DOOH's Game-Changing Impact on Fall Sports!

Published: August 16, 2023

As the leaves begin to change and the weather cools, the excitement of fall sports looms ever closer. For brands, the arena of competition isn't limited to the playing field alone, with viewership habits evolving by the minute. Just last year, the NFL’s Thursday Night Football became exclusive to Amazon Prime Video; and MLS matches streamed on the Apple TV app. According to Nielsen Fan Insights, 80% of sports fans, 76% of NFL fans and 89% of soccer fans regularly or sometimes watched sports on a streaming or online channel last year.

Even amidst this digital landscape, the allure of fall sports remains a communal and outdoor affair. An
analysis conducted by Nielsen found viewers watching fall sports, including MLB World Series, MLS, NBA, NCAA Football and NFL programming, outside of their homes, particularly in restaurants/bars or other homes. While 66% of adults watch in restaurants/bars, only 20%-30% exclusively do so. This highlights the widespread appeal and diverse viewing preferences associated with fall sports.

As the fall season arrives, it's crucial to forge an adaptable and captivating approach that enables marketers to seamlessly engage audiences amidst the intricacies of the sports season, all within the confines of a fragmented media landscape. This is where digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising comes in.

In fact, according to Morning Consult and OAAA, 90% of adults notice OOH ads. And now, the most traditional form of advertising is getting a digital makeover. OOH is undergoing a revitalization, evolving into a digitally scalable, interactive, flexible, and measurable entity through the integration of programmatic technology. As sports enthusiasts gather at stadiums, sports bars, or go about their daily routines like a trip to the grocery store, they're encountering fall sports ads across diverse touchpoints well beyond the duration of the game!

Let’s delve in and see how different industries are utilizing the power of DOOH during major sporting events to engage their audiences:

Sports Betting:

Sports betting has risen in popularity thanks to its legalization, subsequently fostering a surge in the emergence of sportsbook companies. Forward-thinking advertisers are looking to stay ahead of the competition and attract sports fans and bettors, turning their focus to OOH. A study done by OAAA found that over 50% of people living in cities with over 1 million people have recently taken notice of OOH ads for sports betting and gambling. The data also revealed that more than 3 out of 5 Americans who encountered these OOH ads for sports betting went on to engage in various ways.

Employing dayparting, a strategic tool for pinpointing optimal ad exposure times, has led sportsbooks to engage the right audiences through DOOH effectively. For example, FanDuel, a prominent sports betting company, strategically used a variety of DOOH screens to enhance betting engagement, foster fresh sign-ups, and bolster brand visibility on a national scale. This widespread DOOH campaign leveraged dayparting and budget allocation tools to ensure precise targeting, maximizing interaction, and compelling potential customers to sign up and start betting swiftly! The results were nothing short of remarkable, with a 41% lift in FanDuel website and app visits and an 87% lift in new user sign-ups.

Food and Beverage Brands:

It is no surprise food & beverage brands typically see a spike in sales when they advertise during a sports game. But now they have a remarkable opportunity to engage the active shopper throughout their customer journey via DOOH screens, infused with captivating fall games content.

A well-known alcohol brand sought to increase beverage sales and drive in-store traffic to 7-Eleven convenience stores in NYC. This strategic campaign targeted adult males aged 21 to 44 and wove football-themed ad creatives, taking full advantage of the dynamic audiences encountered through rideshare and place-based screens. The month-long campaign resulted in a 39% lift in 7-Eleven store visits from audiences exposed to the DOOH ad!

Sports:

The world of sports is renowned for its unpredictability. Fortunately, DOOH has introduced a new level of adaptability, enabling campaigns to swiftly pivot as the season unfolds. This agility encompasses rapid adjustments to campaign locations, creative content, and flight schedules.

UFC was faced with the urgent need to relocate a fight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles within six days and had to change its approach swiftly. Enter DOOH, which proved to be the perfect solution. In a matter of minutes, new creative was displayed on DOOH ads, spotlighting the relocated fight with its updated venue. The result? The fight not only managed to sell out, but it achieved this feat days ahead of the event, packing all 16,000 seats in the arena. This remarkable feat underscores the unmatched potential of DOOH in adapting to dynamic circumstances and driving unprecedented success.

Digital out-of-home advertising presents a potent opportunity for a variety of industries to create impactful campaigns during fall sporting events. It capitalizes on the growing trend of consumer mobility while countering the tendency to tune out from digital ads. Now is the ideal moment to capture the attention of sports enthusiasts and drive measurable results through DOOH. If you're eager to launch your DOOH campaign, our team of experts is here to help! Reach out to concierge@adomni.com to get started today.

Written By: Julia Cramer

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