BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Did our partnership assets reach the target audience or demographic? What is the broadcast media value of a jersey sponsorship? What is the impact on customer retention and acquisition? Those were the questions FlyQuest Sports was thinking about as the team headed into the 2018 North American League Championship Series (LCS) for League of Legends (LOL).
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Even though we have Block in our name, Block Six Analytics is not a blockchain company. However, we do see blockchain technology impacting our business in ways that are likely to surprise many in the sports industry. More specifically, blockchain could alter sports media and sponsorship in counterintuitive ways.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Famed management consultant and professor Peter Drucker is arguably most well-known for the axiom, “What gets measured gets managed.” That is one reason why the results of a recent study of sports partnerships by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) are so surprising. The ANA found that only “37% of respondents reported having a standardized process for measuring their return on sponsorship.” So why are so few sponsorships being measured?
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
The “Athletic Intelligence Quotient” (A.I.Q.) demonstrates one new approach NFL teams are using to optimize player performance particularly given the lack of preseason games heading into the 2020 season. We apply A.I.Q. concepts to corporate partnerships to illustrate the importance of examining company-specific metrics in partnership optimization and valuation.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Cinnamon Toast Crunch (CTC) has added cardboard cutouts of its famous squares to the left field seats of the Minnesota Twins and the Miami Marlins ballparks. An in-depth examination of on-field and off-field analytics shows that CTC and the teams have found an innovative way to maximize the squares’ partnership value.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
It seems counterintuitive for the streaming audio company Spotify to enter into a video gaming partnership with Riot Games’ League of Legends. The new relationship, however, highlights how partners and properties should use data-driven audience analysis to examine sponsorship opportunities in new channels.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
DoorDash’s decision to sign a new partnership with the NBA may seem counterintuitive given that food delivery generally and the company specifically is thriving in the current environment. Our analysis featuring our Audience Inference Platform demonstrates that DoorDash is likely signing an NBA partnership now to more effectively engage with younger consumers critical to its long-term growth.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Non-alcoholic beers are one the few growth categories this year that are looking to leverage sports partnerships to achieve greater success. The clearly demonstrable mutually beneficial relationship is the critical reason that non-alcoholic beer partnerships will be signed in the current environment while also being positioned to maximize long-term success.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Jack Morton senior vice president and managing director Matt Pensinger states that the “lack [of] universally accepted and objective measures of value for what key sponsorship assets are worth” was exacerbated rather than caused by COVID-19. We show how our Corporate Asset Valuation Model (CAV) has and will continue to help our clients successfully address this challenge.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
The PGA Tour announced that it will have new “hosted experiences” at upcoming events after deciding that there will be no fans or pro-ams allowed for the rest of the season. At a time when few fans can attend sporting events (particularly in the United States), “hosted experiences” should drive significant value for many of the PGA’s largest partners if done safely.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
While it is much more common for presidents rather than government doctors to throw out the first pitches on Opening Day, Dr. Anthony Fauci will be throwing out the first pitch for the Washington Nationals. We used our Audience Inference Platform (AIP) and Social Sentiment Analysis Platform (SAP) to examine whether Dr. Fauci should be a homerun for the Nationals using machine learning and data-driven analysis.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) announced its launch at a time when many established sports properties are having difficulty generating or maintaining partnership revenues. SRX’s new, integrated partnership strategy with CBS Sports, however, helps to “guarantee” success for both organizations.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
NFL sponsors and teams appear to not know if new, branded tarps placed on the first 6-8 rows of seats in stadiums during the 2020 season will provide comparable value to in-venue activations of past seasons. Our analysis shows that the tarps should deliver significant value for many sponsors, and NFL sponsors and teams should already have information on the expected value of these assets.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
The Banc Of California’s (BOC) willingness to pay millions of dollars to end its naming rights deal early with the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) demonstrates the importance of company-specific return on investment (ROI) analysis in sponsorship. We used our Audience Inference Platform (AIP) to show why BOC may not have been a good fit for LAFC and which types of companies would likely generate more value as the soccer team’s naming rights partner.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
We examined conversation around NASCAR’s decision to ban the confederate flag through B6A’s Audience Inference Platform (AIP) and Social Sentiment Analysis Platform (SAP). Our use of machine learning and human insight provides a framework for how to both analyze this specific issue and apply data-driven decision making in this context more generally.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
The Denver Broncos signed FanDuel Group to the first NFL team sports betting partnership this week because of the team’s focus on unique experiences and content. This relationship shows that new partnerships can be examined and launched even in the current economic climate when value is clearly articulated.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Data-driven analysis shows that consumer demand is increasing, even in industries that have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19. Focusing on how people will spend in the future creates opportunities for sponsorship spend now, particularly as new inventory comes on-line with the restart of many sports leagues.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
This week’s reported increase in demand for sports advertising seems to counter last week’s large projected decline in sports sponsorship spend. We show why this situation exists and how Block Six Analytics’ Audience Inference Platform and Corporate Asset Valuation Model help our clients identify the right sponsorship opportunities in this environment.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
A recent MIT post shows that new consumption patterns on Amazon because of Covid-19 have led to changes in advertising spending on the platform. These changes will be reflected in how companies will want to activate sponsorship spend. B6A products and people help our clients effectively navigate and thrive in this new environment.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Brands are concerned about how to communicate with customers during the coronavirus pandemic particularly when it comes to sponsorship. Our Audience Inference Platform found that communication about product benefits instead of “something bigger” can have more resonance with sports audiences based on examining their organic conversations
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
Companies are looking for ways to engage with their consumers during the coronavirus to help them generate revenue. Beer consumption demonstrates why sports sponsorship is particularly effective for companies that want to reach consumers at home as sports competitions return to venues.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
The Last Dance documentary series achieves record television ratings, but its full impact should be examined through social and digital channels. We use our Corporate Asset Valuation Model (CAV) and Audience Inference Platform (AIP) to demonstrate the importance of looking at the holistic media value for sports content.
BY ADAM GROSSMAN
On April 12th, the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) became one of the first professional leagues to restart its season since the global spread of the coronavirus. While human fans were not allowed in Taiwan’s Taoyuan Baseball Stadium, the “Rakuten Monkeys unveiled a slate of robot mannequins and cardboard cutouts for their matchup against the CTBC Brothers, and some of the robot fans even banged drums in the stand.” Why would the Monkeys use robot mannequins and cardboard cutouts in this way?
