随着消费者不断从品牌中寻求更多而不仅仅是产品和服务，品牌承诺日益成为许多核心业务战略的前提。在品牌寻求展示其个性化承诺的过程中，美国体育迷应该是一个重要的受众群体。
除了热衷于体育内容外，体育迷还热衷于社会事业，其中动物福利和机会平等是他们最关心的事业。
The concept of corporate social responsibility certainly isn’t new, but consumers and employees have elevated their expectations of brands in recent years, as many now expect companies to view doing good as a necessity rather than a marketing strategy. And in an era where authenticity is everything, the marriage of brand and purpose could not be more critical for brands looking to elevate their relationships with consumers. Notably, the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer cites that consumers now trust businesses in the private sector more than nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments and the media—and that trust increased 2 points in the most recent study.
In the sporting world, fans believe leagues should be leaders in supporting an array of causes, many of which focus on the nation’s youths. And not only do many fans look to leagues to champion youth sport (32%) and youth education (32%), 37% of U.S. sports fans in a recent 尼尔森粉丝洞察 study believe that brands will be better able to catch the attention of sports fans when they partner with sports leagues. And 21% believe that brand-league partnerships are a great way to support social causes.
In addition to looking to brands to deliver on quality, price and convenience, U.S. consumers expect brands to remain committed to COVID safety, even as the country eases pandemic restrictions and consumers return to many of their pre-COVID routines, such as travel and returning to the office. And sports fans place a premium on health safety, with 31% saying they consider a brand’s stance on COVID important when they are purchasing the brand, which is 16% more likely than the general public.
目前，大多数大联盟都与关注本国青少年的组织建立了合作关系。在社交媒体上，美国橄榄球联盟（NFL）在青少年体育和青少年教育方面的话题讨论中处于领先地位，在过去的三个月中被提及的次数达到 1331 次。在这些提及中，10% 与 Old Spice 与美国大哥哥大姐姐协会和 NFL 的合作有关。纳斯卡甚至将社交媒体作为主要手段，宣布与男孩女孩俱乐部（Boys and Girls Club）建立新的合作伙伴关系（2021 年 4 月），将其作为官方青少年社区合作伙伴。但这些品牌并没有完成所有的工作。在今年的选秀大会上，社交媒体上的话题激增，这主要是 NFL 球员特拉维斯-凯尔斯（Travis Kelce）、斯派斯-亚当斯（Spice Adams）和德文塔-史密斯（Devonta Smith）个人发帖的结果。其他在社交媒体上参与青少年事业的联盟包括 NBA 和 MLB，分别有 1,155 次和 730 次提及。
重要的是，正如 NFL 在社交媒体上的例子所凸显的那样，在消费者眼中，品牌在支持社会事业方面并不孤单。在某些情况下，消费者认为运动员应该起带头作用，种族公正和平等就是如此。相对而言，消费者认为体育团队（27%）应该在性别平等问题上起带头作用，其次是品牌和职业运动员（均为 26%）。
Athletes have grown increasingly vocal about the causes they believe in, and this year’s Changing Value of Sponsorship report cites that they posted more about these causes in 2020 than they did in 2019. And what’s potentially more noteworthy, these posts generated 63% more engagement for brands than other owned social media content. Last year, 95% of athletes with more than 5 million followers on Instagram advocated for causes on social media, generating $314 million worth of media value*. Nielsen expects this to grow 4x to $1.2 billion by 2023.
The variety of causes and movements can pose challenges for brands and rights holders looking to partner where they believe they can have the biggest, most authentic impact. There are many considerations for all parties to think about as they weigh the options, but there’s much to learn from those who are already leaning in. And when we look at the causes that are most important to fans, there’s no surprise that racial justice, gender equality and the country’s youth are top considerations.
注意
*尼尔森体育计算调整后的媒体等值，以考虑赞助商主导的曝光的环境性质。每次曝光的质量由 QI 分数计算，并应用于 100% 媒体等值。
