Study shows In-Game Advertising maximizes marketing dollars In Sports Category.

TNS released findings from the ESPN Sports Poll, a monthly tracking study that explored the similarities among traditional sports fans and the sports gamer audience. The study was conducted in partnership with Electronic Arts Inc., and the results suggest that advertisers interested in sports content who are not leveraging in-game advertising are missing a big opportunity.

“Fans consume sports in multidimensional ways,” said Robert Fox, Senior Vice President at TNS and Executive Director of the ESPN Sports Poll. “Today’s interactive entertainment enables fans to engage with their favorite sports on a platform that looks incredibly close to the real thing. When a person is engaged in the video game, there is no channel surfing, and the game is paused only for necessity. This is a terrific way for real-world advertisers and sponsors to develop incremental affinity for their brands.”

Avid Fans Create an Opportunity for Marketers

The average Sports Fan follows six to eight different sports. Marketers are challenged to capture fans’ attention. Sports Poll data has consistently shown that the average person is an “Avid” Fan of two to three
sports. By targeting the “Avid Fans”, marketing campaigns have a much better chance of being noticed by the audience that is paying the most attention, and is likely driving their business.

At 85 million, the National Football League has the largest number of Avid Fans, followed by college football (64 million) and Major League Baseball (53 million).

Sports Video Games are a Targeted Approach for Reaching the Same Avid Sports Fans Marketers Want to Reach

About half of the households in the country own a gaming console. Of those households, half of the sports fans and 69% of the avid sports fans own at least one sports video game. The demographic profile of the Sports Gamer is favorable to brands wanting to reach their target market through sports.

— Three-quarters of these players are male

— More than half are between the ages of 18-34

— They tend to be single males with disposable income

— Most surprisingly, they are more physically active than sports fans in general (60% of Sports Gamers have exercised or participated in a sports activity within the past week compared with 44% of sports fans.)

Advice for Marketers

Sports video games represent an attractive opportunity for marketers to activate sponsor commitments already in place. IEG Sponsorship estimates that about $12B, or 68 cents of every dollar, is spent on sponsorship that is sports related. Those sponsorship investments require activation to be effective. The Sports Poll study shows that three out of four sports fans say that in-game advertising plays a part in reinforcing a company’s real-world sponsorship of that sport.

“Fans have grown to expect that the game experience mirrors the real world and allows them to be Mark Sanchez for the night. Part of the authenticity is the advertising that is imbedded in the game or that is
dynamically served during connected play, and includes the finer details like in-stadium and in-arena signage,” said Elizabeth Harz, Senior Vice President, Global Media Sales at Electronic Arts. “For sponsors looking to differentiate their brand in a crowded field, the Sports Gamer is influential and the messaging options robust.”

For more information at http://www.tnsglobal.com