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The way we watch television and televised ads is changing, and an ADWEEK House session on Wednesday reminded the Cannes Lions crowds that few industries are impacted by connected TV as acutely as sports marketing.
In an invitation-only Group Chat, presenting sponsor Innovid’s CMO Dani Cushion opened up the discussion with Paramount Advertising chief operating officer Steve Ellis by delving into the data behind media buying for a Super Bowl 58 viewing audience that was “bigger than [the one that watched] the moon landing.”
The two then handed the event over to moderator and NFL Network host MJ Acosta-Ruiz, whose group discussion entitled “The Touchdowns Powering Marketing Gold: Tuning into TV to Score Big” included Los Angeles Rams CMO Kathryn Kai-Ling Frederick; former Rams and Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle and current Amazon Thursday Night Football Analyst Andrew Whitworth and Angel City FC; and Los Angeles Golf Club owner Alexis Ohanian.
“It’s an unbelievable panel who understands the real concept of reach,” Acosta-Ruiz said.
“The real concept of impact and interaction with the fans, with the consumer, with the folks who are putting butts in seats,”
With topics ranging from viewing and buying habits to intergenerational interaction, the group put its personal touch on the wide-ranging world of modern sports marketing.
At the buzzer
Even as sports continue to drive tremendous viewership, the way that the audience interacts with ads has changed completely.
“TV ads as we used to watch them are not the same,” Cushion said. “I have watched Premier League soccer games and, at halftime, taken out my phone, bought Ferrero Rocher and had it delivered the same day from Target. The impulse buying thing is real, and that shoppable behavior that this sort of motion engenders is really interesting.”
