What makes good sports advertising? First of all, “good” is a dead word, so I shouldn’t have used it at all in the first place. Good means that something is positive or attractive; not necessarily over the top or something that really catches your attention, but just a little bit better than something that gets overlooked or at least leaves some kind of mark on your brain enough to want to remember. That’s what good means…so let’s go with what is great sports advertising?

Great sports advertising tells you about what it is that you were looking for or fill in the gaps of your life where you were previously missing something. Good sports advertising should: be intriguing, connect with fans, be memorable, be informative and have a call to action. The purpose of advertising is to get your fans to act in some way, whether that be to make a purchase now or in the future or to build a connection with your fans by solidifying how you fulfill their needs with what sports provide. Let’s dive a little deeper into what good sports advertising means.

Intriguing
I love advertising. Wait – let me rephrase…I love good advertising (just can’t seem to get away from that word). Yes, I really do. Never should an advertisement try to reach every person who might come across that ad. The purpose of advertising is to convey some sort of message to the audience the organization doing the advertising is trying to reach. Therefore, with your mission, vision, values and goals in mind, your ad must be something worthy of my attention. In some way it must make me want to stop whatever it is that I was already doing to pay attention to what you have to offer or whatever you are saying. Good sports advertising can be intriguing for many reasons – just look to your athletes and fans and listen to what they are saying. The stuff that gets talked about, shared and liked is the stuff that is intriguing. Use that stuff for good sports advertising.

Connect with fans
Good sports advertising makes connections where there were none before and strengthens the ones that already existed. For the fans where there was no previous connection, this is the “a-ha” moment where you finally did a good enough job of telling them what it is that you can offer them. This is the part where you finally did enough to be clear about what it is that you offer to your fans so much so that the news ones realized what it is that you offer is what they needed in the first place. For the fans that already had a connection with you, you are reaffirming their affinity for your brand by reassuring them that it’s really you. They nod their heads in agreement – yes, this is my team, my community, my school. This is what I live for and what makes me more of that which I already am – a fan.

Memorable
No one remembers anything that wasn’t memorable. That’s why you don’t remember anything that you don’t remember – it either wasn’t important or it wasn’t memorable, one of the two. Confused yet? Here is it: Don’t be ordinary and don’t be average. No matter who you are, there is something you offer that can be memorable. Think about your favorite or most exciting moments as a fan or student or what it is that you hear people talking about after games. What was that one thing that made it all worth it to be at that game? I can tell you at least a handful of sports memories that I’ll never forget – some good, some bad – that could be used as sports advertising. Your sports ads should include some element of the unforgettable. Here’s an idea: while showing old video clips a voice actor can narrate, “Remember when player x make that great play? Don’t miss the action this weekend and get your tickets now,” or whatever the case may be. Don’t be forgotten – there’s no excuse for not being memorable when you work in sports.

Informative
Good sports advertising is informative in that it lets your fans know exactly who you are, what it is that’s being presented, and what the purpose is of you talking to them in this way. Good sports advertising is concise and communicates what it is that you represent to your fans and everyone else looking for what it is that you have to offer, regardless of the Win/Loss record. In sports, winning isn’t everything, but it sure is fun to win. Sports advertising will have a very specific message that relates to the bigger picture in some way and will not necessarily focus on the wins and losses.

Call to Action
This is the part of the advertisement where you specifically ask them to do something – buy tickets now, visit our website, follow us on social media, or invite someone to the game with you. This is the part where you ask them to take the next step in your relationship as a team and it’s fans.

Sports advertising should be intriguing, informative, connect with fans, be memorable, and include some sort of call to action in order to be effective. Pool your resources and give your fans what they want.

GO Forth!

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