Kik and Telegram.

The use of chatbots in marketing can present multiple benefits for brands such as reaching new target audiences, identifying marketing brands, and gathering valuable data about your fans.

Sports Marketing Trends #3 Virtual Reality And Augmented Reality

The unfolding of virtual reality (VR) and augmented Reality (AR) has transformed the sports industry by giving training experiences to athletes and creating opportunities in the growing eSports markets.

VR and AR used to be expensive but now it's easily accessible and can be focused on the benefits that it provides.

VR can be used by athletes in a virtual environment that can mimic a real-life game scenario. This is very useful for strategic sports, like football or soccer.

AR on the other hand can overlay information in the real word. Athletes can use AR glasses during a training session and they can see data like speed, heart rate or information on another opponent.

Not only is AR for athletes, but everyday consumers also have it in their hands as well. Brands like Nike and Adidas offer the experience of trying on a product before buying it.

Either the glasses or smartphone, you can know what the shoe looks like on your own foot.

This way, he will be able to select the right shoe more precisely. The client doesn’t have to order three products in three different sizes and colors anymore and send the wrong ones back with free delivery conditions.

VR and AR are not only changing the way athletes train, but recover from injuries, engage with fans, manage mental health, data on performance, remote coaching, and skill development.

Sports Marketing Trends #4 Sustainability

Sustainability initiatives in sports marketing are becoming globally important to brands and organizations that are looking to promote environmental awareness with current sports marketing trends.

To advance this cause, diversity and inclusion is becoming widely popular and accepted.

Combining eco-friendly practices and promoting diversity in sports marketing not only goes along with current trends, but also aligns with social and environmental progress.

Brands and organizations are noticing and recognizing the role of sustainability and are starting to show their time and dedication to more eco friendly practices. Sustainability has become a major of sports marketing strategies.

Brands need to pay attention to sustainability practices, to not only speak out but to actively adopt ways to be more eco-conscious.

This is by creating new innovative ways to engage fans, athletes and the community to come together and make a positive impact in the sports industry.

Here are some examples to ensure genuine sustainable practices and hold the brands and organizations accountable:

Fan engagement: Engage with fans through initiatives like recycling programs or green stadium designs.

Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with environmentally conscious athletes or influencers who share your brand’s values.

Eco-friendly products: Develop sports merchandise made from recycled materials or adopt sustainable production processes.

Sponsorships: Partner with sports teams or events that prioritize sustainability efforts, such as the Formula E Racing series which focuses on electric vehicles and clean energy solutions.

These sustainability initiatives are crucial in sports marketing and have a more positive impact on the environment, consumer preferences, brand image and innovation.

Sports Marketing Trends #5 eSports

Over the recent years, eSports has significantly risen in the world of sports marketing and its growth is projected to be over a billion dollar industry by 2024.

Brands and organizations can start capitalizing on the other sports marketing trends VR and AR by incorporating them into their marketing strategies to attract a younger audience in the gaming world.

Streaming and content creation are becoming so widely popular as a form of engaging in media that platforms like Twitch and YouTube gaming have become big and continuing to get bigger as these eSports players and streamers are the new celebrities.

Brands and sports marketers are collaborating with these influencers, youtubers, gamers for product placements, shoutout and promotional activities that have reached millions of viewers and potential consumers.

There is a recognition in eSports amongst certain brands that are now diving into sponsorships and partnerships with esports teams, leagues and tournaments.

For example, European Football teams have jumped on this sports marketing trend, because millions of football fans play FIFA video games regularly.

The Spanish soccer team Real Madrid has a high-tech new home stadium that includes an eSports arena for fans.

In another case, English soccer team Tottenham Hotspur is planning to host an eSports tournament when its new stadium is completed. At the end of 2018, 20 Premier League teams launched a competition amongst their fans.

The winners of each team had the opportunity to compete for and represent their favorite team in the ePremier League, a competitive video gaming event.

eSports is going to continue to grow and ensure that new sports marketing trends will emerge, which creates an exciting time for sports marketers to explore more and invest.

Sports Marketing Trends #6 Digital Trends

The digitalization in the sports industry has created new opportunities for organizations to create experiences to connect with fans, and foster brand loyalty.

The escalating popularity of sports as a prominent form of entertainment, combined with the rising demand for effective audience engagement, is propelling the rapid growth of the sports technology market.

This can be a challenge for marketers to capture the hold on fans attention or can be a new path they can connect and engage fans with in innovative ways.

Sports marketers can reach their audience through social media marketing, mobile devices and video marketing, which are key components in sports marketing trends.

Social media marketing has continued to change sports marketing with real-time engagement with fans, boosting brand visibility, and targeted campaigns.

Brands can connect to their audience with behind the scenes content and give a glimpse of how fans top athletes favorite candy or what they do on their days off. They are creating engaging content that captures their audience and encourages participation.

Brands and organizations have recently used influences to promote products, favorite athletes, events or causes. Influencers bridge that gap between fans and organizations to foster meaningful connections.

For example, the Major League Baseball (MLB) created an influence program called the Creator Class.

The program is to establish partnerships with various influencers who will boast a significant audience and dedicated following. It's designed to empower these influencers to share their unique stories and fandom experience with their existing fan base.

Another key sports marketing trend is mobile optimization. Sports marketers need to see the value in mobile optimization and create timeless experiences.

Having an app for an organization is another tool for fans to access exclusive content, live updates, personalized messages, and options for purchasing tickets.

Sports Marketing Trends #7 One Off Sporting Event

The rise of ‘one-off” sporting events has achieved popularity as a sports marketing trend. It is categorized as a limited event and often in a global setting, that includes international tournaments, championship games, and exhibition matches.

Some sports fans are not fully committed to following a team or club so they enjoy a team for part of a game or match.

These fans prefer to invest in ‘one-off” events that only happen once or twice a year. This is the perfect opportunity for marketers to promote these unaffiliated sports fans and get them involved in new experiences.

For example, the NFL has been hosting games in London since 2007, to promote the sport and widen its appeal. It draws in large crowds and is known to sell out tickets within days and months before the event takes place.

The “one-off’’ event has grown over the years, with only 2 games in 213 and then 5 games this 2023 season. There are a handful of reasons the NFL plays games in the United Kingdom each year, but they all come back to one thing: establishing a permanent presence there.

The focus still remains the same for marketers, to build relationships with those fans once or twice a year to ensure they’re engaged and are wanting to come back.

This works for big boxed high profile games and matches, because some people are not fully committed, but overtime “one-off” events will help grow that brand.

This gives an opportunity for marketers to create personalized immersive experiences to capture the audience.

Sports Marketing Trend #8 Social Activism

Social activism in sports marketing has become a significant trend in the following years. Athletes, teams and organizations are using their platform to champion social and political issues.

It has increased with sports, society and technology blending together which allows athletes and teams to interact with fans and their communities in impactful ways.

For example, NFL quarterback Colin Kapernick noticed a military soldier taking a knee during a national anthem in honor of fallen soldiers.

Kapernick took on this idea to take a knee to call attention to the issues of racial inequality and police brutality.

Social activism and cause marketing is an important percentage of sports marketing trends. More and more athletes and sports personalities are using their voice for awareness of social issues they feel attached to.