Controversial Opinion: You can’t fake it til you make it in sports PR

I said what I said.

In our line of work, you have to be a semi-specialist in a wide variety of subjects, industries and products. Often all at the same time, in the same day, even the same hour. We wear many hats. In my 12 years (yes I’m that old) in PR I’ve become an ‘expert’ in pensions, sex toys, car finance, hair extensions, energy providers, cruises, pet food and a whole load more.

But, there is one industry I wholeheartedly believe you cannot guesstimate, regurgitate or…dare I say…fake your knowledge and interest. Sport.

Sports PR is the only sector, in my humble opinion, where you will never know as much as the target audience. Even if you actually do know more than them, the very worst thing you can do as a marketer to a fan (not consumer) is to act like you know more.

And it’s the framing of that audience – fan vs consumer – that makes this whole thing super interesting. Yes, of course fans are technically consumers; they buy what you sell for the most part, but the biggest difference here is the emotional connection involved.

“Sport is something that demands your feelings be violently impacted by its existence”

Sport is something that demands your feelings be violently impacted by its existence – trust me, I’m a Leeds United fan. Once you’re in, there’s no getting out. There’s no switching loyalties. There’s no celebration of what another team has done – whatever they did, it was rubbish. Your fellow fans are family. And you will spend the rest of your days ploughing money into your chosen sport until the moment that someone breaks your trust.

We’ve seen it happen time and time again in football especially. New owners come in who see it as an easy investment opportunity, they change things that should never be changed – Cardiff’s red kit, Leeds United’s iconic shield badge, Newcastle’s Wonga sponsorship – preach about how things should be done and with a click of the fingers, the fanbase has turned against them, chanting for them to get out of the club and season ticket sales have plummeted.

Consumers are open to being sold to and educated, be it a new hairstyle all the celebs are rocking, a recipe using ingredients they’ve never heard of, a must-have new mattress that will change their lives. Fans will only be sold to if they feel you have earned that right.

It’s backed up by science. GWI data shows that people who class themselves as sports fans are nearly 10% more likely than the national average to say they are ‘loyal to brands I like’. Sports fans are 37% more likely to want the brands they follow to feel ‘exclusive’ with a further 3% seeing authenticity as key.

So for us as marketers it’s a bit of a minefield, and if you don’t have that innate understanding of sports PR, fan attitudes and behaviours, and how it all operates together, you really do risk the wrath of millions.

Now I’m not going to give all of our secrets away, but here’s a bit of a cheat sheet of things you absolutely must do to stand any chance of succeeding at sports PR:

• Understand the audience. That doesn’t mean take your biased opinions or misconceptions and run with it, it means look at the data – or better still, source your own. Not just who are they, but what are their routines and rituals, their habits and actions involving the sport. The nuances and gimmicks that make that sport what it is. How can you tap into those aspects to make the engagement feel seamless?
• Nail the Tone of Voice. Every sport has its own tone of voice, and within that, every club, team, brand and athlete will have their own nuances, too. Any content you create, branding or physical engagement needs to be in-line with that. Don’t try and be Paddy Power if you’re not.
• Know who they listen to. What talent, past or present, could you look to use as the face – or voice – for your activity, especially that first foray into the fan base? Who do fans love and who do they love to hate? Often using talent as a bit of a Trojan Horse can be a great way in with fans, and gain their trust before you dive head-first into your activity.
• Do some good. It should go without saying, but take and create any opportunity you can to be seen to be authentically engaging with something positive that supports the fanbase. Don’t do it to tick a box, and don’t do something irrelevant, but find a way to explore the emotional drivers of the fans and support it through relevant means. Show that you are a part of the sport, that you’re there for all aspects of it and not just there to make money.

Unsurprisingly, my favourite campaigns to work on involve sport and the joy you can bring to fans when you do things correctly. There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve broken through those cynical barriers and delivered something they truly wanted to see.

As a sports PR specialist agency thanks to decades of experience, the Hatch team are so embedded in the everyday happenings of sport that we’re basically just waiting for that phone call from Gareth. So if you’re a brand activating a sports sponsorship, or a sports brand looking to engage with your fanbase more effectively, drop us a message anytime at hello@hatch.group for a chat…and probably some kind of debate around which keeper you could score past or whether you could beat 2024 Tiger Woods.