Warrier Wala's Test + Learn

Humans are passionate about various things, some more sothan others and in pursuit of which, we push ourselves to think and feel outside of our comfort zones. Some choose to keep passion (or hobby) separate from profession – but I’ve always found that hard to do. I’ve even gone so far as to claim marketing as my passion, but upon reflection, there’s one interest that has been truly inspirational and all-consuming (when appropriate) in my life.

From a young age, I have had a broad-reaching interest in sport. In fact, my first job was in sports marketing and I will always hold that fondly in my heart. From football to cricket, and any ball game in general, I have probably spent about asolid year of my life watching professional sports programming, which isn’t much if you think about it. But the impact it has had on me is quite significant indeed.

Over time, those hours and the narrative around them have shaped how I think, or approach challenges – both in personal and professional life. As a marketer – anything I see outside of work generally gets scrutinised in similar parameters as would when on the clock. Within this context, watching sport means noticing sponsor boards, player endorsement deals, tactile stadium experiences and the list goes on.

For the purpose of this blog, here are four tenants of sports that I have looked at when looking for inspiration time and time again.

1. The Fans

Banding together to form tribes, it’s quite remarkable to watch as fans disregard traditional stereotypes to bond over a shared love for a sports team. Flowing beyond stadia and television, the loyalty they display extends to merchandise purchase, attending events, general advocacy – entire lifestyles in some instances.

In B2B marketing, it can be difficult to build a base ofadvocates, not many people want to talk about their service providers in social settings. In contrast, there are examples out there to aspire to. Companies like Salesforce and Adobe even tier their ardent fans, almost gamifying the experience.

When thinking about your brand, there are many tools to explore as a platform for your ‘fans’ – testimonials, case studies, social sharing – and your goal should be to make it as easy as possible for your audience to wear your colours.

2. The Players

Every team is only as strong as their weakest link. Organisational leaders will always look to the collective impact of their ‘team’ in delivering against company objectives. What gets missed at times, is overall customer experience that your brand facilitates.

It is important to identify (and then measure) the touchpoints your customers engage with and it does fall into the bucket of B2B marketers to thoroughly vet and optimise each touchpoint for consistency and quality.

Just as a team of sports players must conduct themselves professionally, contribute to community, align their personal brands with the appropriate associates – similarly it’s important to empower your team to engage your audience in the right manner, from the people answering phones (or chats) to events that you associate with and the messaging that is applied across these touchpoints.

Beyond this – where are the opportunities to embolden your staff to wear your colours with pride, be it on social media, their personal networks and when meeting prospects and clients alike.

3. The Training

Sports stars are masters of practise, and similarly, marketing is a study of continual improvement. Just as David Beckham practised free kicks into tyres, Michael Jordan practised free throws into waste bins* and Michael Schumacher had his start in go-karts – marketers need to flex (and relax) their marketing efforts to improve.

There is no better time than today to keep a ‘test-and-learn’ mindset. No one has the answer to the perfect marketing and communications strategy and channel selection. If you don’t have the capability in-house, find a partner who understands multiple channels and has case studies to back that up.

Don’t forget, beyond campaigns, the ‘learning mindset’ extends to areas such as measuring content engagement, effect of creative and data currency. Use tools that can make this easier to manage measure your touchpoints. All the better to market to your audience with!

4. The Partnerships

Finally, sports brands have weaved elaborate webs of sponsor/partner networks, all driven by (revenue and) and interest to collaborate with other brands that are of interest to their fans. This multi-billion-dollar business globally has spawned some iconic brand associations such as the NFL Superbowl advertising roster, Rolex and IBM with the golf masters and locally, Toyota’s sponsorship and activation around the AFL.

Naturally, the best measure is fan engagement – here’s one of my favourites – the NFL partnered with Skittles as a prominent player had done the same. And when he scored a touchdown, fans in attendance celebrated by throwing skittles onto the pitch.

When it comes B2B marketing, take some time to speak to your customers, ask them about what matters to them and then find brands that culturally and strategically align with your company values. As with any association, there will be benefits on both sides and cross-promotions should peppered throughout your marketing communications.

The positive resonance that your brand can glean from the right partnerships can encompass both brand growthand revenue generation.

In summary, your own passions can be a great way to change how you think and drive you to approach new ways to problem-solve and engage your audience. Our work and our personal lives might be separate, but there is no reason your inspiration at home can’t feed professional development – both within your own career path and for the brands you are currently a custodian of.